Busch did not alert elected officials in either city that she was being investigated by the police.
Marietta Mayor Steve Tumlin said he learned about it in Saturday's Journal. Woodstock officials said they were tipped off by an anonymous letter.
A special prosecutor is scheduled to meet with Cobb Police investigators at 3 p.m. today to determine whether Busch or any other adult will face charges relating to the underage drinkers.
It is unclear when prosecutor Lalaine Briones will make a decision on whether to file any charges. Cobb Police Chief G.B. Hatfield said Wednesday that Briones does not yet have the police investigative file, which could take time to review. Police Capt. D. Bolenbaugh, Sgt. C. Dong, and Detective P. Sullivan will meet with Briones.
In Woodstock, where Busch is the chief judge, she presided over the court 11 times - seven in January and four in February, including last week - since Cobb Police cited 10 Walker High School students for possession of alcohol at her home on Dec. 22.
Woodstock's municipal court is usually in session twice each week, and the judge is paid $350 per session - a total of $700 per week - for ruling on traffic offenses, DUI cases, ordinance violations and other municipal court matters. The judge is appointed by Woodstock's mayor and City Council.
Busch is not presiding this week.
"She made a decision that it would be best for the court if she allowed someone else to fill in for her until the matter is resolved," Vic Reynolds, Busch's defense lawyer, said Tuesday.
Reynolds insists his client did not give alcohol to anyone underage nor permit underage drinking on her property. However, according to the police report, when Busch came downstairs to talk to the officers, she appeared to be intoxicated and "said something to the effect 'I would rather have the kids drinking at my house than out driving around,' and 'I gave the kids the alcohol.'"
Busch also presided over Marietta's municipal court while the investigation continued. She spent the morning of Jan. 27 hearing appeals of red-light camera violations, according to the court clerk. She was appointed in 1998, and is one of Marietta's nine associate justices able to fill in when Judge Roger Rozen is unavailable. As in Woodstock, the mayor and City Council appoint Marietta's municipal judges. The job pays $150 per session, and there can be up to two sessions in a day.
Mayor Tumlin said Busch was among those reappointed as associate judges last month "based upon her excellent reputation as an attorney and especially her expertise in municipal court matters."
And he did not fault Busch for not informing him of the police investigation.
"I imagine she thought it was going to work itself out," he said. "People are innocent until proven guilty."
But if he were in Busch's position?
"I would have called to alert my boss," Tumlin said.
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Also, I agree with the posters below. What type of message are we sending to our children when we try to make excuses for them and intimidate the law enforcement officials in order to escape the consequences? This judge couldn't have been a worse role model for justice, much less our children.
Second, Busch and Middleton were apparently drunk and Middleton even greeted the police officer with a beer in her hand! Hello?? Is this responsible behavior? If Ms. Middleton was apparently not asleep and wandering around the house, then why did she allow this ridiculous behavior? Maybe she was drunk? Maybe she doesn't think much of breaking the law? It really doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that something is not right.
Ditto the police intimidation part. Then add in the lack of transparency and Ms. Busch continuing to hear court cases. Add in these teens proclaiming they will continue to break the law because they don't like it. What do you get?? Enraged citizens and taxpayers that expect better from their public officials.
And what type of values do you think she's instilling in our children when she intimidates the police officers in front of kids that just broke the law? Responsibility?? I think not...
For you uninformed bloggers to comment on this article as if you have done a thorough investigation and know everything about the situation, you should be embarassed. Instead of blaming the supposed demise of Walker's reputation on a few parents, maybe you should learn another fact; Busch's teen and Middleton's teen who were present during this debacle were NOT cited. That's right- THEY WERE NOT CHARGED WITH UNDERAGE DRINKING. So, before you go and start pointing fingers and calling out bad parenting or ethics, maybe you should learn the real story. Busch and Middleton have obviously taught their kids the right thing to do- and that is apparent in the fact that, once again, neither Busch's nor Middleton's teens received a citation for underage drinking. If you honestly think that moving your child from Walker to a public school is the right choice- I am so sorry because you know very little about the education your child would have received at Walker, and it's too bad because they maybe could have taught you a thing or two. Multiple teens who were cited at the scene were uninvited guests in Busch's home. It seems as if the parents who had no idea their children were at Busch's house are the ones who are bad at parenting.
FYI: cited kids admitted they stole the alcohol from Busch's party; contrary to what most of you think, Busch did not provide alcohol nor consent to underage drinking. Middleton was at the party that late because she and two other attendees of hte party were helping to clean up. Those two attendees left shortly before Middleton went downstairs to get her kids to leave.
Open your eyes, everyone. Busch had been asleep for a total of about 30 minutes when this whole thing started. She had not been "passed out" for hours as some claim.
Before judging a case, try to know the facts next time.
I'm sorry but i don't see why that poster airing his grievances on Sean Hannity's show would make him un-informed?
Yes, you should call Sean Hannity! He will take care of all your problems. The sun will shine, the birds will sing, and all will be hunky dory in Cobb County! You have a point that these people may be irresponsible. I don't know. I was not there. I trust that the special prosecutor from the statewide Prosecuting Attorney's Council will do a thorough job investigating this. There is zero evidence to the contrary. In any case your Sean Hannity remark certainly does indicate that you are in fact ill informed and uneducated! I didn't go to Walker, yet this much is quite clear to me!
"This is it wrote on Friday, Feb 19 at 10:05 AM »
This is the last straw. I'm calling into Sean Hannity with these developments this afternoon. It's just outrageous that these people won't take responsibility for their actions, tried to hide a conflict of interest and then insult those have us that have moral values as uneducated, ill informed peasants without a degree from a so-so private school. I encourage others to do the same."
You say judge not and proceed to do the same thing. How do you know I've never volunteered (and I assure you I have)? And there is a big difference between judging a person's character and judging their performance on the job. It's clear to us voters that on the second count, she's been one massive failure. So save your church talk when you face your creator. Everyone else has it right. This is about ethics, responsibility and not being above the law. Plain and simple.