![Bleckley County Sheriff Kris Coody in Cobb County State Court, where he pled guilty to groping reality court show judge Glenda Hatchett, on August 21, 2023. [Screenshot/WSB-TV]](https://images.dailycaller.com/image/width=960,height=411,fit=cover,f=auto/https://cdn01.dailycaller.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Screenshot-2023-08-21-202102-e1692665388903.jpg "Bleckley County Sheriff Kris Coody in Cobb County State Court, where he pled guilty to groping reality court show judge Glenda Hatchett, on August 21, 2023. [Screenshot/WSB-TV]")
A Georgia sheriff pleaded guilty Monday to groping a reality court show judge during a law enforcement conference in January 2022, according to several reports.
Bleckley County Sheriff Kris Coody entered the guilty plea to a sexual battery charge in Cobb County State Court and agreed to a year-long probation, 40 hours of community service, a $500 fine and the completion of an alcohol and drug course, WSB-TV reported. Judge Glenda Hatchett, the groping victim, was present in court. Coody also resigned, effective immediately.
Coody was attending the Georgia Sheriffs Association’s winter meeting at the Renaissance Atlanta Waverly Bar in January 2022 where he was a guest of former DeKalb County Sheriff Thomas Brown when the groping occurred, per the report. (RELATED: Authorities Arrest Police Chief For Allegedly Groping Women In Office, Exposing Himself)
#BREAKING: Bleckley County, Georgia Sheriff Kris Coody pleads guilty to groping popular TV Judge Glenda Hatchett. https://t.co/JgVEBgkwTe
— The Tornado News (@TheTornadoNews) August 21, 2023
Coody and Hatchett were in a discussion at the hotel’s bar. Hatchett reportedly told Coody she was not sure where his home county was located. Coody reportedly pointed a finger at her chest, and repeatedly replied, “In the heart of Georgia,” as he grabbed her left breast and squeezed and rubbed it, the Associated Press (AP) reported. Hatchett reportedly was too stunned to speak, while Brown grabbed Coody’s arm and freed Hatchett.
“And when I turned back to my left is when I saw his hand on her chest. And I immediately removed it and directed to him, ‘What are you doing?'” Brown said, according to 11Alive.
“It is important for the defendant and for everyone present to understand the horrific effect that this had on me,” Hatchett said in court in a tearful voice, according to court footage aired by WSB-TV.
“For this man to come up and violate me in the way that he did is unspeakable.”
TV judge Glenda Hatchett reacts to a Georgia sheriff pleading guilty to groping her at a conference last year:
“I have never felt so helpless in my entire life…I had to file charges. There had to be accountability because the message needs to be clear that you cannot do this.” pic.twitter.com/bk6jOWpWT3
— The Recount (@therecount) August 21, 2023
Hatchett expressed frustration at the length of time the case took, per WSB-TV. Nonetheless, Hatchett later said she felt like justice had been served.
Coody was still named sheriff on the Bleckley County website at the time of this report. However, Chief Deputy Sheriff Daniel Cape has reportedly been named Interim Sheriff.