In recordings, former Douglas coroner threatens current coroner

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ga. — Channel 2 Action News has obtained a set of three phone messages left for the Douglas County coroner, in which her predecessor threatens her against auditing his time in office.

In the profanity-laced recordings, the former longtime coroner, Randy Daniel, threatens Rene Godwin, saying he’d learned she was requesting an audit of the office under his leadership.

The messages were left on her county government office landline.

“If you bring me into this (expletive), I promise you gonna be sorry,” Daniel laughs. “I promise you, girl.”

“Don’t drag me into this (expletive), because if you do you’ll be sorry,” Daniel says in the same call. “You will be sorry because I got enough (expletive) on you that they could lock your (expletive) up."

On Tuesday, Daniel told Channel 2 investigative reporter Nicole Carr that he regrets the tone of the voicemails, but feels he’s being harassed while Godwin seeks information on a period in which he oversaw the office.

“I shouldn’t have done that, but I was not threatening her with harm in any way,” Daniel said, adding that he’s undergone previous audits and has nothing to hide. "I’d never do that.”

“Why did you call three times?” Carr asked.

“I don’t know," Daniel replied.

The messages date back to mid-December, after a whirlwind of controversy tied to Godwin’s tenure and an investigation by a state council that essentially cleared her of wrongdoing.

“Even though I’ve been cleared, I’m still being harassed,” Godwin said referring to the messages.

In November, the Georgia Coroner’s Training Council refused to recommend removing Godwin from office, after reviewing a grand jury investigation into alleged fiscal and personnel mismanagement.

The grand jury report found Godwin wasn’t responsible for most of the accusations, but blamed her for other issues, including being over budget, and recommended her removal.

The Douglas County attorney then defended Godwin in an email obtained by Channel 2 Action News last year. He said she was being blamed for a budget that’s out of her control and issues tied to the last administration.

His email was addressed to prosecutors and a superior court judge who ended up dropping a separate case against Godwin, as she agreed to more managerial training.

[READ MORE: County attorney: Grand jury’s request about coroner ‘overstepped the law’]

In November, Godwin decided to request an audit of the office from 2015 and 2016, a period right before she defeated Daniel in a controversial election.

“I just wanted to protect myself,” Godwin told Carr. “Just in case something came up. They can’t say ‘Well, Rene did this, it came under her administration.'”

Daniel, once named Coroner of the Year had worked in the office for 34 years. The majority of that time was spent as the head of the office.

Daniel admits to offering Godwin thousands of dollars in 2016 to get out of the race, but told Carr it was because he felt sorry for medical expenses she’d incurred during the race. He denied that it was a bribery attempt.

Before he left the messages, Daniel told Carr that someone in his “corner” showed him Godwin’s email request for the audit, but he said he wants to “be left alone.”

“I told them that if they keep bringing my name up I’m gonna make them sorry,” Daniel said, referring to Godwin and supporters who believe there may have been prior mismanagement under his leadership.

“Imma sue ‘em for defamation of character. That’s what the phone calls are about. Maybe it sounds bad. Maybe I shouldn’t have done it, in hindsight, but the God’s truth is I’m gonna sue her.”

The county has not yet confirmed whether it plans on performing a new audit. Godwin said she appreciates the community support, and plans to run for reelection this year.

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