Georgia GOP Candidate Charged With Child Molestation After Alleged Bus Stop Incident
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A Republican candidate for the Georgia House of Representatives was arrested last week and accused of exposing himself to a teenage girl walking to a bus stop.
Andre Lamar Stafford, a GOP candidate who is running against an incumbent Democrat for Georgia House District 42, was booked last Thursday on charges of child molestation and public indecency, according to an arrest warrant reviewed by local news outlet WSB-TV.
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According to the warrant also reviewed by WXIA-TV , Stafford pulled up to a teen girl walking to a bus stop in a gray sedan on the morning of Oct. 15. He allegedly told the teen she was pretty before exposing himself, then touching himself before driving off.
Authorities used Flock camera technology to track the vehicle and determined the sedan's license plate was registered to Stafford. He was ultimately booked, but later released.
HuffPost reached out to Stafford's campaign website for a statement on the allegations and whether he plans to suspend his campaign, but did not receive an immediate response. However, he told FOX affiliate WAGA-TV, "I have no reason to drop out, I am innocent."
Stafford spoke with WSB-TV before Vice President JD Vance made a visit to metro Atlanta area earlier this month, telling the outlet that Vance's appearance could spur more Republican voters to turn out.
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"In those key races, where it could be 50,000 votes to separate the candidates, the MAGA base showing up will be a difference maker," he said.
Just days before the alleged incident, Stafford penned an op-ed supporting President Donald Trump -backed Georgia Senate candidate Rep. Mike Collins . He told readers, "My future is brighter if Mike Collins is our Senator."
Meyer Siegfried, a spokesperson for Collins campaign, told WXIA-TV that Stafford had volunteered for Collins' U.S. Senate campaign.
"The charges are sickening, and if they're true, then he belongs on a list and behind bars," Siegfried told the outlet.
