Joe Dendy, Former Cobb GOP Chairman, Is Arrested on Child Molestation Charges

Joe Dendy, who led the Cobb County Republican Party for four years from 2011-2015, was arrested Friday morning on child molestation charges stemming from incidents in 2007 and 2011. The Marietta Daily Journal has the details:

Dendy, 71, is charged with child molestation and aggravated child molestation, both felonies, and is being held without bond in the county jail, according to jail records. The first charge stems from an alleged incident at Dendy’s home during the Christmas holidays in 2011, where Dendy inappropriately touched a 4-year-old boy who was sitting in his lap, according to a warrant taken out on Dendy late Thursday.

The boy disclosed the details of the incident in a forensic interview, with a now-20-year-old witness supporting the boy’s story, according to the warrant.

The other charge involves an earlier incident — sometime in 2007 or 2008 — that allegedly saw Dendy perform sex acts on a 12-year-old boy while the two were in Dendy’s home, according to the warrant.

Dendy was arrested around 9 AM Friday morning, and was being held without bond at the Cobb County Jail.

After serving two years as the Cobb County COP Chairman, the term-limited Dendy was succeeded by current chair Rose Wing. Dendy also served as Director of Party Development for the Georgia Republican Party during the run-up to the 2014 elections.