A former employee of the Floyd County elections office Patrica Spurlin has sued Floyd County, elections supervisor Akyn Beck and County manager Jamie McCord.
In court documents, Spurlin argued that she was fired and retaliated against because Beck “ believed that she disclosed potential payroll fraud and theft in the elections office” Spurlin believes that this violated her first amendment of the Georgia Whistleblower Act.
The suit claims that the events began when Beck hired her then fiancé’s brother (Isiah). Spurlin alleges she approached Beck about his questionable timecard . Spurlin claims that “Isaiah was hardly in the office and the same was true for Beck.” Spurlin claims that she routinely saw Isiah come in at 9 am and leave early. Some days Spurlin claims that neither Beck nor Isiah would report to work with no message to the workers in the office. Spurlin went on to claim that “routinely, people would try to reach Beck regarding elections business and no one could find her.”
Spurlin also claims that in one instance “Spurlin and Isaiah reported to work and then immediately walked out a side door and got into a waiting car that looked like Beck’s, only to return hours later.”
It is also accused that Isaiah left work before lunch and came back later afternoon showing off a new tattoo that he had done while billing the county for his time.
Spurlin went on to say that she was also made to do duties that were not hers to do, including reviewing, approving and transmitting timecards. She also noticed that Beck signed off on those claimed times.
It was during this time that she says she noticed Isaiah was turning in time for 40 hour work weeks when he did not in fact work those hours.
On March 7, 2023, Spurlin’s co-worker approached her with an anonymous complaint to the county’s HR director detailing suspicious activities of Isaiah and “asking for an investigation into possible fraud due to theft buy money and time.”
The following week, the suit claims that a county worker came into the elections office and told Spurlin and a co-worker “to watch their backs because Beck was livid about an anonymous complaint sent to the county”.
On March 17, Beck called Spurlin into her office along with County Clerk Erin Elrod that they were going to be letting her go. At that point, Elrod escorted Spurlin back to her desk and then out of the building.
The complaint goes on to say that after Spurlin was fired Isaiah was placed on the county’s full time payroll. The complaint also alleges that no worker in the elections office was interviewed about the complaint until after Spurlin was fired and Isiah was hired full time.
Spurlin has requested a jury trial on the issues.
Spurlin worked in the elections office from May 2020 until March 2023.
To read the full suit
