A Long County grand jury indicted the former city clerk for Ludowici on six felony theft charges last week, eight months after she was initially arrested.
Tina Beecher Skipper was arrested by the Long County Sheriff’s Office in January 2026 on two counts of felony Theft by Taking. The warrants alleged that between October 7, 2025 and November 20, 2025, Skipper added more than $10,000 to her salary without permission.
Following her arrest, Skipper was booked into the Pierce County Jail. Bond was set by Magistrate Judge Teresa Odum in the amount of $25,000 cash or $50,000 property and she was released the following day after posting a property bond.
The grand jury returned a True Bill of Indictment on six counts of felony Theft by Taking. According to the indictment, Skipper “unlawfully and in breach of her duties as an employee” took $1,985.67 on October 7, 2025, October 8, 2025, October 17, 2025, October 28, 2025, and November 3, 2025 for a total of $9,928.35. Additionally, the indictment alleges that on November 12, 2025, Skipper appropriated another $445.27 for herself.
In total, it is alleged that Skipper, now 57, unlawfully took $10,373.62 from the City of Ludowici.
According to the indictment, the state witnesses for grand jury included:
- Greg Nettles – Investigator
- Matthew Bryce Edwards – Investigator
- Misty Day – Ludowici City Councilwoman
- James Fuller Jr. – Mayor of the City of Ludowici
- Whitney McGowan – Assistant City Clerk for the City of Ludowici
- Luke Moses – City Attorney for the City of Ludowici and attorney for Long County
The indictment was returned in open court and filed in the Clerk’s office last week.
Now-former District Attorney Billy Joe Nelson recused his office from the case earlier this year. As a result, Marilyn Bennett is prosecuting the case as the District Attorney Pro Tem for the Atlantic Judicial Circuit. Bennett is the District Attorney in Waycross, though she is currently one of two finalists for a superior court judge position in the Waycross Judicial Circuit.
In the Atlantic Circuit, Judge Mark Hendrix and Judge Charles P. Rose both recused themselves from the case.
In February 2026, Skipper’s attorney, Paul Robertson, filed a speedy trial demand. The demand forces the prosecution to prepare for trial quickly and either resolve the case or try it during the next two terms of court. If the state fails to do so, and there are no defendant-induced delays, the case can be dismissed. The terms of a speedy trial demand, however, do not begin until an indictment is returned.
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