Jimmie Gardner, the brother-in-law of prominent Democrat and past Georgia governor candidate Stacey Abrams, has been placed under arrest following severe claims of assault against a minor and human trafficking.
WFLA 8 reports that Gardner, who has a contentious past that includes a sexual assault conviction that was later overturned, was taken into custody by Tampa authorities. He is charged with having extramarital affairs with a sixteen-year-old girl.
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At 1:43 in the morning, Gardner approached a minor, according to the Tampa Police Department. and asked her to come to his room at International Plaza’s Renaissance Hotel.
“The victim initially agreed but later told Gardner that she no longer wanted to engage and he became angry,” according to the press release.
“Gardner advised the victim that she needed to leave his hotel room. The two got involved in a verbal altercation that escalated to a physical dispute after Gardner placed his hands around the victim’s neck, impeding her breathing. After the dispute, Gardner left the hotel room, and the victim called 911.”
Gardner had already left the hotel by the time the police arrived. According to the police, they did find the victim still at the scene, though.
“Everyone is entitled to the presumption of innocence,” said State Attorney Suzy Lopez. “Our attorneys will prosecute this case as we would any other offender who is alleged to have committed these crimes. We take these charges very seriously.”
Gardner was found guilty in 1987 of sexually abusing two women in West Virginia; however, after 27 years, he was declared innocent in 2016, according to the 13th Judicial Circuit Office of the State Attorney.
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Following his two-year release, he married federal judge Leslie Abrams Gardner. Currently devoted to training and empowering people, especially students and those with a history of incarceration in Georgia, Gardner was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 1984.
