Ex-Douglas County judge arrested in Buckhead nightclub fight found not guilty on obstruction charge
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — A now-former Douglas County judge accused of punching an Atlanta police officer outside a Buckhead nightclub was found not guilty of a misdemeanor obstruction charge Thursday afternoon.
Former Douglas County Probate Judge Christina J. Peterson was acquitted after two days of testimony at the Fulton County Courthouse in downtown Atlanta. The jury returned the verdict after less than an hour of deliberations, according to a court official.
In November, a Fulton County judge approved District Attorney Fani Willis’ request to drop a felony obstruction charge and a misdemeanor battery charge against Peterson, leaving only the misdemeanor obstruction charge.
Peterson was visibly emotional as the verdict came down Thursday. She had faced up to one year in jail if convicted.
“The criminal matter is now closed,” the court official said.
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Early in the morning of June 20, 2024, Atlanta police said they responded to a disturbance outside the Red Martini Restaurant and Lounge off Peachtree Road NE.
An officer ended up arresting a woman who allegedly punched him. Police would later learn that the woman was Peterson.
Peterson was charged with a felony count of willful obstruction of law enforcement and misdemeanor counts of simple battery against a police officer and willful obstruction of law enforcement.
Shortly after the incident, Peterson’s attorney at the time, Marvin Arrington Jr., called for the charges to be dropped.
Arrington, who is also a Fulton County commissioner, claimed Peterson was trying to help a woman who was being attacked by a man at the club, during which a police officer also intervened.
The woman said during a news conference that Peterson didn’t mean to hit the officer during her attempt to break up the alleged attack.
Arrington claimed Peterson didn’t realize he was an officer, and that the officer lied about being punched.
Soon after Peterson’s arrest, the Georgia Supreme Court removed her from the bench for judicial misconduct unrelated to the incident.
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