ATLANTA (AP) — A Georgia Power advocate and frequent critic who was arrested on suspicion of snatching notebooks containing trade secrets will not be charged.
In a ruling filed last week in Fulton County Superior Court, District Attorney Fani Willis said there was insufficient evidence to charge Patty Durand with stealing trade secrets, a felony. Surveillance video from Oct. 21, 2025, shows Durand grabbing a notebook labeled “Georgia Power Trade Secrets” on the table during a break in a Georgia Public Service Commission meeting, flipping through it and putting it in his wallet. She voluntarily returned it to law enforcement that day.
Durand spent nearly two days in jail. She went on to criticize Georgia Power for keeping too much information secret. She said the Democratic Public Service Commission’s two defeats of Republican incumbents showed voters were tired of “monopoly exploitation and abuse.”
The Georgia Public Service Commission regulates Georgia Power rates and must obtain approval before Georgia Power can build new power plants or transmission lines. The company said releasing certain information publicly would harm its business.
Durand faces one to five years in prison and a fine of up to $50,000. Prosecutors decided not to charge her with a misdemeanor, noting that Durand completed forty hours of community service and a burglary awareness course.
Asked for comment Tuesday, Georgia Power reiterated previous statements that it was cooperating with law enforcement and declined to comment on any investigation.
Durand said she plans to share more about her experience in a newsletter.
“Now that I’m no longer wearing a mask, I’m going to tell the story of what was there, and I’m going to tell the story of what it was like in prison,” she said.
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Cramon is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.