<p>A car dealer paid $7,600 for the Ten Commandments plaque that was removed from the Barrow County Courthouse because of a lawsuit.</p><p>Brad Akins purchased the plaque on the Web site eBay, beating out 13 other bidders in a 10-day online auction.</p><p>Akins, who owns a car dealership in the county, said he was excited the controversial display would remain in town. He said he spent Wednesday night in front of his computer, repeatedly pressing the "refresh" button on his Internet browser.</p><p>"I'm not really a materialistic person," Akins said. "I don't really collect anything. This is the first thing in a pretty long time I've set my sights on. I had a passion for it. This is something I really wanted."</p><p>He still hasn't decided where the Commandments will hang, but said he may replace a copy that's displayed in the customer lounge of Akins Ford or keep them in his home.</p><p>"It's not something you put above your bed," Akins said. "I might put it in the living-room area or the family room. It has sentimental value for me."</p><p>The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit in 2003 on behalf of an anonymous Barrow County resident to have the plaque removed. In July, Senior U.S. District Court Judge William C. O'Kelley ordered the plaque taken down. The county complied and decided not to appeal.</p><p>The plaque is authenticated with signatures of all Barrow County commissioners as well as the signature of Eva Elder, the widow of the former Barrow Commission Chairman Walter "Eddie" Elder. Elder led efforts to display the Ten Commandments after a private donor asked him for permission to hang the plaque at the courthouse.</p><p>Akins said he was a good friend of Elder, who died before seeing the result of the ACLU lawsuit.</p><p>A group called Ten Commandments-Georgia pledged to pay for the fight and has already paid the county $213,436.14.</p><p>The group, which auctioned off the plaque as a fund-raiser, still owes $52,000. They expect to be able to pay it in full after a fund-raiser featuring former Sen. Zell Miller in early October.</p><p>The county settled the suit in July and paid the ACLU and the anonymous resident $150,001 in taxpayer funds last month. Ten Commandments-Georgia refused to give any money for the settlement.</p><p>Jody Hice, president of Ten Commandments-Georgia, said he was surprised to learn that Akins had won the auction. The group was willing to ship the display anywhere in the country, Hice said, but was glad that it would remain in Barrow.</p><p>"It just seems right for it to stay right here," he said. "Probably, more people will see them at Akins Ford than at the courthouse."</p><p>The group was hoping to raise between $20,000 and $40,000 in the auction, but Hice said he was pleased with the amount Akins paid, because similar copies of the Ten Commandments retail for $425.</p><p>Akins said at some point he would like to see the display returned to its original home.</p><p>"Hopefully, there will come a day when I'll be able to hang them back up in the courthouse with the Supreme Court's blessing," he said. "That would be very cool. After all, you never know what tomorrow will bring."</p><p>___</p><p>HASH(0x1cdc940)</p>
