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The phone calls began the same night Barrow County Human Resources Director Norma Jean Brown brought allegations of race and gender discrimination to the Barrow County Board of Commissioners.
She said since that day, her home phone has been inundated with prank calls and hang-ups.
From now on, only her husband answers the phone, she said Friday.
That comes after she discovered a voicemail message Oct. 26 on her work phone, from someone she says must have been ignorant or intoxicated.The voicemail was left the Friday before the commission meeting, when Brown was out of the office sick.
The message sounds like a TV advertisement for a law firm and states, "Your future may be in jeopardy. Your family’s wellbeing may be at stake. It’s serious business. The wrong move could be very costly. That’s why you need an ex—."
The message cuts off abruptly midsentence, and is punctuated by a slurred "Hey" from the male voice of the caller, about halfway through the message.
The whole call lasts about 10 seconds.
Special Agent Jim Fullington, with the Georgia Bureau of Investigations, said Friday that the case is still open, but has been put on hold while the agency works on murder and shooting cases outside the county.
Other ongoing county investigations
The county has hired Cartersville attorney David Archer to conduct the investigation into Brown’s allegations. Archer began interviewing county employees this week.
The county’s agreement with Archer states that he will provide his report to Operations Development Manager Bob Hohe upon completion of the investigation.
But in an interview Friday, Hohe said he’s planning to modify the contract so that Archer will provide a written and verbal report to the full Board of Commissioners, rather than it coming to him.
"That way there’s no opportunity for anyone to accuse me of pre-screening it," he said. "I want the opportunity to make this as true and objective as possible. And that’s what we’re going to do."
The Board of Commissioners has only two regular meetings left before the end of the year, so it’s possible they won’t hear a report from Archer until the board’s Jan. 12 meeting, if not later.
