Robert Sam ForesterLAFAYETTE, Ga. – A grand jury declined to indict a Walker County teacher in two domestic violence cases last week, potentially closing the door on a year of allegations against him.
In all, Robert Sam Forester’s former wife accused him of assaulting her four times between April and October 2017. The Walker County Sheriff’s Office arrested him on misdemeanor battery charges in the first two cases and felony aggravated assault charges in the second two arrests.
A state court solicitor dropped the first two cases on June 15, telling the Times Free Press that Forester’s ex-wife requested the dismissals. On July 10, after reviewing evidence presented by the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit district attorney’s office, a grand jury voted against indicting Forester.
Grand jury proceedings are closed to the public, so it’s not clear exactly what evidence a prosecutor presented. In Georgia, the district attorney can bring the case to a grand jury a second time if it declines to indict on the first go through. But they don’t get a third opportunity.
Grand juries rarely decline to indict a defendant. In the list of “no bills” (cases that weren’t indicted) in Walker County in 2018, Forester’s two felony cases are listed as “01” and “02,” implying they are the first two of the year.