Former East Point Police Sergeant–Acquitted On Some Sexual Assault Charges–Faces Retrial On Remaining Allegations

A yearslong legal battle surrounding charges against former East Point Police Sergeant Richard Gooddine has reached a pivotal new milestone following a decisive ruling by the Court of Appeals of Georgia.

WSB-TV News was the first local news outlet to report this developing story.

Gooddine has been at the center of intensive legal scrutiny since his termination and subsequent 17-count indictment in 2018. The charges against him stemmed from multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, violation of oath by a public officer, and the exploitation of his badge over a seven-year period.

A subsequent trial in March 2022 concluded with a fractured outcome: The jury acquitted the former officer on seven counts, but deadlocked on the remaining 10 charges, forcing the judge to declare a partial mistrial.

He will now return to court after the Fulton County District Attorney elected to retry Gooddine on the charges a jury did not reach a conclusion on.

But that decision came after the Georgia Court Of Appeals weighed in, issuing its formal opinion in Richard Gooddine v. The State. The ruling directly addresses the constitutional boundaries of a retrial following a partial acquittal, clarifying which specific charges prosecutors may legally bring back before a new jury.

Since the split verdict, prosecutors from the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office have worked to mount a retrial on the unresolved charges. Defense attorneys countered by filing rigorous motions to dismiss the remaining indictments, launching an appeal that effectively halted trial court proceedings for three years. However, the recent decision by the Appeals Court allowed the retrial to commence.

Gooddine had argued the indictment should be dismissed because he wasn’t given advance notice or the opportunity to appear before the grand jury—a special right usually afforded to Georgia law enforcement officers under state law (OCGA § 17-7-52).

The court rejected this, noting his special officer privileges did not apply to these actions.

The defense also filed a “plea in bar,” claiming that retrying him on the 10 deadlocked charges violated his constitutional protections against double jeopardy following his 7 acquittals. The appellate court denied this as well, affirming that the state maintains the lawful right to retry a defendant on counts that resulted in a hung jury.

With the appellate court’s decision finalized, the case returns to the Fulton County Superior Court with Gooddine expected to appear before a Superior Court judge tomorrow morning.

WSB-TV News has been granted permission by the Court to record the proceedings.

According to internal investigation files and eventual court indictments, the earliest recorded allegations of sexual misconduct against Gooddine while acting in his official capacity as an East Point officer date back to 2011.

The former police sergeant was assigned to the department’s patrol division but he also worked off-duty security at at least one local retail location in the city.