A Democrat nominee for the Georgia State Senate is heading to prison after a judge found him guilty of cruelty to children and battery for striking a 5-year-old girl at a daycare.
Justin Grant Gillespie, 41, of Hull, was sentenced last week to seven years, with two years to serve in state prison. The rest will be served on probation. He remains in the Madison County Jail.
According to the Athens Banner-Herald, Gillespie was convicted in a bench trial before Madison County Superior Court Judge Chris NeSmith. The charges stemmed from a Feb. 1, 2021, incident at Happy Kids Learning Center in Hull, where Gillespie worked.
Authorities said he hit the child in the lower back with a spatula, leaving a red, raised welt. The girl told investigators Gillespie was mad at her for not taking a nap. Gillespie admitted swinging the spatula but claimed he was on the phone and did not realize the child was standing nearby.
The parents discovered the wound and reported it to the Madison County Sheriff’s Office. Charges were filed in March 2021. The case dragged on for more than five years.
Gillespie showed up for a jury trial, fired his lawyer that day, hired another attorney, and chose a bench trial instead. During testimony from the victim’s family, Gillespie was seen rolling his eyes. The judge factored that conduct into the sentence, according to Northern Circuit District Attorney Parks White, as reported by 92.1 WLHR.
BREAKING: Justin Gillespie, a Democratic candidate for the GA State Senate and co-host of a drag queen organization, was CONVICTED of cruelty to children and battery.
He was sentenced to 7 years in prison, with two years in state prison.
Who could have guessed… pic.twitter.com/JFR31QMN2A
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) September 28, 2026
This is the same Justin Gillespie Democrats put on the ballot, unopposed, in the May primary for State Senate District 47. He was supposed to challenge incumbent Republican Sen. Frank Ginn in November. The district covers parts of Madison, Clarke, Barrow, and Jackson counties.
His name is expected to stay on already-printed ballots. Georgia Secretary of State officials have said the felony conviction likely disqualifies him and that votes for him may not be counted. Ginn said he has never seen anything like this in his years in office.
Gillespie’s campaign platform talked about “inclusivity,” “dignity,” and helping families. His personal Instagram is athens_jho. He has co-hosted and DJ’d for the Athens Showgirl Cabaret, a local drag troupe that stages “Drag for All” events marketed as open to children with a parent or guardian.
A man who worked in a daycare, hit a kindergartner with a kitchen utensil, rolled his eyes at the child’s family in court, and spent his evenings as a drag-show co-host is now the official Democrat candidate in a Georgia Senate race.
This is who they chose. This is who they put on the ballot. And this is the culture they keep defending.
Ad block users: Some site features may not work correctly while an ad blocker is enabled, because they break scripts and content this website depends on. If you can’t see comments below, for example, please disable your ad blocker.
