Kelly Marlow has been suspended from the Cherokee County school board after her felony conviction Saturday on allegations that she lied to police.

Marlow and two associates had accused Superintendent Frank Petruzielo of trying to hit them with his SUV.

“Marlow was suspended from the Cherokee County School Board upon her initial conviction … of felony crimes,” school district spokeswoman Barbara Jacoby said in a statement Monday. “She will be removed from the school board upon final conviction at the conclusion of the appeals process.”

Prosecutors accused Marlow and two associates — her political adviser Robert John Trim and Cherokee County Republican Party Secretary Barbara Knowles — of fabricating their allegation that Petruzielo tried to run them down after a contentious late-night school board meeting on June 13.

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Travelers walk around the baggage claim in the South Terminal at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. Atlanta is among the airports where the FAA will reduce flights due to the shutdown, and airports are facing a shortage of air traffic controllers. 
(Miguel Martinez/ AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez