Lincoln County Commissioner Cooper Cliatt was arrested Tuesday on two counts of child molestation and has already been released on bond, authorities said Wednesday.
The arrest comes after a grand jury indicted the 78-year-old Lincolnton businessman this week for two sex crimes based on allegations involving an extended family member. The indictments were a result of a probe by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation that was confirmed in September.
The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office was alerted to the indictments Tuesday afternoon, and Cliatt surrendered around 6:30 p.m. and met conditions of a $50,000 bond before being released about two hours later, Sheriff Clay Smith said.
Cliatt could not be reached for comment. His attorney, Danny Durham, said Wednesday that his client has been cooperative with the GBI during the six-month investigation in efforts to get to the bottom of the allegations. He said Cliatt continues to maintain his innocence and looks forward to clearing his name in court.
The case is reportedly being handled by the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia since the Lincoln County District Attorney had a conflict of interest.
According to a county website, Cliatt was elected to the Board of Commissioners in 2008 to represent District 3. Although born in Appling, Cooper felt the pull of family ties and moved to Lincoln County in 1992, the site says.
Commissioner Cliatt is an entrepreneur and a small business owner. He founded Augusta Telephone in 1983 after a 13 year career with AT&T and developed Cliatt Crossing shortly after moving to Lincoln County.
Cliatt has served as an executive member of the Metro Augusta Chamber of Commerce, chairman of the Augusta Better Business Bureau and chairman of the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce.