The arrival of COVID-19 in Chattooga County was akin to Grendel coming in the night, Chattooga County State Court Judge John Dennis said after the virus killed a probate judge who was his friend and mentor.

A former schoolteacher, Dennis—the first of three Chattooga judges sickened with COVID-19—said he couldn’t help but think of the monster from “Beowulf” that attacked without warning and devoured its victims.