ABERDEEN –Bribery charges will not be pursued against Aberdeen Mayor Jim Ballard, attorney Jim Waide announced in a written statement this morning.
Monroe County bail bondsman Keith Morgan signed an affidavit against the mayor after the mayor, Morgan reported, threw $30 in his lap, offering him restitution for what Morgan considered an overage on his electric bill.
Waide, who represented Morgan in the case, said both the mayor and Morgan “became needlessly angry” over the situation, and “Mr. Morgan now realizes he should not have signed the affidavit” since the mayor did not violate any criminal statutes.
Ballard was arrested Thursday on charges of felony bribery and was later freed on $5,000 bond.
“In the future,” Waide wrote, “Mr. Morgan will do everything possible to control his temper and he hopes the mayor will do likewise.”
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