Bleckley County Sheriff Kris Coody immediately resigned on Monday after pleading guilty to groping Judge Glenda Hatchett.
According to an arrest warrant, the assault occurred on January 18, 2022, at the Renaissance Atlanta Waverly Bar during the Georgia Sheriffs Association’s winter meeting.
Judge Glenda Hatchett attended the conference as the guest of Sheriff Thomas Brown.
Brown said shortly after the introduction is when Coody groped the beloved TV judge.
Hatchett said she told Coody she wasn’t sure where his home county was located.
The sheriff pointed his finger at her chest and said, “In the heart of Georgia.”
Judge Hatchett said Coody then repeated those words as he grabbed her left breast and began squeezing and rubbing it.
She was so shocked that she froze.
Sheriff Thomas Brown, who witnessed the assault, quickly intervened.
As I turned to my left to focus back on the two of them, I saw his hand go down on her left breast. I grabbed his arm, threw it off of her chest, and basically said, ‘What are you [expletive] think you’re doing?’ and that’s basically where it ended.
Judge Hatchett filed a police report and Kris Coody was charged with sexual battery.
She told the Associated Press:
He so violated me, and at that moment I felt so powerless. I see myself as a strong woman. I have never been a victim, and I felt it was important for there to be accountability.
On Monday (August 21), the Bleckley County sheriff appeared in Cobb County State Court and pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of sexual battery.
Coody was given one year of probation, a $500 fine, and sentenced to 400 hours of community service.
Kris Coody was also sentenced to a psychosexual evaluation and an alcohol and drug course.
Following his guilty plea, Coody immediately resigned from the position he’s held since 2017.
Coody released a statement saying that he “acted in a careless manner.”
This morning I plead Guilty to a misdemeanor charge in Cobb County State Court. To be clear, I had no intent to touch Ms. Hatchett inappropriately. Unfortunately, I acted in a careless manner, and for that, I have taken full responsibility for my actions.
Additionally, I have resigned as the Sheriff of Bleckley County effective 8:00 a.m. August 21, 2023, and as such thereby forfeited the pension that is typically associated with that office.
Watch below as Judge Hatchett addressed Coody’s guilty plea.
Please join me in sending love and prayers to Judge Glenda Hatchett.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
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I’m praying for Judge Hatchett. I admire her bravery in pressing charges and standing up for herself. She is giving people the courage they may need to fight back by speaking out.