HALL COUNTY, Ga. — Following the two arrests of Hall County Sheriff Gerald Couch, a group of concerned residents applied for him to be recalled from office.
According to the application, a copy of which was shared with Channel 2 Action News, the residents seeking his removal from office via recall say his two arrests and subsequent return to office after being suspended are a problem.
The first arrest, for accusations of driving under the influence in a county vehicle, happened on Feb. 27.
It also followed Couch’s hospitalization, which prosecutors said was for a nearly deadly amount of alcohol in his system on Feb. 26.
Applications for recall generally have a requirement that it is being initiated due to accusations or confirmed actions of a public official that amount to “conducting himself or herself in a manner which relates to and adversely affects the administration...and the rights and interest of the public” while they continue to work.
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The application lists Sheriff Couch’s statutory violations for recall as:
- Has committed an act or acts of malfeasance while in office
- Has violated his or her oath of office
- Has committed an act of misconduct in office
- Is guilty of a failure to perform duties prescribed by law
In terms of the DUI case against the Hall County Sheriff, stemming from his February arrest, Couch has not been convicted of any of the charges he faces.
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In terms of the DUI case against the Hall County Sheriff, stemming from his February arrest, Couch has not been convicted of any of the charges he faces.
He was arrested a second time in Dawson County after driving there, in violation of the restricted license he received as a condition of bond.
Blake Poole, Couch’s attorney, said the violation was unintentional and put the blame on the Georgia Department of Driver Services, but DDS pushed back on those claims.
According to the court record of the case, a trial is scheduled to start on Sept. 21.
The recall application says the facts they’re basing it on are that Couch was:
“Arrested twice 2026 GSP and Dawsonville. Feb. 27, Hall Co. Ga., DUI, failure to maintain Ln, open container, blood alcohol level reported 0.212%, during driving of a county issued vehicle, suspension by Gov. Kemp March 17, 2026 for 60 days, extended 30 days to 5-15-26. May 4, 2026 Dawson deputies - failure to maintain lane, violation of limited driving permit conditions.”
Melanie Garrish is named as the petition chairperson and submitted the application to the Hall County Director of Elections on June 29.
An accompanying message from a Hall County resident that was shared with Channel 2 Action News with the copy of the application says Elections Director Lori Wurtz will need to review the signatures submitted before potential next steps in the process are taken.
If the application is approved to continue forward, the petitioner who contacted Channel 2 Action News said they’ll need 14,000 signatures or more.
Channel 2 Action News has reached out to the Hall County Elections Office about the application and how the process works, and has requested comment from Hall County Sheriff Gerald Couch and his attorney, Blake Poole.
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