Canton woman made up shooting story, police say

By Kristi E. Swartz

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A Canton woman's story about being shot in the leg worked for a while, Cherokee sheriff's deputies said.

It held up long enough that deputies shut down parts of I-575 to look for the trigger man.

But one month later Kimberly Dodd was arrested and charged with discharging a firearm near a public highway after detectives figured out that she was actually the shooter -- and that the shooting was an accident.

Dodd, 27, didn't think deputies would buy that story. She told detectives that after her car broke down on I-575 north near Towne Lake Parkway, a man approached. After a short conversation, Dodd said he grabbed the gun and shot her in the leg.

Dodd told police she fired off a shot at the man as he ran away.

Dodd, who was arrested Monday and also charged with giving false statements, accidentally shot herself in the leg, Cherokee Sheriff's detectives said.

She made up the story about being attacked, investigators said. As for the additional round, Dodd said she fired that off to make her story more believable.

After her arrest Monday, she was released on $11,800 bond.