South Georgia Sheriff acquitted

A federal jury in Valdosta has acquitted Clinch County Sheriff Winston Peterson of perjury and obstruction of justice. Prosecutors accused Peterson of tipping off then-Superior Court Judge Brooks E. Blitch III to the identity of an FBI informant. The sheriff also was accused of lying to a grand jury about conversations he'd had with Blitch about the federal investigation. Blitch has since resigned from the bench and was indicted in July on federal corruption charges. Peterson has remained on the job since a grand jury indicted him last year.

(Associated Press)

FBI surveilling judge

The FBI has been spying on a south Georgia judge. Federal prosecutors say agent have been conducting electronic surveillance on Clinch County Superior Court Judge Brooks Blitch. Blitch is under investigation for alleged misconduct. He has not been charged with any crimes, but faces accusations of ordering illegal payments to county employees and ordering the early release of imprisoned felons.

County clerk guilty of illegal payments

A former southeast Georgia county clerk has pleaded guilty to stealing money for himself and other employees. Daniel Leccese resigned Friday from his Clinch County post. Federal investigators say he is the first of many they could prosecute for conspiring with Superior Court Judge Brooks Blitch. Investigators say Blitch ordered the payments to county employees that were kept off county books and never reported to tax authorities.