Two Effingham County Commissioners told a local newspaper they were receiving threats and intimidating messages in the wake of a data center proposal, prompting increased security at public meetings, but public records show no such threats have been reported to law enforcement.
The Effingham Herald reported on July 31 that two county commissioners spoke to the newspaper about backlash following the announcement of the OpenAI data center in Effingham County. The commissioners spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation, the newspaper reported.
Excerpts from the article include:
…”Several elected and appointed officials told The Herald they have personally received threats. Other officials have reported threatening comments directed at local officials.”
…”We’re scared to go out. Our children and families are going through this,” one elected official said. “They are endangered, and it’s heartbreaking — absolutely heartbreaking.”
…”When I go to the grocery store, I’m looking over my shoulder,” the official said. “I’ve never felt that way before.”
…One official said a social media post included a threat to burn down the homes of elected officials.
…But officials said disagreement and criticism are part of the process. Threats and intimidation are not.
Records from Law Enforcement
Following the publication of the article, TheGeorgiaVirtue filed an Open Records Request with the law enforcement agencies across the county. Specifically, TheGeorgiaVirtue asked for:
- Any and all correspondence which includes copies of ‘threats’ or allegations of ‘threats’ made and reported in the time period beginning July 22, 2026 (the day of the announcement of the proposed data center) and ending July 31, 2026 (the date the article appeared in the EH).
- Any incident reports, initial incident reports, or other documentation created for the purpose of detailing #1 of this request.
- Correspondence or references to comments (if they exist), irrespective of whether or not an investigation was opened.
A notation was included in the request to ask that in the event that the agency uses a term other than but still similar to “threat,” to please use that term to conduct the search for records.
The request was submitted to the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office, the Guyton Police Department, the Rincon Police Department, the Springfield Police Department.
Across four agencies, however, no report has been made to law enforcement by elected officials, pertaining to elected officials, or against any member of any of their families.
The Guyton Police Department responded that no such incidents were documented.
The Springfield Police Department request yielded two reports, neither of which pertained to county commissioners, county staff, or the data center generally. One report detailed a male sleeping on a bench on private property and another involved a private business and a former employee.
The Rincon Police Department request yielded no response for threats reported to law enforcement, noting the agency is not currently investigating any threats either.
The Effingham County Sheriff’s Office responded with two incident reports in the time frame requested, both of which included county employees.
In one incident report from “July 28 or July 29,” a county Code Enforcement employee was driving a county vehicle when he was approached by “an older gentleman” at a Parker’s. The man reportedly asked him “”Do you feel safe driving that county vehicle around?” The employee told law enforcement that the same day, he was again at Parker’s when he was approached by a younger male who said “You should be scared driving that county vehicle.” The county employee did not know the individuals. The report was made to law enforcement on July 30.
In a second incident report from July 27, a county employee in the Planning and Zoning Office told law enforcement that her husband received a call on his cell phone from a blocked number. The caller told her husband, “You tell your bitch to be careful of she’ll end up hurt.” The phone call was reported to law enforcement on July 30.
