Douglas County judge arrested | Bodycam video

ATLANTA – Less than two days after the arrest, Atlanta police released bodycam footage of the arrest of Douglas County Probate Judge Christina Peterson.

Peterson was arrested Thursday after a disturbance outside the Red Martini Restaurant & Lounge on Peachtree Road Northeast.

Tresia Bowles of 11Alive observed the entire two-hour interaction.

A spokesman for the APD released this statement on Friday:

“On June 20, 2024, at approximately 3:18 a.m., an Atlanta Police Officer working a licensed side job at 3179 Peachtree Rd. NE heard a commotion nearby and responded to the incident. He noticed on-site security escorting a woman from the establishment.

While assisting security guards and attempting to de-escalate the situation, an unidentified woman, later identified as 38-year-old Christina Peterson, rushed toward the commotion and immediately began yelling at the security guard and the officer. Ms. Peterson then violently shoved the officer in the chest and repeatedly slapped his hands away while he attempted to assist the woman, who was being escorted out.

Ms. Peterson stabbed the officer in the chest again and was subsequently taken into custody. The arresting officer attempted several times to obtain the suspect’s identification information in order to process the case, but she refused to cooperate. This caused a delay in the officer transporting her to jail. After further investigation, officers were later able to confirm her identity.

The officer was able to present probable cause to a Fulton County judge and obtained arrest warrants for Ms. Peterson for simple assault on a police officer and obstructing a police officer. Ms. Peterson was transported to the Fulton County Jail for processing and taken into custody without incident.”

Peterson’s attorney, Marvin Arrington, said he was still reviewing the video.

“The cover-up is always worse than the original mistake,” Arrington said.

Arrington said he believes the information provided by Atlanta police is contradictory.

“We are already seeing inconsistencies in the officer’s statements,” Arrington said.

For example, in the body camera footage, arresting officer Keith Wadsworth can be heard saying he was “punched” several times. In the arrest warrant, Wadsworth testified under oath that he was “punched with a fist.” However, the statement states that Wadsworth was shoved twice.

“We know that the information presented to the judge will be changed or updated,” Arrington said.

Arrington said cellphone video proves his client never attacked a police officer.

“There were no beatings or punches against officers,” Arrington said.

The body camera footage shows the officer’s arm striking, but his hand is not visible, so it’s difficult to tell what happened.

Arrington said his client was a good Samaritan who tried to break up a dispute in which a man had attacked a woman. He said he had reason to believe the commotion occurred while the crowd was waiting in line at a food truck, not in the lounge. He isn’t sure how that information led to a woman being thrown out.

After Peterson’s arrest, she sat handcuffed in a police station for over an hour. At times she verbally abused Wadsworth.

Peterson can be seen refusing to identify herself multiple times as she was taken to the city jail for processing. She was then taken back to the unit. At least three officers came out and apparently tried to talk to Peterson, but to no avail. One officer ran her for fingerprints, but nothing was found. She was eventually taken to the Fulton County Jail. She is charged with assault on a police officer and obstructing prosecution. However, during the body camera video, Peterson is initially heard being told she was arrested for “disorderly conduct.”

Arrington said he believes there is more footage that could bring justice to Peterson.

“We are asking anyone who was there that night and may have captured video to please send it to us so we can make sure we have all the information as we move forward,” Arrington said.

He also said there may be enough evidence to drop the charges.

“We look forward to the day when these charges are dropped and my client is exonerated,” Arrington said.

Arrington said he wrote a letter to Red Martini archiving all the evidence.

Peterson was released on $5,000 bail and ordered not to contact police and stay away from Red Martini.

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