A former Georgia police officer is facing a retrial over allegations he used the authority of his badge to sexually assault women, prosecutors said.
Richard Gooddine, a former East Point police officer, is currently standing trial in Fulton County, Georgia, according to court records.
Gooddine faces charges stemming from allegations that he sexually assaulted women, prosecutors said.
Those accusations include a count alleging that the former officer raped a 15-year-old girl, according to court documents.
The current courtroom proceeding follows an earlier trial that ended without a complete resolution, court records show.
In 2022, Gooddine’s case resulted in a partial mistrial after jurors were unable to reach unanimous decisions on some of the allegations, according to WSB-TV.
One juror in that earlier proceeding reportedly said she could not believe that a police officer would assault women in the manner being alleged. Now another jury is being asked to consider the evidence against him, WSB-TV reported.
Prosecutors are attempting to convince jurors that the defendant used the trust and authority associated with his badge to victimize women, court records show.
On Thursday, the trial judge permitted prosecutors to introduce testimony concerning another 15-year-old girl, according to court records.
That teenager is not the alleged victim named in the criminal charges Gooddine currently faces, prosecutors said.
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Former Georgia Bureau of Investigation Agent Wesley Horne testified about interviewing that teenager during the investigation, according to court testimony.
The girl’s guardian also testified before the jury during the state’s presentation of evidence, court records show.
Gooddine allegedly pinned the teenager against a vehicle, according to the guardian’s testimony.
Details also emerged regarding what the girl allegedly believed about the defendant before the encounter took place, court testimony showed.
The teenager reportedly said she did not believe Gooddine would do anything wrong to her because he was a police officer. That testimony placed the issue of trust and law enforcement authority directly before the jury, prosecutors said.
The former officer stands accused of exploiting that badge to commit sexual assaults, including the alleged rape of a 15-year-old, prosecutors said.
The retrial is now approaching a verdict as attorneys prepare their final presentations, according to court records.
Closing arguments were scheduled for today in Fulton County, court officials said.
Those arguments bring the retrial another step closer to the jury deciding whether prosecutors have proven the allegations beyond a reasonable doubt, court records show.
Gooddine is currently on trial and has not been convicted of the charges at issue in this retrial. He is presumed innocent unless and until the jury finds him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, according to court records.
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