(Editor’s note: An article published online May 9 reported that a Jackson County grand jury declined to indict Merritt.)
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office arrested three people for allegedly sharing nude images of a Commerce City Council member.
Frank Lee Sewell was arrested Thursday and Caquea Sewell Evans and Aisha Genise Pelzer were taken into custody Friday after police said a video including a nude picture of Roshuanda Merritt was posted to a social media website in early December.
Sewell was charged with misdemeanor prohibition on nude or sexually explicit electronic transmissions. Evans and Pelzer were charged with misdemeanor party to crime for aiding “in the publishing of nude photos of Merritt against her wishes for the purpose of harassment,” according to arrest warrants filed in Jackson County.
All three were bonded out of jail by Friday afternoon.
The arrests came a week after Merritt was arrested by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Jan. 19 on felony charges, including criminal intent to sell marijuana, following a separate investigation stemming from Merritt initially reaching out to police.
Jason Black, Merritt’s attorney, criticized authorities for the timing of arrests in the separate investigations.
“How was a case able to be made against my client before they were able to solve a revenge porn situation where my client is the victim?” Black said Tuesday.
Jackson County Sheriff Janis Mangum said Friday her office’s investigation into the inappropriate content and the GBI’s subsequent investigation into Merritt led to arrests at different times due to processing evidence and resources.
“We’re thankful for (the Sheriff’s department) for following through with the investigation,” Black said on Friday.
After Merritt contacted the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office in December, Mangum said evidence indicating the separate crime was discovered. Mangum requested assistance from the GBI, due to Merritt’s positions with the city of Commerce and the Jackson County School System, where Merritt was employed as a teacher at East Jackson High. She resigned from her teaching job in January, according to a school system spokesperson.
Police said Merritt allegedly sent via text message a photograph of four THC-infused gummies packages and asked individuals to “let her know if anyone wanted to purchase said gummies.”
Merritt will continue in her role on Commerce’s city council unless she is convicted, city clerk Sandra Haggard said Tuesday.
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