Solicitor pleads innocent to bribery charges

MCDONOUGH - Suspended Henry County Solicitor John Rutherford has pleaded innocent to charges that he accepted more than $10,000 in bribes for dropping five DUI cases. <br> <br> Superior Court Judge Hal Craig set a jury trial date of March 25th for Rutherford, who also is accused of using forged judges&#39; signatures to make it appear that some DUI defendants&#39; cases had been dismissed. <br> <br> After entering his plea yesterday, Rutherford said there is no evidence connecting him to the indictment. He said witnesses are not telling the truth. <br> <br> Virgil Brown - his attorney - said the case will rest on the credibility of an alleged middleman in the bribery allegations. That man is 46-year-old Keith Rector, a former friend of Rutherford who pleaded guilty in January. <br> <br> Brown said that the indictments allege DUI defendants gave money to Rector, not Rutherford.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2002/3/197847