A Georgia sheriff has been charged with sexual battery for fondling a woman’s breast at a hotel bar last month, Cobb County authorities said.
Bleckley County Sheriff Kristopher Coody “intentionally” touched the woman’s breast “without her consent” while at the Renaissance Atlanta Waverly Hotel & Convention Center in northwest Atlanta at 9:30 p.m. on Jan. 18, a copy of his arrest warrant obtained by The Daily Beast states.
The alleged incident appeared to coincide with a three-day winter training conference for the Georgia Sheriff’s Association at the hotel.
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Cobb County Sergeant Wayne Delk said that the agency was alerted about the incident the following day and that authorities obtained an arrest warrant on Jan. 28 after gathering statements from “multiple witnesses,” according to a news release.
Coody’s bond was expected to be $1,000, according to the warrant. Jail records posted online for Cobb County did not appear to show an arrest report for Coody on Thursday.
“This remains an active sexual battery investigation,” Delk wrote, adding that it “will not be offering any additional statements.”
Coody has served as sheriff for five years, according to the Georgia Sheriff’s Association. He took on the role after a lengthy career in law enforcement that included nearly 20 years in state patrol beginning in 1988, the Journal-Constitution reported. He joined the Bleckley County Sheriff’s Office for a brief period in 2007 and then went to work as an officer for Georgia’s Department of Agriculture between 2008 and 2011 before returning to the sheriff’s office and eventually becoming sheriff in January 2017.
His certification was put on probation for two years in 2009 and he was required to attend an anger management course, according to Georgia Peace Officer Standards records reviewed by the Journal-Constitution.
When asked about the allegations and the status of Coody’s employment, Bleckley County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Daniel Cape told The Daily Beast in an emailed statement on Thursday that Coody was taking part in a church-sponsored mission trip out of state that had been scheduled for “nearly a year.”
“Sheriff Coody has been a law enforcement officer for more than two decades and has tremendous respect for our court system. He is taking these allegations seriously and will meet with the appropriate authorities as soon as he returns,” Cape said.
The department declined to comment further about the charges, citing an effort to “allow the investigation to continue without interference.”
