A former Georgia sheriff resigned from a state watchdog group after a photo of him wearing a KKK robe surfaced
- A retired Georgia sheriff has resigned from a watchdog group after a photo of him wearing a KKK robe surfaced.
- The photo originally surfaced in 2012, and at the time ex-sheriff Roger Garrison called it a Halloween costume.
- A spokesperson for the watchdog group confirmed Garrison resigned after the organization learned of the photo.
A former sheriff who sat on a judicial watchdog agency for Georgia has resigned after a photo of him wearing a Ku Klux Klan costume surfaced.
The photo was taken during a Halloween party when ex-sheriff Roger Garrison was in his 20s, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
Garrison, who led the Cherokee County sheriff's office in Georgia for over two decades until he retired five years ago, was appointed to the Judicial Qualifications Commission's investigative panel on August 19, according to the AJC. Days later, he resigned.
The office of House Speaker David Ralston of the Georgia General Assembly confirmed to the AJC that Garrison has resigned from his post with the watchdog group.
"Sheriff Garrison has resigned from the JQC," a spokesperson for Ralston told the AJC. "The speaker will appoint a replacement as soon as practical."
The photo depicts Garrison and an unidentified individual donning a KKK robe and hood with drinks in their hands.
The photo initially surfaced in 2012. At the time, Garrison denied that he had any affiliation with the KKK, adding that the photo was taken at a costume party where he and a friend came dressed in characters from a "Blazing Saddles" movie scene.
"I don't deny it wasn't stupid, looking back now, but there again I say what 21- or 22-year-old in this world hasn't made some stupid mistakes?" Garrison told Channel 2 Action News when the photo originally surfaced.
"Everybody knows everything about my life," he said. "I would just ask that they look at my honor and my integrity and the things we've done for this Sheriff's Office."