Wilkinson school board candidate arrested

School board candidate David Hadarits recently was arrested inside of the Elections Superintendent’s office at the Wilkinson County Courthouse, the same place where his election paperwork was filed back in March.

The incident occurred at roughly 11:40 a.m. Sept. 5. Hadarits subsequently was walked across the parking lot in handcuffs to the Wilkinson County Jail, where he was booked and charged with one count of disorderly conduct and one count of simple assault. He was released several hours later.

Hadarits is the Republican candidate for School Board Chair, which will be decided in the general election, now less than two months away. Hadarits is running against longtime incumbent Roger Smith. Hadarits is a familiar face at local government meetings, which he often records and posts to Facebook.

The incident centered around election paperwork, according to the WCSO incident report and Hadarits, himself. The “victim” on the incident report was listed as Elections Superintendent Kelly Chatman. Hadarits was asked by a deputy “if he wanted to make a statement about what happened,” but he declined, added the incident report. Chatman was interviewed by a deputy, however, relaying to the deputy that Hadarits snatched several pieces of paper out of her hand, “leaned down face to face with her and said, ‘(Expletive), you done (expletive) up now,’” according to the incident report.

Chatman then phoned the on-duty courthouse deputy, who made the short walk from the front lobby of the courthouse to the Election Superintendent’s office. Hadarits “refused to comply with (the deputy’s) instructions” to leave the office, while also saying “do not touch me,” during the interaction with the deputy, thus leading to the disorderly conduct charge.

Here is the incident report narrative, in its entirety: “I responded to a call for help at the Election’s Office in the Courthouse. Upon entering the office door, I observed a male later identified as Mr. David Hadarits leaning over Kelly Chatman who was seated at her desk. David was holding the torn edges of two official ballots in his right hand. 

“I instructed David to leave Kelly’s office in an attempt to defuse whatever situation that was going on. David refused to follow my instructions. As I attempted to place my hand on David’s right arm to escort him out of the office, he stated, ‘Do not touch me.’ I instructed David again to leave the Election’s Office.
David still refused to comply with my instructing him to leave Kelly’s office. I informed David that he could leave as ordered or he would be arrested for disobeying a lawful order. 

“David still refused to comply with my instructions so I placed a pair of duty-issued handcuffs on him and escorted him to the front door of the courthouse. I turned David over to Deputy Shawn Ring who escorted him to the Wilkinson County Sheriff’s Office Jail.

“I returned and spoke with Kelly Chatman who stated that David was at her office for the purpose of verifying the information on his ballot. Kelly said David pulled out his phone and attempted to take a picture of the ballot. Kelly said that when she saw David trying to take the picture, she grabbed the ballot and advised David that it was unlawful (for) him (to) take a picture of the ballot. Kelly stated that David then tried to snatch the ballots out of her hand causing it to tear. Kelly said she was seated at her desk when David stood over her, leaned down face to face with her and said, ‘(Expletive), you done (expletive) up now.’ Kelly said she then called me (Courthouse Security Deputy Kenneth McDade) to assist with the removal of David. When I entered Kelly’s office, David was still standing over her. Kelly was present and witnessed David’s refusal to leave when instructed by Security Deputy McDade.”

Hadarits, who founded the Wilkinson County Post years ago prior to selling, announced his candidacy via Facebook back in March.

“By every measure, our district’s academic performance is among the very lowest in the state, placing our students at a stark disadvantage and robbing them of their best shot at a brighter future. This is not just a statistic; it’s a crisis that threatens to derail the dreams and potential of our young minds,” he wrote. “We cannot stand by and watch as our children miss out on the education they deserve – an education that lights up their worlds, opens doors to endless opportunities, and equips them for the challenges of tomorrow.”

Hadarits is no stranger to School Board meetings and has recorded most of the meetings in the last year-plus. He and Aaron Geter, the previous Superintendent, clashed over the position of Hadarits’ camera at a School Board meeting last year. Hadarits has been a frequent critic of Geter.

Hadarits responds

The Times Journal Post reached out to Hadarits for a response Monday, and on Tuesday morning he sent over a lengthy one. In the response, Hadarits asserts that this wasn’t the first time that Chatman has “sought my arrest for making video recordings of open Board of Elections meetings and for photographing public documents such as sample ballots and election results.” Hadarits also denies cursing at Chatman or threatening Chatman.

Hadarits also accuses Chatman of being the “sole aggressor,” theorizing that Chatman should be arrested for simple battery and making false statements to law enforcement.

Here is the entirety of Hadarits’ response: “I would like to address the unfortunate and unnecessary incident in which I was arrested on charges related to my attempt to photograph a sample ballot at the Wilkinson County elections office, despite the fact that this action is not a violation of any law.

“Whether due to a misunderstanding of the law or malice, this situation continues a pattern of behavior by Elections Supervisor Kelly Chatman, who has previously sought my arrest for making video recordings of open Board of Elections meetings and for photographing public documents such as sample ballots and election results. These activities are expressly protected under state law, in accordance with the principles outlined in the United States Constitution.

“My intent in attempting to photograph the ballot was simply to document what I had approved. I was not, in any way, seeking conflict or doing anything unlawful. 

“Following legal advice, I am unable to speak as freely as I would like, but I want to briefly address some key false allegations:

“1. *Allegation: I grabbed a sample ballot from Mrs. Chatman and was seen by the arriving deputy hovering over her menacingly with torn pieces of the ballot in my hands.*

“In fact, like other local candidates, I was called to the elections office by Mrs. Chatman to approve the spelling of my name on a printed sample ballot. Upon my arrival, Mrs. Chatman directed me to stand next to her desk and handed me a printed sample ballot, which I held in my left hand. After confirming that my name was spelled correctly, I signed a form on her desk approving the spelling. I then reached into my right pocket to retrieve my phone with the intention of photographing the sample ballot to document my approval. Without any warning, Mrs. Chatman grabbed my left hand and the sample ballot, tearing a small corner of the ballot that remained in my hand due to her grip. If any crime was committed during this incident, I believe it was her act of simple battery in grabbing my hand and forcefully snatching the ballot.

“Had any investigation been conducted, the arresting officer would have discovered that the full-sized papers in my hand were unrelated to the sample ballot. These papers were from another office in the courthouse and related to my notary renewal, not pieces of the ballot as claimed.

“2. Order to Leave: After the deputy arrived and held my arm, I was ordered to leave the premises. I immediately requested that the deputy release my arm so that I could comply and leave, but I was arrested for not leaving immediately, despite being physically restrained by the deputy.

“3. Alleged Language: The claim that I used inappropriate language the stereotypical poor grammar I’m accused of during this incident is entirely false. As stated, my exact words were, ‘Ma’am, you’re mistaken about that.’ This accusation further distorts the facts of the event.

“Moving forward, I hope this matter can be resolved with the dismissal of these baseless charges. I also hope that Mrs. Chatman will receive training on Georgia’s open records and open meetings laws. Additionally, I believe a charge of simple battery against Mrs. Chatman should be considered for her role as the sole physical aggressor in this incident. Her misunderstanding or misrepresentation of the law regarding the public’s right to copy and photograph public documents set in motion an unjustified arrest, which was then supported by her false statements to law enforcement.”