CORDELE, Ga. (WALB) - A long-time South Georgia District Attorney is facing an election challenge for the first time in the May primary.

Beginning Monday, Apr. 27, voters in Crisp, Dooly, Ben Hill, and Wilcox counties will mark either Brad Rigby or Lyndsey Walters on their ballots to be the district attorney for the Cordele Judicial Circuit.

The incumbent in this race, Brad Rigby, has run unopposed in two elections since being appointed in 2016.

A recent investigation by WALB News 10 discovered more than 4,200 unindicted or pending criminal cases in the Cordele Judicial Circuit.

“This does not send a strong message that we’re tough on crime,” candidate Lyndsey Walters said. “That’s just not sustainable. We need to get those numbers lower. We need to prosecute cases and offenders quicker and more efficiently.”

Walters is currently a criminal and civil attorney in Ben Hill County. She’s also the Director of a program that she says helps people settle disagreements outside of a traditional court trial—using methods like mediation and neutral evaluation to reach faster agreements.

Current District Attorney Brad Rigby says just because a warrant is issued, it doesn’t mean a case is ready to prosecute.

“There are a lot of varying reasons for those cases to take the time, but that’s what justice demands.”

Rigby goes on to say, “It’s for this office to take an independent review of those cases to determine whether the case needs to be prosecuted or not.”

In the most recent month tracked, March 2025, records show the GBI Crime Lab had nearly 42,000 unworked reports. DA Rigby says that the backlog goes hand in hand with his office’s backlog as well.

One thing the district attorney says he’s working to implement, which he believes will move these cases along, is help with the public defender’s office.

“This private firm that is paying at the state’s taxpayer expense has come in and taken over Ben Hill County,” Rigby said.

Rigby goes on to say,“In fact, I talked with the attorney in charge of that firm about taking over the public defenders office for the entire circuit.”

The February 2026 open records request revealed nearly 1,400 unindicted cases possibly subject to dismissal due to the expiration of the statute of limitations. Walters believes better communication will help fix this problem.

“Figuring out what needs to be prosecuted and dealt with that way and then what needs to be dismissed. And you dismiss it with intent, not because the statute of limitations ran.”

According to DA Rigby, his office has resolved 270 cases in the circuit in just over 4 months. He also says that since the law firm has taken over for the public defender’s office in Ben Hill County, they have resolved 30 cases in just 30 days.

“I’m dedicated and committed and have an office that’s dedicated and committed to serving the citizens of this community, protecting the citizens of his community, and putting these violent offenders behind bars where they belong.”

Early voting begins Monday, Apr. 27. Election Day is May 19th.

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