Former Democratic candidate Patty Durand, now running Georgia Utility Watch, was arrested on October 21, 2025, for felony theft of Georgia Power trade secrets during a hearing on the utility’s data center expansion plans.
Ironically enough, Durand previously cast herself as the defender of the people and attacked George Power Company for a lack of transparency. In contrast, Georgia Power, cooperating with investigators, emphasized that “theft or exposure of proprietary information is a serious matter,” stressing that confidentiality protects customers and business partners.
In any case, speaking to GPB months before her arrest and indicating why she might have done it, Patty Durand claimed, “The Public Service Commission allows very heavy redactions and trade secrets. So the contracts between Georgia Power and the data centers are also redacted and trade secreted. So no one will know what they actually charge data centers.”
After her arrest, a Georgia Power spokesperson gave a statement to Georgia Public Broadcasting, which contextualized the investigation. “We’re cooperating with law enforcement and can’t comment on any criminal investigation,” the speaker noted.
Continuing, Georgia Power said, “Theft or exposure of proprietary information is a serious matter. While we operate transparently, some data must remain confidential to protect customer interests and ensure we deliver the best value to all customers.” Concluding their comments, the power company noted, “Unauthorized disclosure risks harming both our company, the vendors and contractors with whom we do business, and the customers we serve.”
Putting the entitled Democrat back in her place, Josh McKoon, the Georgia Republican Party Chairman, noted, “Patty Durand built her brand attacking the Public Service Commission and now she’s been arrested for stealing from it.” Building on his comments, McKoon kept up his fervent attack. “While Republican leaders are working to keep energy reliable and affordable for Georgia families, Democrats like Durand are sneaking around government offices and walking off with stolen documents,” the Chairman said.
Doubling down, McKoon said, “Georgia voters should take note of these illegal actions.” Adding, “The rhetoric of Patty Durand telegraphs the Democrats’ extreme plans for the PSC – plans that will lower our power supply and reliability and that will lead to higher prices for Georgia families.”
"*" indicates required fields
However, some woke activists, such as Jennifer Whitfield, the Senior Attorney for Southern Environmental Law Center, were unhappy. The biased attorney whined, “The stakes are really high for Georgians right now, and people feel desperate… While we do have serious concerns about Georgia Power’s use of trade secrets, those concerns must be addressed through the proper, legal channels.”
Likewise, Sarah Brewerton-Palmer, the president of the Georgia First Amendment Foundation, echoed these complaints. “Whenever information in the hands of the government is kept from the public, it raises a specter of suspicion, and this lack of transparency lets conspiracy theories fester and tends to feed a public perception of unfairness and background deals and all that sort of stuff, which is why we have transparency laws in the first place,” the activist alleged.