Former Chief Magistrate Bryant Cochran and Angela Garmley. Garmley’s accusations against Cochran initiated a state investigation that led to the judge’s resignation.The frame job didn’t originate with former Murray County, Ga., sheriff’s Capt. Michael Henderson.
Yet Henderson pleaded guilty Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Rome for his part in setting up the arrest of a woman who complained about sexual advances made by a local judge.
Henderson pleaded guilty to obstructing a civil rights investigation by tampering with a witness and could face federal prison. But he points the finger at someone else for Angela Garmley’s setup last summer.
Garmley filed an ethics complaint against Magistrate Judge Bryant Cochran last July, saying he had asked her in his chambers to be his mistress and later sent her a text message that said to come to his office “wearing a dress and no panties.”
Her complaint sparked a state Judicial Qualification Commission investigation, which also revealed that Cochran was illegally presigning warrants for officers to use. He resigned Aug. 15.