ATLANTA — Judge Glenda Hatchett said justice has been served after the Georgia sheriff accused of groping her has been convicted in her assault.
Bleckley County Sheriff Kris Coody said in a statement he resigned from his role Monday morning before entering his guilty plea. Coody's lawyer said he wrote a resignation letter to the governor.
"To be clear, I had no intent to touch Ms. Hatchett inappropriately. Unfortunately, I acted in a careless manner and for that I have taken full responsibility for my actions," Coody said in part in the statement.
The TV judge accused Coody of groping her in a hotel bar in Cobb County on Jan. 18 last year at a Georgia Sheriff's Association event. Hatchett described the experience in detail during a news conference Monday afternoon for the first time publicly, saying once again she was forced to relive the incident.
"I was absolutely frozen," she said of her unwelcomed interaction with Coody. "I never felt so helpless in my entire life. And I was angry frankly. I was angry I didn’t slap him."
Former DeKalb County Sheriff Thomas Brown told a judge Monday that Coody "had a lot to drink."
"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 recalled.
"(Brown) literally had to take his hand off of me and push him off of me," Hatchett said after the hearing.
She explained that she pressed charges the next morning and a few days later she could not get out of bed.
"I needed help - my life had been changed," Hatchett said.
Her impact statement in court echoed much of what she was repeating at the news conference, she said, but this time she was determined to hold back tears.
"I never expected that I would be so deeply affected by this," she said. "I've never been the victim - I've been the advocate."
In court, Judge Carl Bowers apologized to Hatchett for how long the case took and thanked her for being in the courtroom.
Coody has been sentenced to 12 months probation, 40 hours of community service, a $500 fine, a psychosexual evaluation and he must complete an alcohol and drug course. He has also been ordered to not have any contact with Hatchett.
Hatchett said she is pleased with how Bowers ultimately addressed the case but criticized the governor for ignoring calls for Coody's suspension. She said it was "carefully orchestrated" so Coody could keep his benefits, which is why he likely resigned before entering his plea.
"The governor did nothing," she said, adding that Coody did not do much either. "He did not apologize to me today."
And she doesn't want an apology, either.
Hatchett said her case is to set an example.
"I had to file charges, there had to be accountability because the message needs to be clear," she said, "that you cannot do this. How dare you do this."
Hatchett recognized that as a public figure with knowledge of the justice system and a wide range of support, she had the tools to pursue the case.
"I am Judge Hatchett, but what about the men and women who aren't?" she said. "I just want to say to the victims out there - speak up."
Watch Monday's full news conference below.