Georgia PSC critic speaks after being arrested, charged with theft of trade secrets
Former Georgia Public Service Commission candidate and Georgia Power critic Patty Durand has spoken out after her arrest to advocate for people to vote, just one week after her arrest on a felony charge of theft of trade secrets.
Durand, a clean energy advocate who campaigned against Republican Commissioner Tim Echols in the last election cycle, faces the felony charge after she allegedly slipped a Georgia Power booklet into her purse and walked off, according to a Capitol Police incident report. The incident happened during a lunch break in an Oct. 21 PSC hearing regarding Georgia Power energy supply requests.
“I have no comment at this time, except to urge everyone to participate in the upcoming PSC elections,” Durand told The Telegraph Monday. “Support transparency. Support accountability. Support ensuring consumers receive the information they are entitled to.”
The incident report, obtained through Georgia open records law, says Durand was seen on video taking the booklet, putting it in her purse and leaving the meeting room.
Durand spoke during the public comment period of the hearing, pushing back on Georgia Power’s request to build a series of new natural gas power plants.
Durand has long been critical of the all-Republican PSC and a vocal challenger of Georgia Power’s rate hikes and transparency practices. She also has frequently expressed concern that the PSC and Georgia Power are not committing enough to renewable energy.
A Georgia Power representative told police about the alleged theft, according to the incident report. That representative also told police the booklet contained confidential information.
A Capitol Police officer left Durand a voicemail that afternoon to advise “Mrs. Durand about the booklet she took from the PSC meeting and the consequences to follow,” according to the incident report.
Durand returned his call around 20 minutes later, admitted she had the booklet and said she was willing to return it, according to the incident report.
Durand was in possession of the booklet until about 5 p.m., when she was arrested at the Georgia Capitol and taken to the Fulton County Jail, where she was charged with felony theft of trade secrets. Jail records show Durand was released Oct. 23 after a judge granted her a $10,000 bond, with 10% of it needing to be paid in order for her to be released.
The felony offense carries a potential penalty of one to five years in prison and a fine up to $50,000, if she’s convicted.
When asked if she had taken any photocopies or made copies of the booklet, Durand invoked her right to remain silent, according to the incident report.
As a condition of her release, she was ordered to avoid any witnesses connected to Georgia Power or the Public Service Commission and to have no contact with the commission or its staff, according to Fox 5 Atlanta. She also had to surrender her passport to the district attorney’s office within 48 hours of her release.
The incident report also says investigators got a search warrant for Durand’s phone, car and home. During a search of her home, investigators seized a phone and a laptop.
Georgia Power said it was “cooperating with law enforcement” in a statement provided to Georgia Public Broadcasting, and can’t comment on the investigation.
“Theft or exposure of proprietary information is a serious matter,” Georgia Power said. “While we operate transparently, some data must remain confidential to protect customer interests and ensure we deliver the best value to all customers. Unauthorized disclosure risks harming both our company, the vendors and contractors with whom we do business, and the customers we serve.”
The Public Service Commission said it is not involved in the matter.
“The PSC was not involved,” said Tom Krause, spokesperson for the commission. “We did not file the complaints. The information that was alleged to be stolen was not PSC information, and this is a matter for law enforcement.”
This story was originally published October 28, 2025 at 10:36 AM with the headline "Georgia PSC critic speaks after being arrested, charged with theft of trade secrets."
