She poured soda on reporter, is arrested

The wife of a Chattooga County commissioner is facing charges after being accused of pouring a soda on a reporter at a county commission meeting Friday.

The Summerville Police Department has charged Abbey Winters, 35, with simple battery and disorderly conduct, according to a police report.

Witnesses told police that Winters, wife of Chattooga County Commissioner Jason Winters, poured a cola drink on the head of Casie Bryant, a reporter for AllOnGeorgia.

Winters’ attorney, Chris Corbin, told investigators that “she had accidentally poured the drink on victim’s head after stumbling/tripping near her,” according to the police report.

Some of the audio and reactions from the incident were on video, which was posted on YouTube by AllOnGeorgia over the weekend.

The video begins with Jason Winters sitting at the head of the table in the commissioners’ chambers shortly before a budget meeting was to begin.

There is inaudible chatter before a loud splash is heard.

Winters, the only commissioner for the county, is shown on camera saying “Oh, God,” with a slightly bewildered facial expression.

An exchange of words follows: “There you go,” a woman believed to be Abbey Winters is heard saying. “I’m sick of this.”

“Well, that’s classy,” a woman can be heard saying.

Both are off camera, but Jason Winters is seen and heard on camera saying, “Every bit of this has been brought on.”

According to the police report, Bryant was “just in shock” following the incident.

Abbey Winters’ voice can be heard stating that Bryant “deserved it” for saying that her husband went to France. The Washington Post reported that Bryant wrote of Jason Winters in a Facebook post the night before the meeting, “Fresh off his trip to Paris, he’s ready to talk about the budget to the PUBLIC.”