A Meeting Was Set to Start. Then, a Splash and 'Oh, My God'

The wife of a county commissioner in Georgia is facing battery and disorderly conduct charges after an incident Friday before a budget meeting. The Washington Post reports that AllOnGeorgia reporter Casie Bryant was in the conference room to cover the meeting, which included Chattooga County Commissioner Jason Winters, who can be seen in an AllOnGeorgia video at the head of the table before the meeting was set to get underway; Bryant isn't visible in the video. Suddenly, at around the one-minute mark, the sound of liquid splattering can be heard, and Winters can be seen saying, "Oh, my God," while a female voice is heard saying, "I'm sick of it." Winters can then be seen nodding, as if in approval. Another female voice is heard saying, "Oh, that's classy."

WZQZ News, which was also in attendance at the meeting, says what happened out of frame was that Abbey Winter, the commissioner's wife, dumped a soft drink on Bryant's head. A tweet from a Chattanooga Times Free Press reporter shows two images of Bryant, her hair, face, and coat streaked with the beverage, ice cubes on the floor around her. AllOnGeorgia reports that a witness called 911, and several witnesses said Abbey Winters said more than once that Bryant "deserved" it. Her husband, meanwhile, called what happened "an accident," but also said Bryant "deserved what happened to her," per WZQZ News, which notes the Winterses have been miffed about things Bryant has said about them on social media. In the police report, Abbey Winters told authorities she tripped, which led to the drink spill. The owner of AllOnGeorgia calls what happened "completely inappropriate." (More assault stories.)