Georgia Power has accused former Public Service Commission candidate Patty Durand of stealing trade secrets. She was arrested Tuesday by Georgia Capitol Police and charged with felony theft after video allegedly showed her taking booklets during a hearing on expanding power for data centers.
Durand, who runs the watchdog group Georgia Utility Watch, has long criticized Georgia Power for a lack of transparency in contracts with data centers, citing heavily redacted agreements and trade secret protections. The utility is cooperating with authorities in the ongoing investigation.
