The investigation into computer hacking allegations by (former) Council Member Rick Mohrig has concluded.  See the above screenshot of the final paragraph from the Milton Police’s 13-page investigative report (Case 23-01634).  (RP = reporting person.)  Not surprisingly, the Milton Police and GBI determined that “Computer Forgery . . . did not occur.”  The report further states that the case will be unfounded.  The term unfounded has a specific definition in the law.  Following is a screenshot of a Law Insider definition of unfounded:

I urge citizens to request Case 23-01634 from the Milton Police department.  Following is a link to the City’s website where you can submit an Open Records Request (ORR).  I received the report within 24 hours of submission of my ORR.  The records request process is super-easy.

https://www.miltonga.gov/government/city-clerk/request-public-records

The 13-page investigative report is fascinating reading.  The Milton police and GBI were clearly thorough in their investigation.  No stone was left unturned.  The police report provides a clear, detailed, and unequivocal description/analysis of the events/actions surrounding the alleged hacking that should leave no doubt in citizens’ minds that Mr. Mohrig’s allegations of a Computer Forgery were indeed unfounded.  Given the lack of ambiguity in the findings, it would seem this case should be turned over to Milton’s prosecutor to determine whether sufficient evidence exists to charge Mohrig with filing a false police report. Minimally, Mr. Mohrig owes Miltonites a heartfelt apology and restitution of all investigatory costs. I shudder to think of all the hard-earned tax monies wasted on chasing computer phantoms.  Milton and Georgia taxpayers should be outraged!

Of course, the hacking scandal was only one of many nails in Mohrig’s political coffin.  I have documented Mohrig’s many and egregious transgressions in other blog posts.  Even worse than the hacking fiasco was Mohrig’s trampling of one citizen’s basic constitutional rights (for example, protection from unreasonable government search) when Mohrig trespassed on that citizen’s property (yet again circumventing city staff) to conduct an unauthorized investigation (including allegedly taking photographs) of said citizen . . . for which Mohrig was only cited for trespassing. Considering he is a government official, (allegedly) identified himself as such, and (allegedly) stated he was conducting an investigation, it seems Mohrig got off far too lightly. Chalk it up to one set of (lower) standards for government officials and much stricter standards for the rest of us lowly citizens.

Thankfully, citizens overwhelmingly booted Mr. Mohrig from office in the most recent municipal elections.  Mohrig eked out only 40% of the vote even with support from a de facto alliance of Milton’s two long-warring factions.  That’s right . . . former council members Laura Bentley, Bill Lusk, Julie Bailey, and Matt Kunz all lined up behind Rick Mohrig in his bid for re-election. Politics surely does make strange bedfellows. (See note at bottom of this post.).

I had hoped the city would provide me with the GBI’s hacking investigative report and all the case’s supporting materials (like interview transcripts), but it did not.  So I will be submitting another ORR to get these documents.  Stay tuned . . .

Advocating For Good Governance,

Tim

Note: In 2011, Kunz trounced Bailey. In 2017, Bentley decimated Lusk. However, facing almost certain defeat in their re-election bids, Kunz and Bentley both wisely chose not to seek re-election to third and second terms, respectively.

Attached is a press release issued by the City of Milton.  A suspect has been charged with making terroristic threats against the Mayor of Milton and against Georgia’s governor.  The press release provides investigative details that I will not repeat here.  This arrest is great news for the Milton community.  Perhaps, Miltonites can rest a bit easier; however, danger still exists as I will explain later in my post.

The death threats to the Mayor (and his family) have justifiably elicited more concern among most citizens than any other issue I’ve witnessed in Milton.  Milton Coalition Blog traffic set records when I first reported this story.  My initial blog post on this story was viewed more than 2200 times.  Separately, an email alert sent to 2000+ Milton Coalition petition signers elicited a 71+% open rate and 22% click-through rate, with many other readers reaching the blog through search engines.  My blog post was also widely shared on social media.

Unfortunately, it is a near-certainty that others—likely Milton citizens–were involved in these death threats.  Milton’s press release correctly states that the charged inmate had no motive to make such threats and was likely working at the behest of others.  Additionally, the timing, nature, and other elements of the threats strongly suggest a local mastermind with knowledge of local politics. 

I was not surprised about the threats.  With support from a few (now-former) council members, a small but very loud group of Counterfeit Conservative Crazies (CCCs) has regularly thrown tantrums at council and ranted incessantly on social media.  For many months, partisan rancor has plagued Milton, reaching a fever pitch with the approach of the election.  My alarm at this corrosive partisanship prompted me to fire up the blog to stand up to the partisan bullies, who clearly do not reflect broader community sentiment.  The exposure of misconduct and incompetence (by me and the Milton Herald) in Milton’s election design and planning dealt a fatal blow to their agenda and doomed their council candidate, Rick Mohrig, to certain defeat at the ballot box.  Realizing their demise, the crazies further increased their attacks, which included personally targeting me, the Mayor, and others.  In my opinion, the death threats were just a logical extension of these attacks.  Milton’s toxic partisanship likely incited one or more unstable Miltonites—perhaps one of the crazies themselves–to direct these death threats.

So were Milton’s crazies perhaps chastened or even remotely concerned by the death threats?  Actually, quite the opposite. To my knowledge, none has condemned the threats.  Rather than expressing concern for the mayor and his family, some of Milton’s crazies whined about the mayor providing me with the threatening texts he received (so that I might use my media platforms to assist police).  One of the crazies even conspiratorially asserted that the death threats were manufactured by myself and the Mayor.  Real tin-foil hat stuff!

I have also been disappointed that community activists, such as former council members Laura Bentley and Julie Bailey, have been eerily quiet about the death threats.  Both have an obligation (if they are truly community advocates) to unequivocally condemn such threats.  Both have been quite vocal in the past 6 months about other issues that I contend are less dangerous to the community and to our fundamental rights.  (BTW, both also endorsed Rick Mohrig’s re-election to council.)  Sadly, as I have learned, Ms. Bentley and Ms. Bailey’s advocacy is mostly driven by politics and not the best interests of the community.  Had these death threats been directed at their allies, I am relatively certain that Bentley-Bailey would be screaming bloody murder.  Perhaps, my blog will shame them into action on this issue . . . but I doubt it.

There are almost certainly remaining chapters in this story yet to be told.  Kudos to the Milton police (and their state and federal partners) for their fine investigative work.  The most difficult task–finding and charging a suspect in the calling/texting–has been successful.  It strikes me that connecting the charged inmate to a local handler should be relatively easy . . . a matter of tracing the suspect’s communications with local residents. 

I am ending this post with a plea for non-partisanship and political sanity.  I have long been involved in Milton politics.  Based on this experience, I am confident that a large majority of Miltonites are strongly opposed to the dysfunction that we detest in state, national, and county  politics and that we see infecting Milton politics.  Voter disdain for such divisiveness was evidenced in the most recent municipal elections when partisan candidates were roundly rejected by voters.  Party politics have no place in Milton’s municipal government.  Milton’s elections are non-partisan by design; no candidate is identified on ballots by party affiliation.  More importantly, partisanship does not translate well at the local level; issues in Milton have typically not broken along party lines.  However, definitively rejecting partisanship in Milton is going to require average, normal citizens to stand up to the political crazies—on both the extreme right and the extreme left.

Advocating For Sanity in Politics,

Tim