A Georgia sheriff pleaded guilty Monday to groping TV Judge Glenda Hatchett, who recalled being so shocked that she iced over when the lawman grabbed and squeezed her breast at a resort bar ultimate 12 months all over a regulation enforcement convention.
Bleckley County Sheriff Kristopher Coody pleaded guilty in Cobb County State Court to a misdemeanor price of sexual battery and was once sentenced to a 12 months on probation, news retailers reported. He additionally resigned from the place of job he had held since 2017.
“He so violated me, and at that moment I felt so powerless,” Hatchett instructed The Associated Press in a telephone interview Monday after the listening to. “I see myself as a strong woman. I have never been a victim, and I felt it was important for there to be accountability.”
An Atlanta lawyer, Hatchett starred within the court truth presentations “Judge Hatchett” and “The Verdict With Judge Hatchett.” She additionally represented the circle of relatives of Philando Castile, a black driving force who was once shot lifeless via a Minnesota police officer in a Twin Cities suburb, in a extremely publicized lawsuit.
In January 2022, she attended a gathering of the Georgia Sheriff’s Association because the visitor of a retired Georgia sheriff who presented her to a number of colleagues. One of the sheriffs she met on the conference resort’s bar outdoor Atlanta was once Coody.
Hatchett mentioned she instructed Coody she wasn’t positive the place his house county was once situated. The sheriff pointed a finger at her chest, she mentioned, and responded: “In the heart of Georgia.” She mentioned he then repeated the ones phrases as he grabbed her left breast and started squeezing and rubbing it.
Hatchett mentioned she iced over in surprise and that it was once her host, former DeKalb County Sheriff Thomas Brown, who grabbed Coody’s arm and pulled it clear of her.
“It happened on a Tuesday, and by Thursday morning I could not get out of bed,” Hatchett mentioned. “So I started counseling literally that evening.”
She reported the incident to Cobb County government, who bought a warrant for Coody’s arrest. The case have been pending in courtroom till the sheriff’s plea Monday.
Hatchett sat within the court’s entrance row as Judge Carl Bowers sentenced Coody to serve 365 days on probation, pay a $500 fantastic and carry out 400 hours of neighborhood carrier. The sheriff’s lawyer, Joel Pugh, mentioned Coody despatched a resignation letter Monday morning to Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp.
The Associated Press in most cases does no longer identify individuals who say they have been sufferers of sexual abuse except they arrive ahead. Hatchett mentioned she felt forced to talk out partially as a result of many ladies can not.
“I don’t want to be the poster woman for this, but I think it’s important for me to be very candid,” she said, adding: “It’s important that other victims see me holding him accountable.”
Coody had served since 2017 as sheriff of Bleckley County, a rural neighborhood of about 12,000 folks situated about 40 miles (64 kilometers) southeast of Macon.
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