Gwinnett Co. Commissioner Kevin Kenerly Indicted

Updated: Thursday, 21 Oct 2010, 12:07 AM EDT
Published : Wednesday, 20 Oct 2010, 6:16 PM EDT

By MYFOXATLANTA STAFF/myfoxatlanta

ATLANTA, Ga. – Gwinnett County Commissioner Kevin Kenerly has been indicted on three counts, including bribery and failing to disclose a financial interest in properties up for rezoning. FOX 5 broke the news of the indictment on Wednesday.

FOX 5 I-Team’s Randy Travis reports the indictment stems from Kenerly’s relationship with a local developer. The indictment was unsealed late Wednesday by Judge Michael Clark.

The indictment contains some sensational allegations involving bribery and a local developer. The grand jury accuses Kevin Kenerly of accepting 20 payments for $50,000 each. Added together, that’s $1 million, allegedly put into Kenerly’s pocket. He hired the assistance of a bail bonds service and is currently free. Of course, he is expected to appear before the judge to undergo his trial.

The indictment is the latest development in an investigation that contributed to the resignation of commission chairman Charles Bannister.

“The payment was suggested and accepted to induce the belief that Kevin Kenerly would arrange for the purchase of real property by the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners to the benefit to David Jenkins,” it reads.

Jenkins is a developer secretly videotaped with Kenerly on vacation in Las Vegas. He’s also the developer who sold the county parkland at a price higher than the official appraised value. Kenerly championed that deal.

Kevin Kenerly has served on the Gwinnett County commission for 16 years. As of Wednesday night, no warrant had been issued for his arrest, but that’s expected on Thursday when Kenerly is expected to turn himself in.

The latest update:

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. —Gwinnett County Commissioner Kevin Kenerly turned himself in to the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office just before 2 p.m. on Thursday. He was released on bond later that afternoon.