More footage of former judge's arrest at Georgia nightclub

Lina Portman3 days ago

0 1 minute read

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — Atlanta police have released hours of new footage from the night a former Douglas County judge was arrested at a Buckhead nightclub.

Christina Peterson's attorney, Marvin Arrington Jr., said he plans to review the videos carefully and hopes the footage will confirm several things about that night, including that it was what he called a misunderstanding.

The new footage shows at least five hours of a visibly emotional Peterson in the back of the police unit.

Police initially said Peterson pushed an officer during a “disturbance” at the Buckhead nightclub. Arrington said she was helping another woman who had been involved in an altercation.

According to Arrington, Peterson had no idea the person approaching her from behind was a police officer. He added that they wanted the charges against Peterson dropped.

“I think in the heat of the moment, trying to protect this young lady, she had no idea that this man was a police officer,” Arrington said. “In fact, you can hear people yelling in one of the videos, ‘He’s a police officer, he’s a police officer,’ which I think indicates that she and others did not know that the man was in fact a police officer at that point.”

Arrington told Atlanta News First that they are preparing a motion to dismiss the warrant and file a motion for immunity.

Peterson was a judge in Douglas County but was removed from office for unrelated violations of the Code of Judicial Conduct.