A Guyton City Councilman is accused of using taxpayer money for personal purchases, and now he’s facing five felony charges. Residents say they want answers.
🎯Why It Matters: The charges accuse a sitting official of using public funds for private gain. If true, that’s not just theft—it’s a betrayal of public trust.
🔍 What’s Happening: 26-Year-Old Theodore Hamby was indicted by an Effingham County grand jury on Monday. Prosecutors say the charges stem from his time in office and his alleged misuse of a city credit card.
- He faces three counts of financial transaction fraud and two counts of making false statements.
- He was arrested in March after a theft investigation began in February.
Key Terms
Indictment: An indictment is the formal legal accusation of a crime.
⚖️ Between the Lines: This isn’t a minor accusation—it involves Hamby’s alleged actions while in public office. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation got involved at the request of local police.
🧭 The Big Picture: City and county governments depend on trust. If officials misuse that trust, it damages public confidence far beyond the borders of their town.
⚠️ Reminder: Crime articles contain only charges and information from police reports and law enforcement statements. Suspects and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Before You Dismiss This Article…
We live in a time when information feels overwhelming, but here’s what hasn’t changed: facts exist whether they comfort us or not.
When A&W launched their third-pound burger to compete with McDonald’s Quarter Pounder in the 1980s, it failed spectacularly. Not because it tasted worse, but because customers thought 1/3 was smaller than 1/4. If basic math can trip us up, imagine how easily we can misread complex news.
The press isn’t against you when it reports something you don’t want to hear. Reporters are thermometers, not the fever itself. They’re telling you what verified sources are saying, not taking sides. Good reporting should challenge you — that’s literally the job.
Next time a story makes you angry, pause. Ask yourself: What evidence backs this up? Am I reacting with my brain or my gut? What would actually change my mind? And most importantly, am I assuming bias just because the story doesn’t match what I hoped to hear.
Smart readers choose verified information over their own comfort zone.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
