Marquavious Boddie #

Introduction #

Marquavious “Quay” Boddie served on the LaGrange, Georgia City Council from 2023 until his August 2026 resignation and worked at LaGrange College until the school terminated him. His fall came in two stages. On February 6, 2026, he exposed himself to an adult female LaGrange College student inside his campus office — conduct he later admitted to investigators — and on August 12, 2026, he pleaded guilty in Troup County Superior Court to misdemeanor public indecency and misdemeanor obstruction as part of a negotiated plea deal. Sentenced to 24 months of probation and a $1,000 fine under Georgia’s First Offender Act, he first said he would stay on the council, then resigned days later, triggering a special election for his District 2 seat.

Background Information #

Boddie was appointed to the LaGrange City Council in 2023. He represented District 2, the seat later slated for a special election after his departure. His public profile on the city of LaGrange’s official website, still visible after the plea, described his community work: he “has served as the Board Chair and President for Harmony House Domestic Violence Shelter and also as a board member for Habitat for Humanity. Quay’s journey is to spread the message of hope and faith and encourage others to believe in themselves, something he accomplishes as a motivational speaker, author, and community advocate.” Alongside his council service, he worked at LaGrange College, where the incident that ended his career took place in his own office.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation #

Adjudicated. Marquavious Boddie’s guilty pleas to misdemeanor public indecency and misdemeanor obstruction, entered in Troup County Superior Court on August 12, 2026, are a matter of court record. The conduct described below is the conduct he admitted to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and confirmed by his pleas; it is presented as admitted and adjudicated fact, not allegation.

According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Boddie exposed his sexual organs on February 6, 2026, to an adult female LaGrange College student inside his office at the college; the student has since graduated and no longer lives in the state. Boddie was terminated from LaGrange College shortly after the incident, and the GBI opened its investigation after a complaint was filed in March 2026, following his dismissal from the college.

The obstruction charge grew out of a February 20, 2026 interview. Boddie initially denied the act of public indecency to the GBI, but in the same interview he admitted to it and told the truth. District Attorney Herb Cranford explained that because Boddie ultimately admitted the crime, he was charged with obstruction for hindering the investigation rather than felony false statements.

On Wednesday morning, August 12, 2026, Boddie pleaded guilty to misdemeanor public indecency and misdemeanor obstruction in Troup County Superior Court. Under the negotiated plea he was sentenced to 24 months of probation and a $1,000 fine, and because he had no prior convictions he was sentenced under the First Offender Act. Cranford advised that if Boddie successfully completed probation, the conviction would not appear on his publicly available background check — though under Georgia law it would remain visible on a background check conducted by a school anywhere.

Public Reaction and Consequences #

After the plea, Boddie apologized to his family and the community and took accountability in remarks to reporters. “I’ve let people down. I’ve let myself down. I’ve let my family down and the community down. As a leader, that’s not a fun feeling, but sometimes leaders have to take accountability for what they have done,” Boddie said. “However, don’t believe everything that you hear or everything that may have been said otherwise. I can’t do anything but strive to be a better leader, better husband, better father and better man of God moving forward.”

At that point he indicated he did not plan to step down from the council. “Leaders fall. People fall. People find themselves in situations sometimes. It shouldn’t be a retreat, but it should be, ‘Okay. How do I learn from certain situations? [How do I do] better as a leader?’ The big thing for me is, I’ve taken accountability for my actions and the things that happened, and, however, once again, this was a two-way street that may get told or may never get told,” Boddie said. That position did not hold. Within days he officially resigned his seat, and Mayor Jim Arrington confirmed the resignation in a Saturday statement: “Serving as an elected official is a position of public trust, and we have a responsibility to uphold the confidence our citizens place in us. I respect Councilmember Boddie’s decision to resign from the LaGrange City Council.” Arrington added, “I appreciate his service to the City of LaGrange and to the residents of his district. The City Council will continue to serve the people of LaGrange with integrity, accountability, and respect. We will remain focused on the work ahead and on doing what is best for our community.” LaGrange City Attorney Jeff Todd told BEETV that too much time remained on Boddie’s term to appoint a replacement, so a special election would be held for the District 2 seat.

Current Status #

As of September 2026, Boddie is out of both of his positions: his employment at LaGrange College was terminated shortly after the February 2026 incident, and his resignation from the city council was confirmed by Mayor Arrington on August 15, 2026. He is serving his 24-month probation and owes the $1,000 fine; completed successfully, the pleas stay off a publicly available background check but remain visible to school-conducted checks under Georgia law. The District 2 seat he vacated was headed to a special election rather than an appointment.

Impact on Their Career/Life #

The guilty pleas cost Boddie his college job, his council seat, and the public profile his city bio had celebrated — the motivational speaker and author whose profile promised “to spread the message of hope and faith and encourage others to believe in themselves.” Because he pleaded as a first offender, the law gives him a path to keep the convictions off public background checks, but the same statute keeps them visible to schools, and the admissions he made on the record — in his GBI interview and in open court — are permanent. His own words after sentencing acknowledged the fall from public trust even as he repeated that the story was a two-way street “that may get told or may never get told” — and his District 2 seat headed to a special election.