Bleckley County sheriff wanted on sexual battery charges in Cobb County

COBB COUNTY, Ga. - A Georgia sheriff is being accused of sexual battery after an incident that took place in Cobb County last month.

A warrant was issued last Friday for Bleckley County Sheriff Kristopher Coody for an incident that happened on Jan .18.

The Cobb County Police Department said investigators were notified about the incident, which happened at the Renaissance Atlanta Waverly located at 2450 Galleria Parkway, the day after.  According to the warrant, Coody placed "his hand on the breast of the victim without her consent." Investigators said the warrant was taken out after speaking to several witnesses. 

Sheriff Kristopher Coody  (Bleckley County)

Cobb County jail online records do not show an arrest report for the sheriff.

In a statement released on Wednesday, Cobb County police wrote in part:

"This remains an active sexual battery investigation, and we will not be offering any additional statements or providing any on-camera interviews."

The Bleckley County Sheriff's Office responded Thursday with its own statement writing:

"The Bleckley County Sheriff’s Office is aware of the outstanding warrant regarding Sheriff Coody.  Sheriff Coody is currently participating in a church-sponsored mission trip outside of the State of Georgia that has 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. 

"The Bleckley County Sheriff’s Office has always and will continue to believe in complete transparency. However, we will not comment any further on these pending criminal charges to allow the investigation to continue without interference. 

"Sheriff Coody will provide more information at a later date as he is able to do so. 

"We appreciate your questions and your concern and understand your requests for information. Thank you for your support and patience."

J. Terry Norris, the Executive director of the Georgia Sheriff's Association released a statement that reads:

"The members of the Georgia Sheriffs’ Association are aware of an incident of reported misdemeanor sexual battery that has resulted in a warrant being issued in Cobb County for the arrest of Sheriff Kristopher Coody of Bleckley County. The reported incident occurred after hours during the time of a scheduled annual training event not planned or sponsored by the Georgia Sheriffs’ Association. 

"The Association has no firsthand knowledge of the facts surrounding the reported incident and directs all incident related questions to the investigating agency."

The CCPD Crimes Against Persons Unit is handling the investigation.

Bleckley County is located about 30 miles southeast of Macon.

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