The defense attorney for Hall County Solicitor General Stephanie Woodard has filed to quash seven of the two dozen felony charges against her on the grounds that they are past the statute of limitations.
Hall County court documents show that attorney Noah Pines filed the motion on Wednesday. It claims that the charges in question occurred more than four years ago, meaning the state of Georgia has to prove that it had no knowledge of the alleged crimes prior to the expiration of the statute.
The prosecution claims it was not made aware of the crimes until October 27, 2022. Woodard's defense is requesting a hearing to force the prosecution to prove that claim.
The charges represent less than a third of the total felonies the embattled solicitor general is facing. All 24 charges are for either theft by taking or making false statements. They allege she cumulatively stole thousands of dollars of public money for personal use between July 2018 and September 2022.
It also comes just a day before a committee appointed by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp is set to report back to him with their recommendation of whether or not to suspend Woodard from office based on the charges.
