July Trial Set For DeKalb Sheriff Jeff Mann

DECATUR, GA -- Determined to fight indecency and obstruction charges, DeKalb County Sheriff Jeffrey Mann is readying for a July 7 trial. Mann pleaded not guilty Friday in Atlanta Municipal Court in Fulton County.

The plea comes days after a Fulton County judge ruled that a governor-appointed investigation into Mann's actions when he was arrested late night in Piedmont Park will continue. Mann's attorney, Noah Pines, hs argued that his client was not operating in his official capacity when he was arrested in the Midtown park after trying to evade an Atlanta police officer on May 6. SIGN UP: To get notified of the local news like this, click here to sign up for the Decatur Patch. Or find your Atlanta-area town here. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.

Pines also said that the investigation is a violation of his client's due process as a sheriff because Mann isn't facing criminal charges. Mann is charged with indecency and obstruction of a police officer -- both misdemeanors -- in the incident.

Gov. Nathan Deal used an executive order to appoint an investigative panel that will report back to him in 30 days due to the growing firestorm around the top cop in the state's fourth-largest county.

Mann has tried to quell the backlash, apologizing to the community as well as DeKalb County government. He even imposed a one-week suspension on himself for "conduct unbecoming." But if the committee finds the sheriff derelict in his duties, Deal could suspend Mann for 90 days or even remove him from office.

In a chance encounter with an Atlanta police officer, Mann allegedly exposed himself in an area of Piedmont Park known "for sexual acts after dark," according to a police report.

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Image via DeKalb Sheriff's Office