ATLANTA — A vocal critic of Georgia Power Co. was arrested Tuesday on felony charges that allege she swiped the company's confidential information from a desk during a break in a regulatory hearing.

Georgia Capitol Police arrested Patty Durand of Mableton, Georgia, and charged her with felony theft of trade secrets, booking her into the Fulton County Jail. Online records showed Durand remained jailed on Wednesday afternoon with no bail set and she didn't immediately respond to a text message seeking comment.

The law carries penalties of between one and five years in prison and a fine of up to $50,000.

Durand sought to run for Public Service Commission as a Democrat in 2022, but the election was never held because of litigation over whether statewide elections were racially discriminator

See Full Page