Joe Haynes, a Nashville area attorney and former Democratic state legislator who served in the Senate for many years, has been charged with sexual battery.
Haynes, 80, was indicted by a grand jury and surrendered for booking early Monday afternoon, reports WKRN News 2 .
In July 2016, a then 49-year-old woman met with Metro Nashville police and told them that Haynes grabbed her buttocks and tried to French kiss her. The woman said she had hired Haynes to help her with legal matters regarding the estate of her recently deceased mother, according to WKRN.
Haynes was released later Monday after posting a $2,500 bond.
He served in the state Senate from 1985 to 2012. He represented the 20th district, which includes part of Davidson County. He chaired the Senate Democratic Caucus and served on several committees, including Ethics and Finance, Ways and Means.
A Sumner County native and University of Tennessee graduate, Haynes has been involved in numerous community organizations and served for years on the Goodlettsville City Commission including in the role of vice mayor.
He is married to Barbara Haynes, a retired Davidson County General Sessions and Circuit Court judge. They have three children.
