It is common to hear that local news reporting in America is under attack. Here at Crazy America we certainly believe so but even we were shocked to hear about this latest outrage. At a public meeting with several members of the press in attendance, the wife of Chattooga County commissioner Jason Winters brazenly poured a can of soda onto the head of a journalist, adding “you deserve that” as she did so.
Abbey Winters emptied the fizzy drink on Casie Bryant at a meeting of county officials and local media last Friday, according to a report on the local news site All On Georgia, the outlet that employs Bryant.
Several witnesses told police that Bryant did nothing to provoke the drenching. Apparently, someone else in attendance immediately called 911 after seeing what had happened. Bryant told responding cops she calmly left the meeting and went to her car following the incident.
Present for the meeting and at the time of the incident were representatives from the local newspaper and the local radio station, WZQZ – FM 99.1 – AM 1180 Radio and four witnesses, all of whom offered statements to authorities, several of which included that Abbey Winters said twice after dumping the drink that Bryant “deserved” it.
Remarkably, it seems that the Commissioner himself had it in for the journalist too. Jason Winters reportedly stated after the incident that it was only an accident, but that Bryant did indeed deserve it. His wife also reportedly claimed it was an accident. That’s their story and they’re sticking to it. But it likely won’t wash. Winters is now facing charges for simple battery and disorderly conduct.
Abbey Winters (Chattooga County Sheriff’s Department)
 | Chattooga County, Georgia |
|---|---|
| Location: | 87 miles northwest of Atlanta |
| Population: | 26,015 |
| Median Household Income: | $32,419 |
| Quirky Fact: | Chattooga County was the birthplace of a one of the most controversial campaigns in the American Civil War, General William Tecumseh Sherman’s “March to the Sea”, which left a trail of destruction and is credited with finally breaking the back of the Confederacy |