CLAYTON COUNTY, Georgia – Katrina Holloway, the former secretary for Clayton County Board of Commissioners Chairman Jeffrey Turner, will turn herself into authorities by Tuesday after being charged with a felony for making false statements to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI). Multiple sources, including current County Commissioner Felicia Franklin, claim it was Clayton County Chairman and former police chief Jeffrey Turner who was the mastermind behind the alleged criminal scheme.
According to the arrest warrant affidavit, Holloway purposefully provided the GBI “false and fictitious information” during an active GBI investigation into fake threatening letters received by both Turner and Holloway herself on June 27, 2022. The GBI said Holloway was the person who sealed and mailed the threatening letters to Turner and herself and that they were “written in a way that made Turner fear for his safety.”
Holloway spoke exclusively with The Atlanta Press, claiming it was her former boss who asked her to mail the letters and that he did not tell her the contents of the letters.
Watch The Atlanta Press Exclusive interview with Holloway
“When I was chairman Turner’s executive assistant, it’s not uncommon for him to come to me and ask me for blank envelopes or county envelopes, and for me to seal the envelope up and give it back to him,” Holloway told The Atlanta Press during the exclusive interview.
Holloway said she paid for those stamps used by Turner with her personal money, and because the stamps were easily traced back to her debit card, she would not have been involved with the situation or mailed the letters for Turner had she known the contents in the envelopes were fake threats.
The GBI questioned Holloway on two occasions, according to the arrest warrant affidavit. During the interviews, the GBI says Holloway instead accused former Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill, or another person working on Hill’s behalf, of sending the threatening letters when she was the one who mailed the threatening letters. The arrest warrant affidavit says that Holloway “knew there was no legitimate threat” to Turner.
“I’m so regretful that I allowed myself to get caught up,” Holloway said. “I honestly thought [Hill] did [send those letters] and I feel terrible that I accused a person of writing it that had nothing to do with it whatsoever.”
Holloway said there was “bad blood” between Turner and Hill, which is why she initially believed the former sheriff was behind the letters.
“I’ve only been with Clayton County for four years. I don’t have any issues with Sheriff Victor Hill at all. Never had a run-in with him, never had an altercation, never had a verbal altercation or anything. I don’t have anything. I don’t have anything to gain,” Holloway said. “[Turner] had more to gain.”
Holloway said she confronted Turner about the letters and that he did not deny her allegations but instead told her to get back to work.
According to the arrest warrant affidavit obtained by The Atlanta Press, Holloway purposefully provided the GBI “false and fictitious information” during an active GBI investigation into fake threatening letters received by both Turner and Holloway herself on June 27, 2022.
Clayton County Commissioner Felicia Franklin also spoke exclusively with The Atlanta Press. Franklin said the timing of the threatening letters was suspicious, leading her to believe Turner was behind the threatening letters.
On June 21, 2022, Franklin said the board voted to have Turner’s spending of county funds investigated by auditors. On June 26, 2022, Turner told the commissioners he had received a threat and that he was implementing new security measures without board approval, Franklin said.
Franklin also said she reached out to the GBI asking them to investigate Turner more closely and she said she also provided screenshots received from an anonymous source that indicated it was likely sent from Turner.
She said despite her emails to the GBI insisting that Turner be investigated and that county computers should be seized to try to trace the anonymous emails and the source for those threatening letters, she did not feel they took her claims seriously.
“I provided leads to the [GBI] investigator that strongly indicate that Chairman Turner staged the letter which would constitute a false report of a crime,” Franklin wrote in an email, sent to the GBI on August 31, 2022.
Franklin believes that because of Turner’s relationship with those overseeing the investigation, he was not questioned or under scrutiny in the way he should have been.
“I can definitely say that it’s something else they need to look into the current GBI director was our previous chief of police. And he’s good friends, unfortunately, with our chairman. It’s on record. And so I don’t mince my words when I say that I have been concerned for years for my safety and the safety of board members under this current administration. And yes, it was ignored, because if there was going to be an extensive investigation done, then computers would have been pooled, data would have been collected. So, unfortunately, I have to say that I did feel ignored,” Franklin said.
Franklin says some of those anonymous emails going out to the public showed screenshots where the origins could have only been from a high-level operations manager within the county, such as Turner, or someone under Turner’s guidance.
“People can deny what they want to deny, but I’ve learned in life, that the facts speak for themselves, and that information is time [and] date stamped,” Franklin said.
The Atlanta Press reached out to the GBI and Turner for comment.
The Atlanta Press asked the GBI if Turner is a person of interest or if the investigation into the threatening letters is closed. At the time of publication, the GBI said they will gather the latest update and send the statement to The Atlanta Press whenever they can.
Turner released a statement to The Atlanta Press: “I vehemently deny the allegation being made by Dr. Holloway. The GBI conducted a thorough investigation into the matter and then issued warrants as the result of their findings. I am a 23 year law enforcement veteran and now chairman of Clayton County and take these matters seriously. I would never intentional do anything that would disgrace my name or standing in the community I work, live and play in. I do plan to pursue civil action against Dr. Holloway I will not allow anyone to lie on me or scandalize my name.”
Turner was elected to Clayton County as Chairman of the Board of Commissioners in August 2012.
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Editor’s Note:
The GBI submitted the following statement to The Atlanta Press after the publication of this story:
GBI Charges Clayton County Chairman’s Secretary with False Statements
The GBI has charged Katrina Holloway, age 52, with false statements and false report of a crime after a criminal investigation revealed evidence that Clayton County Chairman Jeff Turner’s secretary (Holloway) mailed Turner a threatening letter. The investigation began in June 2022 after GBI agents received a request from the Clayton County Police Department. There have been several allegations made by Clayton County officials of alleged evidence that will implicate more people in this investigation. So far, no evidence has been provided to the GBI.
Anyone with information about this case is urged to contact the GBI. Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS(8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.
Holloway turned herself in to the Clayton County Jail January 30, 2023.
The GBI investigation is active and ongoing. The District Attorney for the Clayton Judicial Circuit has recused her office in this matter. Once the investigation is complete, it will be given to the Prosecuting Attorney’s Council of Georgia or the assigned conflict prosecutor for the case.
