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A white sheriff in Georgia has pleaded guilty to groping Judge Glenda Hatchett, because, apparently, even Black women in high-ranking legal positions are not immune to sexual assault and the violation of Black bodies by so-called officers of the law. (Po-po perverts, if you will.)
Source: Lisa Lake / Getty
According to the Associated Press, Bleckley County Sheriff Kris Coody pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge of sexual battery and was given one year of probation, a $500 fine, and sentenced to 400 hours of community service. Coody was also sentenced to a psychosexual evaluation and alcohol and drug course, according to 13 WMAZ. His lawyer, Joel Pugh, claims the now-former sheriff has already completed both.
In a statement sent to WMAZ, Cody confirmed the guilty plea but claimed he “never meant” to grope the popular TV judge, which, I suppose, means he tripped, fell, and sexually assaulted a woman by grabbing and fondling her breast accidentally on purpose.
That is a lie according to DeKalb County Sheriff Thomas Brown who said that he witnessed the incident and grabbed Coody to stop him as he shamelessly grabbed Hatchet”s left breast and began squeezing and rubbing it.
“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,” Coody’s statement on his resigntion read. “Unfortunately, I acted in a careless manner and for that I have taken full responsibility for my actions.”
For the record: Coody is not taking “full responsibility” for anything if he’s claiming he “had no intent” to do the thing he clearly did and admitted to doing.
Anyway, Coody also took the opportunity to announce his resignation from the sheriff’s office.
“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,” he wrote.
The groping incident happened in January 2022 at the Georgia Sheriffs Association’s conference, which Hatchett attended as the guest of former DeKalb County Sheriff Thomas Brown, who revealed what happened to WSB-TV that May. In fact, Brown said Coody groped Hatchett as he was introducing them to each other.
“As I turned to my left to focus back on the two of them, I saw his hand go down on her left breast,” Brown said. “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.”
Meanwhile, Hatchett talked about how she felt during the altercation in an interview with AP and during a news conference.
“He so violated me, and at that moment I felt so powerless,” Hatchett told AP as reported by Blavity after the 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.”
