CLEVELAND, Ga. – Attorneys for Bradley Reynolds, the former Truett McConnell University vice president accused of an alleged illicit relationship with a former student and staffer, filed a “demurrer” motion on June 17th, seeking dismissal of the criminal case against Reynolds.
A demurrer is a legal pleading that objects to a legal action filed by an opposing party and asks the judge to dismiss it. In effect, a demurrer says to the judge, ‘even if we do not dispute the facts as provided by the other party, there is no legal basis for this lawsuit.’”
Enotah Judicial Circuit District Attorney Jeff Langley did not immediately respond to a call for comment.
In December, Reynolds was indicted on three counts, all stemming from lies he allegedly told about his relationship with Hayle Swinson during his March 1, 2024, interview with the White County Sheriff’s office investigator.
In that interview, Reynolds allegedly denied then that he’d had any inappropriate relationship with Swinson and also denied that some 350 emails sent to Swinson—some of them laced with lurid detail, as Swinson later disclosed—were in fact from him, a denial the sheriff easily disproved at the time.
He denied ever having sex with Swinson at all.
And he denied what Swinson said were his repeated statements that she, Swinson, would replace Reynolds’ wife, whom Reynolds said God told him would soon die.
Lying to law enforcement is a felony in Georgia. Reynolds has not been charged with any violent or sexual crime, because, according to Swinson’s attorney, the statute of limitations has expired on those possible charges.
The new document, filed with White County Superior Court Wednesday, reads in part, “The Defendant demurs generally to all counts of the said indictment on the ground that the same fails to adequately charge the Defendant with an offense against the Law of the State of Georgia.”
It continues: ““The Defendant demurs generally to all counts of the said indictment on the ground that the same fails to sufficiently set out the charge of False Statement against this Defendant.”
Reynolds’ attorneys, Graham McKinnon IV and Theodore Cassert of Fox, Chandler, Hicks, McKinnon & Cassert, LLP in Gainesville, did not respond to calls and emails seeking comment.
Swinson’s attorney, Marcia Shein, also did not immediately respond to a phone inquiry.
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