Magistrate judge resigns after he is charged with threatening man in vegetables dispute
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A Southeast Georgia magistrate judge has resigned after he was accused of threatening a man in a dispute over garden vegetables.
Chief Magistrate Judge Eddie Anderson of Tattnall County, Georgia, told Law360 that he resigned July 26, a day after his arrest on charges of making a terroristic threat and violating his oath as a public officer.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has a press release on the arrest, while Law.com and the Macon Telegraph have coverage.
Anderson, 70, acknowledged in the Law360 interview that he told the man, “If you meet me out there in the middle of the road, I’ll kick your ass.” He said he regretted the statement.
The man had alleged that Anderson took produce from his garden without permission. The man told authorities that he called Anderson to discuss the issue, and Anderson made the threat at that time, in front of witnesses.
But Anderson told Law360 that he had permission to take peas from the man’s garden. Anderson said he stopped by the property because he saw “some pretty corn over there, and I wanted to buy some.” The property owner wasn’t home, but a relative told Anderson that he could pick some peas.
After picking the peas and returning home, Anderson got the call from the property owner, who wrongly accused him of stealing the vegetable, Anderson told Law360. That’s when Anderson made the comment.
“You don’t know how many times I went over in my mind what I shouldn’t have done, but it’s too late now, it’s done,” he told Law360.
