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A Georgia county sheriff is accused of groping a prominent local judge at an annual law enforcement conference last month, officials said.
Bleckley County Sheriff Kristopher Coody has been charged with sexual battery after he allegedly fondled the judge at a hotel bar at the Renaissance Waverly Atlanta in Cobb County in January during the three-day Georgia Sheriff’s Association winter meeting.
Police said Coody “did place his hand” on the victim’s body parts without the victim’s consent, according to the arrest warrant, obtained by WXIA.
The judge’s identity was not made public.
Coody has not been arrested as he is currently outside of the state on a church mission trip that “has been scheduled for nearly a year,” according to a statement from the Bleckley County Sheriff’s Department.
His warrant was issued on Jan. 28.
“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,” the Bleckley Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
According to records obtained by WXIA, Coody has a history of improper conduct.
In 2007, he was terminated from his position with the Georgia State Patrol after he’d spent more than 20 years with them, the outlet reported.
In a 2007 incident, Coody was involved with an argument with a friend in which the friend punched Coody’s 12-year-old son in the face in front of his 10-year-old daughter, according to reports. Coody left the scene with his son, and refused to cooperate with investigators. He declined to tell his supervisor that he was under investigation and had been interviewed by police.
During the investigation, Coody’s ex-wife filed a criminal complaint against him for letting his 12-year-old daughter drive his police cruiser on the highway, which he admitted to.
Coody’s bond is expected to be set at $1,000.
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