Former DA Apparently Cleared In Robberies

FRANKLIN SPRINGS, Ga. (AP) -- The Georgia Bureau of Investigation apparently has cleared a former northeast Georgia district attorney of involvement in two area bank robberies.

Authorities searched the Franklin County home of former Piedmont District Attorney Tim Madison and his wife, Linn Jones, on Friday, the Athens Banner-Herald reported.

But on Monday without specifically naming Madison the GBI indicated he had been cleared.

"The person who resided in the house where we did the search warrant has been eliminated as the person who committed these robberies," said John Heinen, special agent in charge of the GBI's Athens field office.

It's against GBI policy to name suspects during a criminal investigation, Heinen said. Heinen would not say whether authorities removed any evidence from Madison's house during the search, nor would he say what evidence led them to search the house.

Authorities have been investigating two bank robberies that happened hours apart last week in McDuffie and Oconee counties.

Witnesses said a bearded man wearing a baseball cap entered the banks carrying a white plastic bag and ordered the tellers to hand over cash.

Heinen said Monday that investigators had no strong suspects in the robberies.

Meanwhile, Madison's lawyer, Edward Tolley, said the former district attorney bears no ill will toward investigators for the search.

Madison represented Banks, Barrow and Jackson counties for more than two decades as the Piedmont Judicial Circuit's attorney.

He resigned in June amid a state investigation in which he and his wife are accused of misusing public money. The couple is accused of forging Banks County timecards in 2005 and 2006 for hours Jones never worked. Madison and former Banks County

Assistant District Attorney Brett Williams also face charges of theft and violating their oaths of office for allegedly misusing funds in 2005.

All three pleaded not guilty to the charges in September.