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Cochran Attorneys Wage War of Words

557 views · Published 11 September 2012 · 2:54 · Indexed 29 October 2026

Channel: WTVC NewsChannel 9 · 2012 · News & Politics

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by  John Pless  For the first time since Murray County Chief Magistrate Bryant Cochran resigned in the midst of a widening state and federal investigation, he sat down with NewsChannel 9 and his attorney Monday to respond to the latest accusations filed last week.Attorneys McCracken Poston and Stuart James filed complaints on behalf of several women with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The females work in the Murray County Magistrate Court clerk's office and allege they "have suffered from the improper and abhorrent actions of former Judge Cochran."The complaints, under seal by the EEOC, accuse their former boss of fostering a hostile work environment, improper employee practices, violations of Section 1983 of the U.S. Code and suppression of free speech rights.Cochran's Atlanta-based attorney Page Pate said "it's hard to address it specifically because we don't know specifically about what these folks are alleging happened." Pate, sitting next to a silent Cochran in a Dalton office, said his client denies any impropriety or actions that suppressed anyone's rights or created a hostile work environment.Pate then questioned why the women in the clerk's office are making these allegations now, considering no complaints have surfaced before.Attorney James said "they are all afraid, deathly afraid of this guy, my clients are afraid he was going to fire them, lose their jobs, that he was going to act in retaliation."Attorney Poston said that fear was enhanced when Angela Garmley was  arrested August 14 after drugs were planted under her car. She was arrested and charged with possession of methamphetamine after two Murray County deputies made a traffic stop. Those deputies, Josh Greeson and Captain Michael Henderson, were fired when the G.B.I. learned they lied about the events connected with that traffic stop. Charges against Garmley were dropped -- she was facing a lengthy prison sentence if convicted on the planted drugs.Now-former Capt. Henderson is Cochran's cousin. Attorney Poston has maintained that all appearances point to the drugs being planted on Garmley in an attempt to coerce her and other women. Garmley was the first female to come forward with accusations of sexual impropriety against Cochran."That created a chilling affect, I think it was the intention of that happening, to silence all women and everybody else who had been done wrong by this rogue judge," Poston said.But Cochran's attorney suggested the allegations are motivated by money and lawsuits."I was really anxious as to why there is such a strong motivation on behalf of this lawyer [Poston] to push these allegations and now we're faced with a civil suit and he's out there generating clients," Page said. The investigation into Cochran began with the G.B.I. and has since been picked up by federal authorities. A key witness in the investigation is a man who came forward and confessed to planting the drugs under Garmley's car. Cochran resigned as the investigation started heating up. He said he left the bench after admitting to signing several blank warrants. Cochran still denies allegations of sexual impropriety or any connection with the arrest of Garmley.Attorney James said with the EEOC filing Murray County employees can feel confident and safe about coming forward with information about Cochran -- it offers protected class status to individuals with information.Cochran is now working at a saw mill to make ends meet, according to Pate. Depend on NewsChannel 9 to keep you updated on developments with the criminal investigation and civil suits that could be filed.

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