Judge sentences Tisdale to 12 months on probation

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Nydia Tisdale

DAWSONVILLE, Ga. – Dawson County Senior Superior Court Judge Martha Christian sentenced Nydia Tisdale Monday to serve 12 months  on probation, 40 hours of community service and issued a $1,000 fine after Tisdale’s Dec. 4 conviction of misdemeanor obstruction of a law enforcement officer.

Tisdale was acquitted of the more serious charges of felony obstruction and trespassing that stemmed from her arrest at a political rally at Burt’s Pumpkin Farm in 2014. Tisdale refused to stop videotaping the event and was forcibly removed and arrested by then Dawson County Sheriff’s Captain Tony Wooten.

Tisdale was sentenced under Georgia’s First Offender Act which means that if she successfully completes all the terms of the sentence, she will not have a conviction and the charge will be sealed from her official criminal history.

Tisdale’s attorney Bruce Harvey said his client would appeal the conviction.

“We certainly had hoped that given Nydia’s background, given her support in the community, including the community of journalists who are in the main stream media who understand that any threat to a journalist who provides information to the public about their public officials, would be treated differently than an ordinary misdemeanor,” Harvey said.

Assistant District Attorney Conley Greer referred all questions to District Attorney Lee Darragh.

Harvey presented a long list of character witnesses Monday. Governor Nathan Deal was subpoenaed on Friday to appear on Monday, but Richard Willard, of the Georgia Attorney General’s office, said seeking to have the governor testify on such short notice was “irresponsible” and he made a motion to quash.

Christian granted the motion saying Deal’s testimony would not be “material or relevant.”

Ironically, one witness who did appear on behalf of Tisdale was Dawson County Sheriff Jeff Johnson. He testified that he met Tisdale more than two years ago and had observed her filming several community events. Johnson said he had never witnessed her being disruptive or felt like she was a threat to the public.

When Tisdale took the witness stand, she said, “I meant no harm going to a campaign event that was advertised as public.  I’m sorry this happened. I am asking the court today for leniency. I spent eight hours in county detention on a Saturday night. If the court would consider a sentence of time served, I would greatly appreciate it.”

 

Fetch Your News is a hyper local news outlet that covers Dawson, Lumpkin, White, Fannin, Gilmer, Pickens, Union, Towns and Murray counties as well as Cherokee County in N.C. If you would like to follow up-to-date local events in any of those counties, please visit us at FetchYourNews.com

 

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