Georgia sheriff resigns after pleading guilty to groping TV's Judge Hatchett

A Georgia sheriff accused of fondling a judge's breasts at a law enforcement conference resigned Monday and pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor sexual battery charge, saying in a statement that he acted "in a careless manner."

Bleckley County Sheriff Kristopher Charles Coody, who had held the office since 2017, was then sentenced to a year of probation in connection with the case involving TV Judge Glenda Hatchett, The Associated Press reported.

Cobb County State Court Chief Judge Carl W. Bowers also sentenced Coody to a $500 fine and 400 hours of community service, the outlet reported.

Hatchett starred in eight seasons of the TV series 'Judge Hatchett' and six seasons of “The Verdict With Judge Hatchett," hearing everything from small-claims cases to paternity suits. She also represented the family of Philando Castile, a Black man fatally shot by a Minnesota police officer, in a highly publicized lawsuit, the AP said.

USA TODAY does not typically name survivors of sex crimes but Hatchett has been vocal about the importance of coming forward.

“He so violated me, and at that moment I felt so powerless,” Hatchett told The Associated Press on Monday after Coody's hearing. “I see myself as a strong woman. I have never been a victim, and I felt it was important for there to be accountability.”

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What happened

The incident happened on Jan. 18, 2022 at the Renaissance Waverly Hotel in Atlanta, according to an arrest warrant obtained by WGXA-TV.

During a news conference Monday, Hatchett said she was at a reception for the Georgia Sherriff's Association as guest of then-retired DeKalb County Sheriff Thomas Brown.

She said she was standing at a table when Coody approached them "uninvited."

"I was introduced to him as Judge Hatchett," she recalled. Shortly after, she told Coody she did not know where Bleckley County was located.

Coody then pointed a finger at her chest, she said, and replied, “In the heart of Georgia."

"He poked me in the chest ... then he grabbed my breast," she said. "He grabbed my left breast, he squeezed it, then started rubbing on my breast until Thomas Brown intervened... literally had to take his hand off of me and push him off me."

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Hatchett said initially she was OK, and pressed charges the next morning. But a couple days later, she said, she could not get out of bed and later sought therapy from the trauma.

Hatchett, who said her family is from Georgia, said she'd received an "enormous amount of support" in the case.

'I acted in a careless manner'

Coody's Marietta-based attorney, Joel Pugh, told local 11Alive his client wrote a letter to the governor announcing his resignation, which went into effect on Monday.

Pugh did not immediately return emails or phone calls to USA TODAY on Tuesday.

In a statement issued Monday, Coody said that he "had no intent to touch Ms. Hatchett inappropriately," WMAZ-TV reported. "Unfortunately, I acted in a careless manner and for that I have taken full responsibility for my actions."

"As an elected official, you are held to a higher standard," he said. "Therefore, when you stumble, often is the case that the punishment for your actions is set at a substantially higher standard. To all my fellow elected officials, be ever so vigilant of your words and actions. As elected officials you are constantly under scrutiny and your paths are littered with pitfalls. This is the nature of politics."

He said that he will "move forward and overcome this setback."

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @nataliealund.