A Georgia Superior Court judge was arrested Friday by the GBI and charged with one misdemeanor count of battery.
Meng Lim, 48, of Tallapoosa, was arrested on charges stemming from a February incident of physical domestic abuse, the GBI said. After a months-long investigation, Lim was charged under the Georgia Family Violence Act.
The GBI began its investigation at the request of the Haralson County Sheriff’s Office on Feb. 18. The sheriff’s office received a call the day before about allegations that Lim had hit his wife.
In the course of its investigation, the GBI said it found that Lim’s wife had contacted a friend in Bremerton, Washington, and told her that the judge had hit her multiple times during an argument. She also sent her friend photos of her face that showed bruising and scratching.
According to the GBI, the argument started when Lim got upset that his stepson was playing games on his phone rather than doing chores. The incident also involved another minor child and took place at Lim’s home, the GBI said.
After making the arrest, the GBI declared the investigation complete. The case has been submitted to the Tallapoosa Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.
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Lim is the first-ever Asian American Superior Court judge in Georgia. He was elected in 2014 and sworn in at the beginning of 2015. He is in his second term as the Chief Superior Court Judge of the Tallapoosa Judicial Circuit in the Seventh Superior Court District of Georgia.
Prior to immigrating to the U.S., Lim and his family were Cambodian refugees living in China. They found visa sponsorship through Jewish Family and Career Services of Atlanta and settled in Bremen.
Lim graduated as valedictorian of Bremen High School and went on to get a bachelor’s degree in history from Emory University and a Juris Doctor degree from Mercer University. Prior to his election as a Superior Court judge, he had a private law practice in Haralson County.
Lim was released from the Haralson County Jail on Thursday on a $1,000 bond.
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Credit: AJC
