BLECKLEY COUNTY, Ga. — The central Georgia sheriff who faces a sexual battery case in Cobb County for allegedly groping a prominent Atlanta area judge "looks forward to personally expressing his regrets for any offense," according to a new statement by his sheriff's office.
The Bleckley County Sheriff's Office said in the statement that Sheriff Kristopher Coody "takes these charges very seriously and has retained legal counsel to guide him through this process" and will "comply with all legal obligations placed upon him."
Coody turned himself in to the Cobb County Sheriff's Office over the weekend and was bonded out shortly after.
His charges stem from an incident that allegedly occurred last month at the Rennaissance Waverly Atlanta hotel bar as the Georgia Sheriff's Association held its winter meetings.
A warrant states Coody "did place his hand" on the victim's body parts, without the victim's consent.
The Bleckley Sheriff's Office statement said: "Sheriff Coody understands and appreciates the efforts taken to protect the privacy of the victim in this case. It would be improper for Sheriff Coody to contact the other party at this time, but he looks forward to personally expressing his regrets for any offense at the appropriate opportunity."
The Bleckley Sheriff's Office also noted that the "allegations connected with these charges do not have any connection to nor do they reflect on the exemplary work performed every day by the men and women of the Bleckley County Sheriff's Office. These are allegations against Kris Coody personally, and he sincerely hopes they will be treated as such."
The statement said the sheriff will not be doing any public interviews with media outlets but said he "understands the media inquiries into these charges and supports the role of journalists in our society."
Cobb County Police announced an arrest warrant for Coody last Wednesday, following a sexual battery investigation. It was originally issued Jan. 28 before the department made the warrant public with a news release.
The Bleckley County Sheriff's Office issued a previous release on Thursday saying Coody did not immediately report to authorities because he had been outside the state of Georgia on a previously scheduled church-sponsored mission trip.