The Morrow Police Department has confirmed that it found no evidence that a Clayton County commissioner was drugged during a night out at a Southlake Mall sports bar in late September.
Commissioner Felicia Franklin alleged in an Oct. 1 Facebook post that medical professionals she contacted told her they believed someone may have slipped her a gamma hydroxybutyrate pill (GHB), also known as a date rape drug because of its frequent use in sexual assaults, while she was at an event at the 404 Sports Bar & Grill.
Franklin demanded an investigation, saying: “I believe it’s crucial to use this moment as a catalyst for change. I will be working closely with authorities to ensure that justice is served, and I will also be advocating for improved safety measures at events like these.”
But Morrow authorities said after reviewing footage from several cameras at the establishment that they did not see any proof that anyone tampered with the drinks Franklin ordered. Instead, they said Franklin was drinking heavily that night — she consumed parts of five drinks — and a toxicology report showed cannibas in her system.
“I received the results back from Southern Regional (Medical Center),” Morrow Police Sgt. Scott Stewart said in an updated police report Friday. “Ms. Franklin did refuse blood work. This shows in the document. Ms. Franklin was given a urine test (which) showed positive for ... cannabis.”
Franklin did not return messages Friday seeking comment, and has not posted any more comments on the issue to social media.
The commissioner’s allegations come as she is running for chairwoman of the Clayton County Commission while simultaneously fighting two separate lawsuits on alleged slander and wrongful termination of a former Clayton chief financial officer.
Residents also have called for an ethics investigation of the commissioner over accusations she had made false claims on her paperwork to run for office because of back taxes she did not pay until earlier this year.
Operators of 404 Sports Bar & Grill said in a Facebook post that they are glad the investigation has concluded.
“First and foremost, we assure you that the safety and well-being of our patrons have always been and will continue to be our top priority,” unnamed officials with the bar wrote. “The recent police investigation was an unfortunate and unforeseen event, but we are grateful for the swift response and thorough investigation conducted by the authorities.”
The report said that Franklin arrived at the sports bar shortly before 8:30 p.m. that night, according to the bar’s cameras that captured her walking in. She told police in interviews that she came to the bar for music after recovering from a two-week bout with bronchitis.
Police say Franklin consumed several beverages, including a single glass of wine and three mixed drinks called “That’s A Homerun.” The “Homerun” sells for $15 a glass and includes two ounces of Hennessy, a half ounce of Grand Marnier, smoked Demerara sugar and lemon juice, according to Morrow Police.
According to the police, Franklin charged the drinks and appetizers that she ordered to her campaign. It was a $97 tab.
Franklin can be seen dancing and singing to the band’s music on the bar’s cameras. Police said she also joined the band onstage at one point. He last drink was a sip of a beer of one of the band members after they came to her table upon finishing their set.
The bar’s cameras capture her in the establishment for the last time at shortly before 11 p.m. Police outside the bar said Franklin stumbled out of the establishment and went over to a bench where she told them someone was picking her up and that she would not be driving.
Thirty minutes later, Morrow Police found Franklin laying prone on the ground outside the shopping center. She is in a puddle of clear liquid, which police said is believed to be her urine.
Out of caution, police called paramedics because they feared she could have suffered a concussion in the fall.
After rousing her and helping her sit upright, Franklin started repeatedly wailing, “I don’t know what they gave me,” the bodycam shows.
“I don’t know know what happened,” she said when a friend arrived. “I came here and enjoyed the music and they left me here.”
She then threw up as paramedics put her in the ambulance.
Inside the emergency vehicle, she became combative, cursing at EMTs and grabbing at a paramedic trying to help her. She later begged her friend to get her mother and said repeatedly she was embarrassed.
In interviews with police after her allegations of being drugged, Franklin said she felt uneasy after the band stopped playing.
“Ms. Franklin said she got up to walk out and she felt like her body could not function,” the police report says. “Ms. Franklin said she remembers feeling physically ill and could not make it to the bench. Ms. Franklin said that the only thing she remembers after that is she woke up at Southern Regional.”
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