A former Cobb County attorney was disbarred Monday and jailed Wednesday, after he admitted to stealing $75,000 from a client’s settlement in February 2017, according to court documents.

Richard Vinson Merritt faces felony elder abuse, theft, exploitation and check fraud charges.

He was booked into the Cobb County Adult Detention Center.

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A man was found shot Sunday at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, police said.

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Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney — pictured during a hearing Monday, Dec. 15, 2025 — has cleared the way for Georgia's State Election Board to obtain Fulton ballots and other documents from the 2020 election. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

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