Taxpayers pay sheriff’s legal defense in lawsuit

Cobb taxpayers are paying for Sheriff Neil Warren’s legal defense after he was sued by a former Kennesaw State University cheerleader over his actions during student protests that roiled the campus in the fall of 2017.

The plaintiff, Tommia Dean, was one of the so-called Kennesaw Five, a group of KSU cheerleaders who were inspired by professional football player Colin Kaepernick to take a knee during the national anthem before a football game in protest of racial injustice.

The protest drew the ire of Warren, an outspoken conservative and season ticket-holder who was in the stands that day. He publicly condemned the cheerleaders, saying their actions were disrespectful to the flag and the troops.

He also worked behind the scenes with State Rep. Earl Ehrhart to successfully pressure then-KSU President Sam Olens into keeping the cheerleaders off the field during the anthem at subsequent games, according to text messages first published by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.