Why criminal charges against an ex-Columbus city revenue manager are dismissed
The criminal charges against a former Columbus Consolidated Government employee have been dismissed due to the statute of limitations being exceeded, according to a court hearing Monday morning.
Yvonne Ivey, former revenue manager for the city, faced two charges of simple battery after a Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office investigation into the CCG finance department, the Ledger-Enquirer reported.
The investigation came after Columbus Mayor Skip Henderson requested an investigation following the release of personal information from the city’s finance department.
In a hearing Monday, Columbus Municipal Court Judge Steven Smith announced Towaliga deputy chief assistant DA Wayne Jernigan filed for a dismissal of the charges.
Jernigan was assigned to the case after Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit District Attorney Don Kelly recused himself.
“The state law has a statute of limitations that prohibits prosecutions after a certain period of time,” Jernigan told the Ledger-Enquirer.
“In this particular case, these are misdemeanors which have a two-year statute of limitations to be accused or indicted,” said Jernigan, previously an assistant DA in the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit. .
Smith approved the dismissal of both cases against Ivey.
Mark Post, Ivey’s attorney, declined to comment.