The federal court trial of former DeKalb County Commissioner Sharon Barnes-Sutton on two counts of extortion and one count of federal program bribery, originally set for August, has been delayed until October, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
The newspaper says U.S. District Court Judge Mark Cohen has set an Oct. 18 start date for Barnes-Sutton's trial so that she can undergo surgery in September for a health condition.
"The Court finds that Defendant has presented sufficient medical evidence to support a continuance until after the completion of her surgery, which will result in only a short continuance," Cohen said in his order.
A federal grand jury returned an indictment against Barnes-Sutton in 2019, alleging she extorted bribe payments from a DeKalb County subcontractor while she was the chair the Board of Commissioners' Finance, Audit & Budget committee.
Federal prosecutors alleged in the indictment that Barnes-Sutton sought monthly payments from an individual whose company had received a procurement award from the BOC related to construction of a wastewater treatment plant.
