Bert Poston, district attorney for Whitfield and Murray counties, testified Friday that the arrest of Angela Garmley was suspicious from the start, and he quickly called in the GBI to investigate.
Noting that Ms. Garmley had a short time earlier openly charged Murray County Chief Magistrate Bryant Cochran with propositioning her in his office, he said, "The timing was very suspicious to us, and certain other things concerned me."
DA Poston testified at Federal Court in Rome, Ga., where Cochran is standing trial on sex and corruption charges.
The witness said he had never seen such a long report - five pages - on a meth arrest. The lengthy narrative made no mention of the officer making the arrest, Josh Greeson, getting a tip on whether the drugs could be found.
He also said, "I've been doing this for 22 years, and I've never heard of a drug user hiding his meth in a metal can under his vehicle. That was another red flag."
DA Poston said, after he was informed a short time later that Clifford "CJ" Joyce, the Cochran maintenance man, had admitted planting the meth, the charge against Ms. Garmley was dismissed. He said she had earlier been given an OR bond.
But it was testified that she was handcuffed, fingerprinted and booked, then strip searched. During the strip, she was made to squat down and cough to see if any hidden drugs emerged. None did.
However, the defense noted that Ms. Garmley tested positive for meth and pills on the day of her arrest - Aug. 14, 2012.
GBI Agt. Dan Sims was asked if Michael Allison, an inmate who pointed agents toward Joyce, supplied drugs to Ms. Garmley and Joyce. He replied, "I certainly suspected it."
Agt. Sims said he had interviewed Allison at the jail in Whitfield County after he announced he had information about the Garmley case.
The witness said there were no usable fingerprints from the metal snuff can that contained five baggies of meth.
Agt. Sims said Joyce lives at a trailer park owned by Cochran on Robinson Road at Chatsworth. He said phone records showed 299 calls and 120 texts between Joyce and Cochran from August 2011 to August 2012.
Jeff Davis, executive director of the State Bar of Georgia, was interviewed by prosecutor Jeff Davis, who told him, "You have a great name."
Mr. Davis said he was involved in an investigation of Judge Cochran when he was head of the Judicial Qualifications Commission. He said the probe started after he was contacted by Joe Garmley, husband of Ms. Garmley at the time.
He said an investigator sent to Chatsworth turned up pre-signed warrants, which he said should never be allowed.
Mr. Davis said after the probe that Magistrate Cochran agreed to a consent order on Aug. 15, 2012. He stepped down and agreed that he would never seek judicial office again. The witness said that was the stiffest punishment a judge can receive.
Nathan Howard, who booked Ms. Garmley at the Murray County Jail, said, "She was pretty upset - hysterical and ashamed."
Sherry Jones, who did the strip search while having Ms. Garmley gradually disrobe, said, "She seemed really upset. She looked like she had been crying when she came in."
Sam West, former Murray County investigator, told of talking to Magistrate Cochran at his mother's house in the first week of August 2012. He said, "I could tell that something was wrong."
He said Cochran referred to the media publicity about the alleged affair, and he said he told him, "It'll blow over."
The witness said Cochran then told him, "I know she's doing dope. I wish somebody would arrest her."
Investigator West said he also had a lot of questions about the Garmley arrest. Noting that no drugs were found inside her car, he said, "I found that unusual. People who use drugs - they don't clean up everything."
He also said it was "very unusual" that drugs would be under the car.
DA Poston said he is not related to another Poston in the case - attorney Ken Poston - as far as he knows.
Judge Harold Murphy, near the close of the week's proof, said he was afraid any more to ask if the attorneys had "a short witness." He chuckled, "One time I did, and they brought in this little short guy."
Ms. Garmley is expected to take the witness stand on Monday. She had been tentatively set for Friday.