A Fort Valley, Georgia councilman was arrested after allegedly calling a woman the N-word multiple times and threatening to shoot her in the face.
Jimmy Barnes was arrested on July 12 and released three days later under the guidance of an ankle monitor after posting $50,000 bond, WGXA reports. The incident transpired at a highway convenience store.
The councilman of more than 20 years was charged with aggravated assault and terroristic threats, and subsequently removed from his committee chair position over the matter. Barnes was re-elected in 2019 and his term is set to end in 2023, as he was not suspended from the council.
Ask for his thoughts, Peach County Democratic Party chairman Randy Goss told WMAZ, “Disappointment in [Barnes’] actions as a long time city councilman. As a resident of this city as long as I’ve been alive, he should know better.”
Mayor Barbara Williams said that while she wasn’t upset with the council’s decision, she would’ve liked to see them take further action. Barnes was ultimately not suspended for his actions.
“In the heat of the moment sometimes people don’t know how to deescalate anger, we’ve seen it all over the country, everywhere. … I would like to have seen the removal from the committee chairman as well as a suspension for a period of time until the matter is resolved, that’s what I would’ve like to have seen,” Williams said.
