Ex-DeKalb Commissioner Turns Self In On Theft Warrant

DECATUR, GA -- Former DeKalb County Commissioner Stanley K. Watson surrendered to authorities Tuesday after he was indicted by a grand jury for alleged theft, officials said Wednesday.

Watson is accused of cashing advance checks for government trips that he would later forego, according to news reports. Watson, 63, is charged with one count of theft by conversion, according to DeKalb District Attorney Sherry Boston’s office. (To get notified of more local news like this, click here to sign up for the Decatur Patch. Or find your Atlanta-area town here. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.)

Watson's troubles stem from checks written to him for DeKalb Board of Commissioners business trips to Chicago and Savannah in January 2016. Two months later, he resigned to run for the post of DeKalb tax commissioner.

"Mr. Watson was booked into the DeKalb County Jail where he posted a $5,000 bond and was released pending trial," a news release from DeKalb Sheriff's Office said.

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