Harassment charges dropped against local political activist
The case has been dismissed against a Chattanooga activist who was charged with harassment following a dispute with her boyfriend on July 29.
The charges filed against Marie Mott on July 30 were dismissed Friday after she and the man appeared in court and opted not to testify against each other, according to Bruce Garner, communications director for District Attorney General Neal Pinkston.
The charges stem from a July 29 incident in which Mott’s boyfriend reportedly called law enforcement regarding a domestic assault. When Hamilton County sheriff’s deputies arrived at the scene, the man told them Mott had threatened to call law enforcement and make false reports against him, according to court papers.
The boyfriend also told police Mott had called the human resources department at his place of work, contacted his co-workers and his boss “multiple times.”
Mott, 33, said Monday the charges against her were completely untrue.
According to Mott, the two were having a disagreement at her home, when the boyfriend walked out. He returned hours later from what she thought was a drive to cool off, and she went to bed.
Mott said that the next morning she received a phone call from the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office asking her to turn herself in, and she did. She expressed concern about court papers becoming public through the media at the time.
“For someone to leak this information and make it seem as if I were arrested, after I turned myself in, was completely unfair,” Mott said.
Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Matt Lea said, “Once an affidavit is submitted to a magistrate/judge and it is signed, it is sent to the Hamilton County Sessions Court Clerk’s Office. From there, it becomes public record. The HCSO does not release affidavits. Citizens and members of the media who request affidavits are directed to the Hamilton County Sessions Court Clerk’s Office or the Criminal Court Clerk’s Office to obtain copies.”
Mott said she believes her political activism has played a role in her case being wrongfully publicized.
“This was something that was made completely personal to publicly vilify me,” Mott said. “The police are not really there to assist, especially for people who are calling for accountability within the system, we are seen as targets.”
In summer 2020, Mott led the I Can’t Breathe CHA protests in Chattanooga in response to the death of Georgia Floyd under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer.
Mott and fellow activist Cameron Williams still face several charges stemming from the protests, which took place for weeks on the streets of Chattanooga, such as obstruction of an emergency vehicle. She is set to appear before Judge Don W. Poole for arraignment on Nov. 19.
In April, Senior Judge Don Ash dismissed charges of theft of a flag and inciting a riot against Mott and Williams.