Atlanta police officer guilty on one count, not guilty on others
The jury finally reached a decision.
Former Atlanta Police officer Arthur Tesler was found guilty of making a false statement to investigators in connection with the 2006 Neal Street shooting, but was found not guilty on the false imprisonment and violation of oath of office charges.
With the conviction on one count, he faces a maximum of 5 years in prison. Realistically, he is looking at a lot less time.
Although the judge is authorized to sentence Tesler to straight probation, it's unlikely. The judge ordered him taken into custody after the verdict. That's unusual for a false statement case, especially when the sentencing has been postponed until later in the week. Maybe a 12 month sentence? Just my guess. The extra couple of days should allow Tesler's criminal defense lawyer to call witnesses to the sentencing hearing.
The Atlanta Journal Constitution has the story.
The verdict looks bad for the Fulton County DA's office because Tesler was convicted on only 1 of the 3 counts. And the count of conviction was something Tesler admitted to doing when he testified - lying to the FBI after the shooting occurred.
If the DA's office had drafted the indictment differently, Tesler would likely have also been convicted on the oath of office charge. Ultimately, it probably won't matter for purposes of sentencing. Judge Johnson heard all the evidence and probably has a good idea of what sentence he will impose.
Sentencing is set for Thursday.
