Criminal warrants were filed in the clerk’s office and a magistrate judge denied bond for two individuals the day after a Long County commissioner and a county vendor were arrested by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Commissioner Robert Parker and business owner Tony “Peewee” Fowler have been charged with a host of charges stemming from alleged misuse of county funds from the Long County government. The pair remain in the Tattnall County Jail, but neither the warrants nor the testimony during the first appearance hearing provided much clarity on what’s to come for Long County taxpayers.
To date, however, citizens have learned of an alleged pattern of criminal behavior, a violent episode involving a county employee, possible plans to flee the jurisdiction, and a criminal history that, had it been handled differently, may have prevented all of this in the first place.
Details of the Warrants
Warrants, sworn by GBI Special Agent Thomas Kimelblatt and signed by Superior Court Judge Robert Russell, allege that the criminal activity began in 2022 and continued well into January 2025, as the GBI was investigating Parker and others in Long County. Specifically, the documents allege:
- Parker participated in Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) statute by being in a criminal enterprise with the common scheme of gaining personal goods and services at the expense of the Long County Board of Commissioners. The alleged acts of wrongdoing date back to October 20, 2022 and include a variety of misdeeds, including:
- Theft by Taking when he purchased $5,104.82 in clothing purchases in Wayne County between October 20, 2022 and January 9, 2024.
- Theft by Taking by using Long County government funds to purchase Beretta shotguns for personal use totaling $7,947.72
- Theft by Taking when he used Long County government funds to purchase clothing in Chatham County in the amount of $2,099.34.
- Parker committed Aggravated Assault with a firearm against a Long County employee in 2023 when he placed her in a headlock and then placed a handgun in her mouth. The warrant alleges that this occurred in the presence of two others – Russell Simmons and Edward Brewer.
- Parker committed Theft by Taking by using heavy machinery owned by the Long County Road Department for his own personal gain on land located on Highway 84 in Ludowici (between September 16, 2024 and January 17, 2025).
- Parker committed Theft by Taking when he instructed county officials to position a newly acquired water pump, purchased with Long County government funds, on his personal property for personal gain/use.
- Parker committed Theft by Taking when he purchased $1,112.80 from SP Tecovas in August 2023 by using funds acquired from the Long County government.
- Parker committed Violation of Oath by a Public Officer when he committed Aggravated Assault against the Long County employee in 2023, as he was the Chief of Police for Ludowici Police Department and the act was a violation of the Oath of Office for that position.
- Fowler knowingly aided Parker in instructing county officials to position a newly acquired water pump, purchased by Long County, on his personal property for his personal use immediately upon its delivery to Long County for personal gain.
- Fowler knowingly aided Parker in utilizing heavy machinery, owned by the Long County Road Department, on his tracts of land on Highway 84 in Ludowici for his own personal gain.
All of the charges are felony offenses and alleged violations of state statutes. None of the charges outlined in the warrants are federal offenses.
Request for Bond
Parker’s First Appearance
In his First Appearance paperwork, Parker indicated that he has or will retain legal counsel, that he earns $6,000-$7,000 per month, is married, has dependents, and has friends and family who would assist in helping post bond. An attorney present for Parker Friday argued that Parker has known about the investigation since at least September 2024 and did not flee the jurisdiction or intimidate any witnesses. “He’s from this community, he loves this community.”
Michael Tabarrok from the Georgia Attorney General’s office, who is prosecuting the case due to conflicts of interest with the local district attorney’s office, said that Parker attempted to flee at the time the search warrants and arrests warrants were executed.
