Cherokee Schedules New Sentencing Date for Former Cobb Officer

A former Cobb police officer who tried to cover up the death of another will be sentenced next week, the said today.

Kenneth Reda, of Paulding County, was to be sentenced for his role in an off-duty boating accident that killed Sgt. Brent Stephens last April.

But logistical issues forced officials to postpone the hearing until 10 a.m. Jan. 27.

According to police, a 22-foot “shore boat” driven by Reda hit a navigational buoy on April 22, 2010. The impact knocked Stephens, a father of two from Douglasville, into the dark waters of Lake Allatoona. Shelley Powell, Reda's girlfriend, was on board at the time of the accident.

After a futile attempt to locate Stephens, Reda cleaned up the boat, threw beer bottles into a trash bag, dropped his girlfriend off on shore with the bag and a cooler, then called 911.

He said the accident had just happened.

He said he and Stephens were the only ones on the boat.

He said there was no alcohol on the boat, and that Stephens, a Cobb SWAT team member, might have jumped in the water as a joke.

A search and rescue effort spanned into the following afternoon when Stephens body was found. A few days later, Reda and his girlfriend were arrested.

Reda, 38, pleaded guilty in Cherokee County Superior Court on Jan. 12 to second degree homicide by vessel, tampering with evidence, three counts of making false statements and violation of office by a public officer. Records show Powell, 37, of Acworth, was also charged in the incident with being untruthful to law enforcement.

The maximum Reda could get by law is 23 years in prison and 12 months in jail, according to court documents.

Reda, also a Cobb SWAT team member, resigned from the agency in May.