ATLANTA (West Georgia Times) — A Fulton County jury on Thursday found former Douglas County Probate Judge Christina J. Peterson not guilty of a misdemeanor obstruction charge stemming from an incident outside a Buckhead nightclub.
Peterson, who represented herself at trial, was acquitted after about two days of testimony at the Fulton County Courthouse. Jurors returned the verdict in less than an hour, closing the criminal case related to her June 2024 arrest.
The obstruction charge was the sole remaining count after prosecutors dropped an earlier felony obstruction charge and a misdemeanor battery charge.
What Happened
In the early morning hours of June 20, 2024, Atlanta police responded to a disturbance outside the Red Martini Restaurant and Lounge on Peachtree Road NE. Police said an officer arrested Peterson after a confrontation during the incident.
Peterson has maintained she was trying to help a woman who was being attacked when the situation escalated. At trial, she argued that she did not intentionally strike the officer and that he lacked authority in the moment she became involved.
Trial and Verdict
Over the course of the two-day trial, testimony included accounts from security personnel and law enforcement. When the jury began deliberations Thursday afternoon, it took under an hour to unanimously determine Peterson was not guilty of the misdemeanor obstruction charge.
Peterson, visibly emotional as the verdict was read, avoided potential penalties that could have included up to a year in jail and fines associated with a conviction on the misdemeanor charge.
Aftermath
The not-guilty verdict closes the criminal proceedings tied directly to the nightclub incident, though Peterson also has filed a separate civil lawsuit against the City of Atlanta and an Atlanta police officer, alleging excessive force during her arrest. That case is pending in state court.
Peterson previously served as Douglas County probate judge before her removal from the bench by the Georgia Supreme Court over unrelated ethics matters.
