A former Georgia judge recently returned to the courtroom last week, but this time he was on the other side of the bench.
Bryant Cochran, the ex-chief magistrate of Murray County, was convicted Thursday of conspiring to plant methamphetamine in the car of a woman who had publicly accused him of propositioning her for sex.
The jury also found him guilty of sexually assaulting one county employee, illegally searching the cell phone of another and tampering with a witness, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Cochran held his position from 2004 to August 2012.
In July 2012, Angela Garmley went public with allegations that the man solicited her for sex while she was visiting his office in April 2012.
Prosecutors said Cochran had Clifford J. Joyce, a tenant of the trailer park Cochran owned, stash a tin containing five bags of meth under her car on August 12. He then reportedly tipped deputies off that they would find drugs in Garmley's vehicle, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Two days later, Murray County Deputy Sheriff Joshua Greeson pulled Garmley over and her car was searched. Authorities didn't find anything, but Captain Michael Henderson called Cochran, who allegedly told him exactly where to find the meth. This information was passed along to Greeson who pulled Garmley over, and he discovered the drugs.
She was arrested, but her charges were later dropped. Henderson and Greeson were both convicted of witness tampering. Joyce admitted he planted the drugs and was later convicted of conspiring to distribute a controlled substance.
Source:http://www.nydailynews.com
Bryant Cochran, the ex-chief magistrate of Murray County, was convicted Thursday of conspiring to plant methamphetamine in the car of a woman who had publicly accused him of propositioning her for sex.
The jury also found him guilty of sexually assaulting one county employee, illegally searching the cell phone of another and tampering with a witness, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Cochran held his position from 2004 to August 2012.
In July 2012, Angela Garmley went public with allegations that the man solicited her for sex while she was visiting his office in April 2012.
Prosecutors said Cochran had Clifford J. Joyce, a tenant of the trailer park Cochran owned, stash a tin containing five bags of meth under her car on August 12. He then reportedly tipped deputies off that they would find drugs in Garmley's vehicle, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Two days later, Murray County Deputy Sheriff Joshua Greeson pulled Garmley over and her car was searched. Authorities didn't find anything, but Captain Michael Henderson called Cochran, who allegedly told him exactly where to find the meth. This information was passed along to Greeson who pulled Garmley over, and he discovered the drugs.
She was arrested, but her charges were later dropped. Henderson and Greeson were both convicted of witness tampering. Joyce admitted he planted the drugs and was later convicted of conspiring to distribute a controlled substance.
Source:http://www.nydailynews.com