Former Chief Magistrate Bryant Cochran and Angela Garmley. Garmley’s accusations against Cochran initiated a state investigation that led to the judge’s resignation.A former Murray County, Ga., judge who resigned after being accused by a woman of propositioning her now faces a complaint by three of his ex-employees, who say he sexually harassed them and created a hostile work environment.
In the federal complaint, Magistrate Clerk of Court Virginia Rector and two other women say former Chief Magistrate Bryant Cochran — who is under criminal investigation by the GBI — sexually harassed them and demanded to see their personal cellphones and pulled data off them.
Cochran resigned on Aug. 15 after Angie Garmley filed a complaint, saying he asked her to have sex with him in exchange for a fair ruling in her case. The complaint led to an ethics investigation by the state Judicial Qualifications Commission, which oversees judges.
The investigation also revealed that Cochran had presigned several warrants for officers to use.
The day before his resignation, Garmley was arrested on drug charges, which her attorney said were a setup. Prosecutors later dropped the charges, and the two arresting officers — Deputy Josh Greeson and Capt. Michael Henderson — were fired for lying to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.