Snellville Mayor Witts faces house arrest following plea

SNELLVILLE, Ga. (FOX 5 Atlanta) - Snellville city leaders tell FOX 5 News changes are on the way after their mayor, Tom Witts, pled to numerous criminal charges Monday. Witts faced various financial crimes accusations which included using campaign money to take a cruise, buy plane tickets and pay for a subscription to a pornographic website. The case has been under investigation for nearly 4 years, officials say.

The Mayor's office, where a mayor pro-temp is serving, says they 'have not received formal notification of the plea - so they are not ready' to comment.

Danny Porter, Gwinnett District Attorney, released a statement to FOX 5: "This has been a four-year investigation - I'm glad to have this resolution. this is a reasonable resolution, he says, under the circumstances, given his age, lack of prior convictions, and health issues, we feel this sentence is appropriate. we feel we have accomplished what we set to accomplish here". Mayor Witts has been out of the public spotlight for nearly a year following the indictments.  

Reports say Witts faces a year of house arrest and a $40,000 restitution. 

Now that the case has come to a resolution, his elected seat is in question. A part of the plea states that Witts will resign, and stay out of political office. A Snellville Councilman says Witts is expected to resign in early January, and 'next steps' will be discussed at the Jan. 14 regular meeting.