Bleckley County Sheriff Charged With Sexual Battery, Wanted By Cobb Police

COBB COUNTY, GA — The Bleckley County sheriff, Kristopher Coody, has been charged with sexual battery in connection with a reported incident at the Renaissance Atlanta Waverly last month, Cobb County police said.

Investigators said the incident happened Jan. 18 at the hotel, located on Galleria Parkway in the Cumberland area, and was reported to police the next day. Coody is accused of touching a woman's breast at the hotel bar without her consent, according to an arrest warrant obtained by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The hotel was hosting the Georgia Sheriff's Association's three-day winter training conference at that time. According to 13WMAZ, the woman is a prominent Atlanta-area judge.

Cobb police said they got the arrest warrant for Coody on Friday, Jan. 28. The sheriff is not in custody as of 10 a.m. Thursday morning. Police are not offering any additional statements at this time, citing the active sexual battery investigation.

Coody was a member of the Georgia State Patrol from 1998 to 2007, and has served as the Bleckley County sheriff since January 2017. Bleckley County is located southeast of Macon and Warner Robins, encompassing the city of Cochran.