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A doctor convicted of falsifying medical safety examinations for commercial drivers has been sentenced to nearly three years in federal prison.

U.S. District Judge Dudley H. Bowen on Wednesday sentenced Dr. Mark Griffis, age 61, of Eastman, to 30 months in prison for conspiring to falsify Department of Transportation (DOT) mandated medical exams for drivers who hold commercial licenses, announced Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.

Griffis was convicted after a three-day jury trial in June. Judge Bowen also fined Griffis $6,000.00, and ordered him to serve three years of federally supervised release after he completes his prison sentence. There is no parole in the federal system.

According to the evidence presented at trial, Jo Carol White, a DOT approved drug and alcohol screener, paid Griffis to falsely certify medical exam forms at $50.00 each without actually examining the driver. This scheme allowed 271 drivers to renew their commercial driver licenses without undergoing the appropriate medical exams to assure their fitness to drive. Earlier this year, White was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment for her role in the conspiracy.

“Motorists expect and deserve the highest standards of safety from commercial drivers who make a living transporting goods on our taxpayer-funded roadways,” said U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine. “Griffis violated the duties of his profession and made our highways more dangerous for no reason other than pure greed.” [Full Story »] 

Last week’s 2018 general election brought changes as republicans won Georgia state offices and all the constitutional amendments passed as well as the state referendums passing in Dodge County and statewide.

As of Monday night, the Georgia Secretary of States website was reporting unofficially that all 159 Georgia counties and the 2,634 precincts were 100 percent complete.

Locally, incumbent Michael Jones won over Ellis Cofield for the Georgia Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor. Jones received 3,581 votes or 59.76 percent to Cofield’s 2,393 votes or 39.94 percent. Write-in votes tallied 18 or .30 percent.

In the governor’s election, republican Brian Kemp took Dodge County with 5,213 votes compared to democrat Stacey Abrams’ 1,814 votes and to libertarian Ted Metz’s 24 votes.
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