South Fulton officer arrested for allegedly assaulting domestic victim

Officer accused of assaulting crime victim

A South Fulton police officer was fired and arrested after investigators used in-car video to confirm he raped a domestic violence victim who called for help.

SOUTH FULTON, Ga. - A South Fulton police officer has been charged with sexually assaulting a woman while on duty, according to the police department.

What we know:

Police said Micheal Shealey Cockran, 30, was arrested by his own department Wednesday morning after a woman accused him of the assault. In a Wednesday afternoon update, South Fulton Interim Public Safety Director Dr. Cedric Alexander said the alleged assault happened while the officer was responding to a domestic assault call on March 21. Alexander said the officer responded to a secondary location where they learned a victim of the domestic assault was located.

Micheal Shealey Cockran mug shot (Credit: Fulton County Sheriff's Office)

When he arrived, Officer Cockran turned off his body camera, according to Alexander, and started speaking with the 28-year-old woman. Cockran then discovered the victim had outstanding warrants from DeKalb County, so he handcuffed her and put her inside his car. At that point, Cockran "took her off track" and then parked the car for a short time. Alexander said that is where investigators believe the assault took place.

Afterward, Cockran took the victim to the DeKalb County jail where the woman told officials she had been sexually assaulted by the officer. 

All this was backed up by evidence from cameras and GPS data from Cockran's police car.

What they're saying:

Alexander said Cockran was "immediately" placed on administrative leave and then arrested on Wednesday. Alexander said Cockran will be fired based on an "enormous" amount of evidence. When asked what the officer said, Alexander wouldn't comment, but he said "consensual (sex) goes out the window" when you're working as law enforcement.

Alexander said that he wants to ensure this doesn't affect the community's trust in the South Fulton Police Department. "It's unfortunate for us as an agency that one individual would go out and do such an act," Alexander said. "But none of us want someone like that among our ranks. We will not tolerate someone who acts like that among our ranks."

Alexander said all of Cockran's previous arrests are being looked into. 

What's next:

Cockran is charged with sexual assault by a person with supervisory or disciplinary authority and violation of oath of office. He has been booked into the Fulton County Jail. 

What we don't know:

The name of the victim has not been released. It's also not clear what the outstanding warrants were for.