One of the tasks Billy Joe Nelson wanted to tackle upon taking office as Atlantic Judicial Circuit district attorney was restructuring and reorganizing the office.
That task is now behind him finally.
Nelson, first elected to office in 2022, has completed that reorganization and with it is a team of prosecutors dedicated solely to Liberty County.
“I thought that was important,” Nelson said in an annual report to Liberty County commissioners. “We needed a team that was solely dedicated to Liberty County cases.”
Of the six counties in the circuit — the other five are Bryan, Evans, Long, McIntosh and Tattnall — Liberty has the largest population. Even as Liberty’s population grows, the caseload has fallen, Nelson said.
“We are seeing a little bit of a reduction,” he said. “It’s a community effort — citizens, law enforcement, the court system.”
Across the circuit, but predominantly in Liberty County, the caseload has fallen by about 20% from 2022-26. The addition of another Superior Court judge, bringing the total to five, has been a help, Nelson noted.
“We’re able to get cases in front of judges in court more often,” he said.
The circuit, however, will be short two judges with the retirement of Glen Cheney and the impending retirement of Richard Russell. The judicial nominating commission will make recommendations for replacements based on the applicants for the judgeships, and Gov. Brian Kemp will appoint the replacements.
What has helped is more frequent presentments to grand juries, Nelson said.
“That is helping us move cases through the system faster,” he pointed out.
As a result, the assistant district attorneys have a reduced caseload, and it is making them more efficient because they can work on a particular set of cases, Nelson added.
While Liberty now has its own prosecution team devoted to the county, that team also has moved from the district attorney’s main office on Highway 196 to the Liberty County Justice Center. That’s cut down on time needed to travel back and forth for files and consultation.
“They appreciate not having to travel,” Nelson said.
Bryan County also its own team of prosecutors, who work out of the main office, and a prosecutor team for McIntosh and Long counties also works out of the main office.
“We are seeing a growth in cases,” Nelson said of Bryan County. “With growth in population, we are seeing an uptick in cases.”
The team for Tattnall and Evans counties works out of an office in Reidsville. The juvenile and accountability courts teams and the child support team also are housed at the main office.
“I believe it has been positive so far and I think it is going to be a help in the future,” Nelson said of the reorganization.
Another asset has been turning positions that had been funded through the American Rescue Plan Act into permanent spots. The addition of those ARPA spots has been “crucial,” Nelson stated.
“If we did not have those ARPA team members, I don’t know we would be able to keep pace,” he said.
The DA’s office also is collaborating with law enforcement agencies, the public defender’s office and the Department of Community Supervision, meeting regularly with each, Nelson said.
The DA’s office also may look at additional office locations in the future years and Nelson said he may need more personnel in 10 years. He also praised the commissioners for enabling the DA’s office to provide incentives. Nelson said even the use of a vehicle to go across all six counties is a benefit and helps to draw top candidates for the office.
“They want to come work here,” he said. “We do offer them a lot of benefits. We have gotten some really good people to work here and a lot of it is what you provide.”