DeKalb CEO Burrell Ellis bonds out of jail

DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis is back home after bonding out of jail.

DeKalb District Attoey Robert James announced a grand jury indicted Ellis Tuesday on 15 counts that included charges of theft, extortion, false statements and writings, conspiracy to defraud a political subdivision and coercion of another employee to give anything of value for political purposes.

James announced during a news conference that an arrest warrant was issued for Ellis and he had up to 48 hours to tu himself in. The CEO surrendered to authorities almost immediately after. 

According to the indictment, Ellis asked the county's director of purchasing and contracting to create a list of vendors with county contracts so Ellis could solicit campaign contributions from them. It said Ellis threatened to cut business ties with vendors and report at least one employee for poor customer service after there was no response to his solicitations.

"I do want to make one statement emphatically to the good people of DeKalb County, that I've done nothing wrong, as I've said from the very beginning. (I've) Done nothing wrong and I would never, ever, ever do anything to violate the public trust," Ellis said, talking to reporters in the driveway of his Stone Mountain home.

Earlier this year, agents took computers and other evidence from his home and county office. The district attoey's office was also looking into campaign financial records.

At the time, Ellis denied any wrongdoing.

Channel 2's Tony Thomas discussed the case with former District Attoey Jeff Brickman.

"I think any time you take on the CEO, that you're expecting a big battle ahead of you," Brickman said.

Ellis could be potentially removed from office as a result of the indictment. Gov. Nathan Deal's office told Channel 2's Erica Byfield the goveor will receive the indictment and assemble a three-person panel to review the case. Based on the panel's recommendation, the goveor may remove Ellis. In that case, the county commission's presiding officer, Lee May, would become the interim CEO.

"This is a sad day for DeKalb County. While every person is clearly innocent until proven guilty, this ongoing saga has been a distraction and continues to bring unwelcome negative publicity to our county and govement," May said.

Ellis' indictment comes just months after Gov. Nathan Deal removed five DeKalb school board members for mismanagement.

"Businesses shy away from a county that's in disrepair when they have that many problems, and they smell bad with all these problems," he said. "Why go and put your headquarters in a county which resonates with bad press? It breaks your heart."

But those close to Ellis still say Tuesday's indictment doesn't square with the man they know, who was elected to DeKalb's top job promising reform.

"I don't know of any forced campaign contribution that Ellis ever attempted, and I worked in all his campaigns," said Oliver Brown, a DeKalb political operative. "I'd be shocked (if this is true)."

Should Ellis get suspended, he'll be the seventh elected official in DeKalb to meet that fate since March. That's when a federal judge allowed Deal to suspend two-thirds of the county school board over an accreditation agency's allegations about nepotism, financial mismanagement and other conces.