Former Judge is Convicted of Conspiring to Plant Drugs on Woman

Bryant Cochran, former chief judge of Murray County’s Magistrate Court, was convicted on federal charges in Rome, Georgia last Thursday for conspiring to plant meth under the car of Angela Garmley who accused him of propositioning her when she asked for legal help. Garmley claims back in 2012 she went to Cochran to get warrants against three people allegedly assaulting her. What she didn’t expect was for the judge to ask her to be his mistress and to come to see him wearing a dress with no underwear. After the accusations became public Cochran decided something had to be done. In August 2012 police stopped Garmley for failing to dim her headlights for oncoming cars. They then searched the car with a drug dog, but were unable to find anything according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Davis. Another officer – who also happened to be Cochran’s cousin – then informed police on the scene that the drugs were located in a magnetic box under the left, back end of the car. Garmley was charged with and everything seemed to be going to Cochran’s plan. That is until Cochran’s tenant admitted to hiding the drugs. Charges against Garmley were dropped and two deputies involved in her arrest plead guilty to obstruction.
Prosecutors alleged that while Cochran’s tenant planted the drugs, Cochran himself planned and orchestrated the plan and was also the one who called police with the tip that Garmley had drugs. Though Cochran was convicted on several charges, his lawyer, Page Pate, says he plans to appeal if the conviction isn’t set aside. Pate claims the tenant planted the drugs on his own accord and that Cochran had received several tips about Garmley’s drug use. “I will continue to fight as hard as I can for Bryant. Based on everything I know about this case, he is not guilty of any conspiracy to plant drugs,” Pate said.

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