BLECKLEY COUNTY, Ga. — The Bleckley County Interim Sheriff has been named, according to a release from the sheriff’s office.
Daniel Cape, who has served in the Bleckley County Sheriff’s Office for 22 years and most recently as the Chief Deputy Sheriff, will move into the role on an interim basis.
The release says that Cape intends to increase transparency and community relationships and that he is dedicated to not only responding to crimes but to preventing it.
It says that Cape is honored and privileged to continue to dedicate his life to his community. Former Bleckley County Sheriff Kris Coody resigned on Monday morning after pleading guilty to groping TV Judge Glenda Hatchett at a hotel bar in Cobb County.
Coody was first elected as sheriff in 2016 and was re-elected in 2020. The seat will be up for grabs again in 2024 unless a special election is called.
Here is the full statement from the Bleckley County Sheriff’s Office.
“Daniel Cape of the Bleckley County Sheriff’s Office in Cochran assumed the role of Interim Bleckley County Sheriff on Monday, August 21, 2023.
Interim Sheriff Daniel Cape has protected Bleckley County for over twenty-two years.
In his most recent capacity of Chief Deputy Sheriff, where Cape served for almost seven years, he utilized his expansive statewide network to improve the lives of citizens in his community.
Prioritizing focusing on connections and modern policing, Cape intends to increase transparency and community relationships for his jurisdiction.
Interim Sheriff Daniel Cape is dedicated to not only responding to crime, but preventing it.
As crime changes and adapts, Cape will utilize new strategies, including technology, to stay ahead of modern criminal minds.
To Cape, this means staying away from single-minded approaches that do not help people, and applying outside resources and agencies to the betterment of his community.
Cape considers being proactive as the best way to protect those in his jurisdiction. Cape is honored and privileged to continue to dedicate his life to his community."
Kris Coody released a statement about his guilty plea. Here is that statement in full.
This morning I plead Guilty to a misdemeanor charge in Cobb County State Court. To be clear, I had no intent to touch Ms. Hatchett inappropriately. Unfortunately, I acted in a careless manner and for that I have taken full responsibility for my actions. Additionally, I have resigned as the Sheriff of Bleckley County effective 8:00 a.m. August 21, 2023, and as such thereby forfeited the pension that is typically associated with that office.
I have dedicated my adult life to law enforcement and have enjoyed the privilege and honor to serve in that capacity. I would like to especially thank the citizens of Bleckley County for an opportunity to serve as Sheriff in such a wonderful community. I would like to express that it has been an honor to serve the citizens of Bleckley County and I appreciate the support I have always received and continue to receive from them along with the entire staff of the Bleckley County Sheriff’s Office. I would like to apologize to the citizens of Bleckley County for the entirety of this unfortunate incident.
As an elected official, you are held to a higher standard. Therefore, when you stumble, often is the case that the punishment for your actions is set at a substantially higher standard. To all my fellow elected officials, be ever so vigilant of your words and actions. As elected officials you are constantly under scrutiny and your paths are littered with pitfalls. This is the nature of politics.
I know that I will move forward and overcome this setback. I have never allowed my mistakes to dictate who I am or diminish my spirit and resolve. I ask the community for your continued support and that you continue to overwhelm the Bleckley County Sheriff’s Office with the same support and encouragement you have been so gracious to have given me during my tenure as Sheriff.