Former East Point officer faces retrial on sex assault charges
Richard Gooddine (previous mug shot)
FULTON COUNTY, Ga. - A former East Point police officer accused of sexually abusing women and children while on duty is set to go back on trial Monday, four years after a jury acquitted him of seven charges but failed to reach a verdict on 10 others.
What we know:
Richard Gooddine was indicted on 17 counts in 2018, including child molestation, aggravated sexual battery, violation of oath and sexual assault by a law enforcement officer.
During his 2022 trial, prosecutors argued Gooddine assaulted women and children while searching them or after gaining their trust. The defense argued the alleged victims had ulterior motives for making the accusations.
After about 10 hours of deliberations, jurors found Gooddine not guilty on seven counts but deadlocked on the remaining 10, resulting in a partial mistrial. Jurors later said one member of the panel favored the defense and refused to deliberate or consider the views of other jurors.
Prosecutors announced after the trial that they planned to retry Gooddine on the unresolved charges. The most serious remaining charge is aggravated sexual battery, which could carry a life sentence if he is convicted.
Allegations led to officer's firing
The backstory:
The charges followed a series of allegations involving incidents authorities said occurred while Gooddine worked for the East Point Police Department in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
Gooddine was fired in August 2018 after he was accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl while on duty. According to an incident report, Gooddine stopped the teenager and three friends for allegedly being out past curfew. He reportedly let the others go but had the girl get into his patrol vehicle.
Investigators alleged Gooddine drove the teenager around for several hours before taking her to an apartment complex on Stanton Road, where the alleged assault occurred in his police SUV.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation opened an investigation at the request of East Point police. Days after Gooddine was fired, the Fulton County District Attorney's Office issued arrest warrants involving allegations connected to three women.
One of those women, Rosa Woodard, previously told FOX 5 that Gooddine sexually assaulted her after arresting her for driving with a suspended license in 2016. East Point police said at the time that its Internal Affairs Division investigated Woodard's complaint and determined it was unfounded.
East Point Police Chief Tommy Gardner said when Gooddine was fired that an internal investigation determined he had violated multiple departmental policies and procedures.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE
- East Point Police sergeant fired, accused of sexually assaulting teen
- D.A.'s Office issues 15 warrants against fired East Point Officer
- Grand jury indicts former East Point officer on 17 counts
- Judge grants bond for former officer accused of assault
- Trial for ex-Georgia officer
What's next:
Gooddine's retrial on the 10 unresolved charges is scheduled to begin Monday.