“As law enforcement was going down a long driveway, about 1.7 miles long on his property, this defendant was fleeing out a side parkway. Apparently he received notification that the GBI and FBI and Attorney General’s Office were on the way to this location. This was evidenced when he came out the second entrance. He stopped and he looked and a state trooper was down the road, he did not have his blue lights on. He maintained vision with him and the state trooper at that point turned on his blue lights and the defendant was stopped. The defendant made a comment to the state trooper, and keep in mind at this time the defendant did not have any knowledge through law enforcement that the GBI, FBI, and Attorney General’s Office were coming up the main entrance. The comment that he made to the state trooper was “I guess I managed to dodge them but running into you, I guess it was fate that you got me.” So the defendant did attempt to flee yesterday.”
In response, Parker’s attorney said law enforcement could have called Parker and asked him to turn himself in.
Fowler’s First Appearance
On his determination of indigency for bond, Fowler’s paperwork also lists his household income at $6,000 to $7,000 per month with two dependents. Fowler indicated that he plans to retain an attorney, but was not represented on Friday.
The state argued that Fowler also posed a flight risk, stating that the search warrant executed Thursday revealed a secret room hidden behind a mirror which housed over $41,000 in cash and filing cabinets which had a location intended for passports, but law enforcement was unable to locate the passports in the home. Fowler replied that his passport was expired, but prosecutors said paperwork recovered at the home indicated a passport had been issued in 2021.
After hearing testimony from law enforcement, however, Bryan County Magistrate Judge Carolynn Shervette-Montgomery, who presided over the hearing to avoid conflicts of interest with the Long County Magistrate judge, denied bond for both Parker and Fowler.
Shervette-Montgomery denied Parker’s request of bond, citing his risk for fleeing the jurisdiction, him posing a significant threat or danger to the community, and a significant risk of intimidating witnesses or otherwise obstructing the administration of justice.
Fowler’s request for bond was also denied, citing his risk of fleeing the jurisdiction or failing to appear.
Both will have the opportunity to request another bond hearing before a Superior Court judge. Both cases have been assigned to Superior Court Judge Jay Stewart. It is unclear as of March 2 as to whether or not the judges will recuse themselves. Traditionally, if county commissioners are responsible for appropriating any amount of funds to the judicial offices, the circuit judges will recuse themselves and seek the appointment of a judge from another circuit.
Previous History of Robert Parker
Parker has previously been charged with felony offenses that led to a guilty plea on a lesser charge and administrative action by the Georgia Peace Officer Standards & Training Council (POST) since he was a law enforcement officer at the time.
The documents were previously available on PeachCourt, but amid last fall’s scandals and news of a GBI investigation, were removed by the Clerk of Superior Court on the ‘public’ side so that the public could no longer access the documents.
TheGeorgiaVirtue obtained Parker’s POST records, however, which detail the criminal proceedings. Parker was arrested for Arson (1st degree), Insurance Fraud, and Violation of Oath of Office on June 29, 2010 after it was determined that Parker ‘knowingly damaged his house with fire and without the consent of the creditor or insurer.’ Parker was employed by the Long County Sheriff’s Office at that time and was subsequently terminated.
The Office of the Commissioner of Insurance for Georgia investigated the case and determined the damage was around $25,000. Parker was facing upwards of $60,000 in fines and up to 35 years in prison. But after more than four years in limbo, in December 2014, Parker’s case was reduced down to misdemeanor Criminal Trespass. Judge Jay Stewart sentenced Parker to a $1,000 fine and 12 months probation. The case was repeatedly delayed due to Parker not entering a plea of guilty or not guilty following an indictment and arraignment, according to the Coastal Courier.
Parker’s law enforcement certification from the state was administratively suspended from June 30, 2010 until December 23, 2014 and he could not work in law enforcement during that time. In December 2015, after his plea, he returned to the Long County Sheriff’s Office for employment and voluntarily resigned in August 2017.
Parker’s certification from the Georgia Peace Officers Standards and Training Council was placed on probation for 36 months beginning on September 5, 2018. It is unclear what prompted that probationary status, but he was hired by the Ludowici Police Department while his certification was on probation and promoted to Chief fifteen days after his sanction from POST in 2018. He served in that capacity until January 9, 2024.
