HALL COUNTY, Ga. — A group is in a race to collect more than 42,000 signatures on a petition to recall Hall County Sheriff Gerald Couch after he was arrested twice this year, once on charges of driving under the influence.
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The Concerned Citizens of Hall County is circulating the petition after collecting 100 signatures on an application approved by the Hall County Elections Office. Organizers now have until Sept. 3 to get 42,080 signatures, or 30% of the county’s registered voters. They said Wednesday they have collected between 2 to 3,000 names.
“We as constituents of Hall County need to hold our sheriff accountable,” said volunteer Stacey Morgan. “This is not a witch hunt. It is not anything personal.”
She said the sheriff violated his oath of office with the DUI charge. Warrants show he had a blood-alcohol level of .212 – nearly three times the legal limit. Couch was arrested a second time, in Dawson County, charged with violating the conditions of his limited driving permit. Governor Brian Kemp suspended Couch for 90 days, and he returned to the job in June.
“We feel like if he is going to lead our law enforcement, he must have integrity,” Morgan said.
If the volunteers get all the required signatures by the deadline, the county would have 30 days to verify all the names before calling a special election to allow the voters to decide whether the sheriff is removed from office.
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Kimberly Crane pulled up to a petition-signing location along Old Cornelia Highway at Dana Drive. She grew up in Hall County and is raising children here. She voted for Couch as sheriff in 2024, but with his DUI arrest, she thinks he can no longer serve as the county’s top law enforcement officer.
“I do realize that individuals make mistakes; we all do,” Crane said. “But when you’re in law enforcement, I believe that you’re held to a higher standard.”
Honesty Taylor also stopped to add her name to the list.
“Him being a leader, he’s supposed to lead by example,” she said. “We have children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren that are going to grow up and be in this community, and we need somebody that’s going to be a leader – a good leader.”
Couch’s attorney, Blake Poole, sent a written statement: “The Constitution protects the right of citizens to petition their government, and Sheriff Couch respects that right. He trusts the people of Hall County, and he is confident they will judge him on his full record of service. I too am confident that the people’s silence, by refraining to sign, will speak volumes about their support for the Sheriff.”
The Concerned Citizens of Hall County has a Facebook page where it announces locations to sign the petition. Organizers say they have up to a dozen sites across the county and plan to keep them available for several hours each day until Sept. 3.
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