Rochester woman arrested after allegedly resisting arrest and battering a police officer

Thursday, February 5, 2026 at 9:11 AM

By Staff report

A Rochester woman was recently arrested for allegedly resisting arrest and battering a police officer.

According to court documents the incident happened on Jan. 21, after a report was made to the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office about a woman who was allegedly driving through a yard and yelling at residents. Officers soon identified the woman as Cynthia Forsythe, 59, of Rochester.

It was reported that once at the scene an officer tried opening the door of Forsythe's running vehicle to turn it off and take out the keys, but Forsythe allegedly refused to release the keys and hid them between her legs while continuing to yell profanities at the residents and the officer.

Forsythe also was reported to have grabbed a dog leash from inside of her vehicle, swinging it back in forth as if she was attempting to strike medics when EMS officers arrived at the scene. When an officer attempted to intervene by grabbing the leash Forsythe fought back, striking the officer's left hand twice with metal from the leash.

After refusing to exit the vehicle, two officers had to force her out while she grabbed onto the center console to prevent them from removing her. Forsythe was eventually arrested and booked at the Fulton County Jail and charged with battery against a public safety official and resisting law enforcement, both Level 6 felonies.