An arraignment date has been set for two Sumter County commissioners facing perjury charges.
Commissioners Gary Search and Oren Miller are set to be arraigned at 9 a.m. Jan. 18 in front of Judge Peter Brigham.
The commissioners, who are both residents of The Villages, were arrested last week. Both are free on bond.
In March, the Office of State Attorney for the 5th Judicial Circuit received two citizen complaints alleging Florida Sunshine Law violations during a Sumter County Commission meeting in February. The complaints identified the violators as Miller, his wife Angie Fox, and Search. The initial allegations were that Miller was using his wife as a conduit to communicate ongoing commission agenda-related items to other commissioners, specifically Search, “in hopes to sway the outcome of the issues at hand,” according to an arrest report on file in court.
Subpoenas were issued to Verizon for the commissioners’ phone records.
It is alleged that between November 2020 and June 2021, Miller and Search “had communicated via their personal cell phones with one and another over 40 times. Many of these phone calls were either just before or just after Sumter County Commission meetings.”
Both commissioners were called in for interviews and both reportedly denied phone calls had taken place, leading to the perjury charges.
