DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — The sheriff arrested at Piedmont Park and charged with indecency is going to trial after pleading not guilty on Friday.
Channel 2’s Nicole Carr was in the courtroom when DeKalb County Sheriff Jeffrey Mann pleaded not guilty to indecency and obstruction charges.
A couple of Mann's November opponents sat in on court Friday, watching their former political rival plead not guilty to indecency and obstruction charges.
"He's going to keep drawing his paycheck until due process works itself out," former opponent Geraldine Champman told Carr. "And that's the pity of it. The buck is on us as DeKalb County citizens and we don't think it's fair, but we have to allow for the due process.”
“With all the evidence out there, even with the video of him running, I wouldn't take that chance to even go to trial,” former opponent Harold Dennis said.
A DeKalb County representative told Carr that taxpayers are not footing the bill for Mann’s legal fees. But he is returning to work Monday after a self-imposed, week-long suspension, the sheriff vowing to give his pay to charity.
In a memo, Mann told his staff the suspension was self-discipline but not an admission of guilt for his May 6 Piedmont Park arrest where police said he performed sex acts on himself before running a quarter mile from a cop.
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On Wednesday, Mann lost his battle to stop a state's investigation into the incident There will pre-trial hearing sometime between late June and early July, and the trial is set for July 7.
One Atlanta attorney said a guilty plea could have resulted in mere fines, but given the state's involvement, Mann's better choice was to waive arraignment if the goal is to avoid a potential governor-issued suspension.
"It's likely that he's not going to admit guilt in an ordinance case because it could impact the case with the governor's office, which is likely more important to him at this point,” attorney Sarah Becker told Carr.
Mann is expected to have a pre-trial hearing sometime between late June and early July, with a trial date set for July 7.