Police: Richardson suicide threat followed break-up with girlfriend

By Alexis Stevens

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Former Georgia House Speaker Glenn Richardson held a gun to his head and threatened to kill himself less than two weeks ago, a Paulding County Sheriff's Office report states.

Richardson's suicide threat followed a domestic dispute with his ex-girlfriend in Atlanta the night of Aug. 5, according to an incident report obtained by the AJC through an Open Records request.

An incident report provided by Atlanta police stated that Richardson's ex-girlfriend, 30, said she had broken off the relationship but that Richardson would not leave her alone -- phoning, e-mailing and texting her. She also said Richardson came to her house and called her, threatening to commit suicide.

As a police officer was interviewing the woman, Richardson called and spoke with the officer and told him he was at his home in Hiram and was going to kill himself, the report stated. The Atlanta officer called authorities in Paulding, who went to Richardson's home.

When a Paulding officer arrived, a person at the home told the officer he took the pistol away after Richardson pressed it to his head. The man, whose identity was not immediately clear, told the officer that Richardson was in the bathroom, threatening to harm himself. When the officer approached Richardson, he responded that he "was not going to hurt himself or anybody else."

Richardson was transported to the hospital for evaluation, according to the report.

Last December Richardson gave his farewell speech to the House, where he spent several years as speaker. On Nov. 8, Richardson was found slumped over in the bathroom of his Paulding County home with a bottle of pills and a gun nearby.

Richardson, in a statement to the media days later, said he has been suffering from depression for the past two-and-a-half years since separating and subsequently divorcing his wife.

Richardson resigned after his ex-wife told the media that he had a longtime affair with a lobbyist. The alleged affair was the subject of an ethics complaint filed by Democrats against Richardson in 2007. His resignation was effective Jan. 1.