ATLANTA - In a continuing shake-up at the state Board of Pardons and Paroles, four high-ranking officials have resigned after being told they would be fired. <br>
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Friday's resignations came eight days after parole board member Bobby Whitworth and chairman Walter Ray stepped down amid a criminal investigation into allegations of corruption. <br>
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The officials were: <br>
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Chuck Topetzes, the board's executive director of parole since 1996, whose salary is $107,888. <br>
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John Walker, executive assistant to the board, whose salary is $88,492. <br>
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Kathy Browning, director of public information, $87,134 a year. <br>
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Stephanie McConnell, legislative liaison, $72,077 a year. <br>
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Buddy Nix, the former director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation who was appointed last week by Gov. Roy Barnes as the new parole board chairman, said, ``It is not only normal, it is expected that changes would be made when an agency has been under scrutiny that this one has been under.'' <br>
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Heather Hedrick, acting spokeswoman for the board, said all four submitted their resignations ``in lieu of being terminated.'' She said they will be on annual leave until the resignations take effect July 31. <br>
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No replacements have been named. <br>
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Nix would not say why the staff members were forced out. He cited confidentiality rules that apply to personnel decisions. The four were considered loyal supporters of Whitworth and Ray. <br>
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Last August, the state attorney general began an investigation into whether Ray and Whitworth accepted thousands of dollars in exchange for influencing legislation. <br>
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Whitworth and Ray have said the money was for consulting work unrelated to their public positions and that they have done nothing wrong. <br>
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Last week, the governor appointed a special prosecutor to take over the investigation from the attorney general's office.
