Chattanooga Times Free Press

Georgia city official arrested, accused of pushing trooper

CORDELE, Ga. — A south Georgia elected official has been charged with felony obstruction of law enforcement after police say he interfered in the investigation of a fatal accident.

WALB-TV reports Cordele City Commissioner Royce Reeves Sr. was arrested on Thursday night after trying three separate times to reach the scene of a crash involving a motorcycle and a car.

Police say he was trying to use his position to get through roadblocks. Reeves was charged with a felony after a state trooper said Reeves pushed him.

“It escalated into some very strong language, allegedly, of course,” said Cordele City Attorney Tommy Coleman. “There was some pushing between the commissioner and the police, according to the state patrol and the incident report.”

Coleman said a commissioner has no authority to interfere with law enforcement.

“He felt like he knew this person and he wanted to get to the scene. According to the state patrol, he used his position to say, ‘You have to listen to me, I’m a city commissioner.’ And of course, they don’t,” Coleman said.

The Georgia State Patrol is investigating.

Royce remained jailed in Crisp County on Friday with bail set at $2,500, WFXL-TV reported. It’s unclear if Reeves has a lawyer to speak for him.

If convicted of a felony, Reeves would be removed from office. Reeves could also be suspended from office if he’s indicted.

Reeves, who is African American, drew notice in 2018 when multiple troopers and Cordele officers responded to a traffic stop. A trooper sought to ticket Reeves for illegally parking a limousine he had borrowed to ferry Stacey Abrams supporters to the polls.

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2021-06-13T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-06-13T07:00:00.0000000Z

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