Prosecutors say Alabama police chief Jerry Taylor didn’t steal overtime payments, request charges be dropped
Prosecutors are asking to drop theft charges against a former police chief in suburban Mobile. Mobile County District Attorney Keith Blackwood told WALA-TV on Monday that prosecutors found evidence of “dubious bookkeeping” but concluded Jerry Taylor wasn’t illegally receiving overtime pay when he was police chief in Creola. Taylor is now police chief in Jackson, Alabama. Prosecutors asked Mobile County Circuit Judge Charles Graddick to dismiss the case, saying the charges should be dropped after “additional investigation.” In 2019, then-Mobile County District Attorney Ashley Rich had said that Taylor and former Creola City Clerk Kim Green had stolen from the city. “The investigation revealed both Green and Taylor received numerous unexplained checks from Creola during times that were not consistent with scheduled pay periods or typical reimbursement procedures,” Rich said at the time. But Blackwood said that prosecutors now believe Taylor was entitled to all the money he was paid. “We found that the time that he was paid for, he actually worked,” Blackwood said. “It was the way in which it was paid that sort of raised some red flags, because the schedule of payment was unusual. However, we did find that he actually worked those hours and, thus, there was no criminal activity involved.” Taylor’s lawyer, Stewart Hanley, said he showed evidence to prosecutors that would have exonerated Taylor. Prosecutors filed to dismiss charges Wednesday, in advance of a trial scheduled to begin Monday. “I think they made the right choice,” Hanley told the television station. Green pleaded guilty in January in state court to first-degree theft and using her position for personal gain. A judge sentenced her to a 2½-year suspended sentence and 2 years of probation. She pleaded guilty in 2020 in federal court to theft of federal funds and filing a false tax return in relation to money she embezzled from Creola between 2017 and 2017 and later from the city of Prichard, where she also worked, between 2017 and 2019. A federal judge sentenced her in 2021 to a year in prison in that case, ordering her to receive treatment for a gambling addiction and repay $444,000. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
Alabama DA frustrated over national nonprofit posting bail for Mobile prisoners
A California-based nonprofit organization called The Bail Project has begun putting up bail money to help prisoners get out of Mobile County Metro Jail, Fox10News reported. According to their website, the organization has helped over 27,000 people with bail. The organization is based in Los Angeles and has around $33 million in funding to help bail out people who cannot afford the bond in criminal cases. The group doesn’t have a Mobile office, but they have put up bail money for a handful of “test cases” to determine whether they will stay in Mobile permanently. According to the report, one of the first “test cases” was Shane Danovan Singleton who received help from the group when they paid his $5,000 bail. The condition was that the Mobile County resident was supposed to complete the Wings of Life treatment program. However, he failed to appear and was at large until police arrested him on a charge that he threatened to kill someone. Alabama prosecutors are calling the move dangerous. Mobile County District Attorney Ashley Rich explained that the organization has no bounty hunters to track people down when they flee. But Rich argued that it took Singleton getting arrested again to put him behind bars. “The Mobile Police Department did the Bail Project’s job and put him back in jail, and he got immediately back out,” she told FOX10 News. “And the Bail Project is still not having to pay any money.” Adrienne Johnson, regional director of The Bail Project, told Fox10News that her organization provides an important service for people eligible for release but unable to afford bail. She defended the group stating that they provide transportation and reminders of court dates. “What we do at the bail project is we come in and try to level the playing field by providing bail assistance to individuals who are only in custody because they cannot afford to pay their bail,” Johnson explained. “It is a public safety concern,” Rich said. “But for The Bail Project getting exceptional circumstances granted to them, this new offense wouldn’t have happened.” A judge will decide if the bail money that The Bail Project put up in Singleton’s case should be forfeited. Singleton is not the only defendant accused of failing to comply with court orders after getting assistance from The Bail Project. Grand Bay resident Marquita Ross’s restitution of $1,453 was paid by the organization in a criminal mischief case. She missed a hearing the following month. When she failed to appear again, Mobile County District Judge George Hardesty ordered the money forfeited to the state. While prosecutors in Alabama are calling foul, Johnson argued that judges have the option to deny bail to people who they believe pose too a great a risk to flee or endanger the public or impose additional restrictions, such as electronic monitoring. “We are bailing out folks that a judge has already determined are eligible for release by paying bail,” she explained. Mobile County’s presiding circuit judge, Michael Youngpeter supports the program. He told FOX10 News that the program in Mobile County is limited to nonviolent offenders with low bail. He also said many of them sit in jail so long that they already have served their entire sentence by the time they resolve their cases. “And that’s just because they’re poor,” he said. “And that just doesn’t seem fair. It isn’t fair. And so, this project remedies that. And so that’s, you know, that limited purpose is why we’ve got them involved here.” Recently Indiana passed a new law aimed at stopping organizations like The Bail Project. Under the new Indiana law known as House Bill 1300, nonprofits that pay the bail of more than three people in a span of 180 days are subject to regulations that require them to obtain a certification. The ACLU argued before the Seventh Circuit that the bail law unfairly targets charitable organizations and violates their free speech rights. The judges have not issued a ruling.
Charges announced against 2 ex-officials in Creola
Two former city officials are accused of stealing almost $70,000 total from a south Alabama town, a prosecutor said Monday. Mobile County District Attorney Ashley Rich announced charges against Jerry Taylor, a former police chief in Creola, and Kim Green, a former city clerk, WKRG-TV reported. Taylor was charged with taking almost $29,000 from the city, she said, and Green was accused of taking almost $39,000 from the city. Both face ethics and theft charges. Court records were not available to show whether either person had a lawyer, but a statement from Taylor asked the public to withhold judgment. The city of about 2,000 people is located near Mobile. Republished with the Permission of the Associated Press.
Local and state officials react to death of Mobile police officer Sean Tuder
Sean Tuder, a 30 year-old police officer from Mobile, was shot and killed in the line of duty Sunday. AL.com reports that Tuder joined the Mobile Police Department in March 2016 and was named officer of the month in August of 2017 for his exceptional service. MPD Chief Lawrence Battiste spoke about Tuder outside of the emergency room at Providence Hospital saying, “He was one of those guys that certainly resonates in your mind as a true leader, a true commitment to doing his best in this community to keep it safe and to be a role model for others. Officer Tuder was one of those guys that believed in mentoring and help bringing other officers along.” Mobile’s Mayor Sandy Stimpson took to Twitter with a statement. Earlier today, Mobile lost one of our best and finest, Officer Sean Tuder. We send our thoughts and prayers to his friends and family during this tragedy. We mourn together as a community and we love together as a community. pic.twitter.com/PTSSOHqtoj — Mayor Sandy Stimpson (@MayorStimpson) January 21, 2019 Ashley Rich, Mobile District Attorney, posted a tribute to Tuder on Facebook which read “The city of Mobile lost one of its finest officers today. This tragedy is a stark reminder of the dangers that the brave men and women of law enforcement face everyday. I would like everyone to take a moment to remember the man who made the ultimate sacrifice while protecting our community. Please keep Officer Sean Tuder’s family in your thoughts and prayers.” Alabama Governor Kay Ivey released a statement saying, Less than a day after laying to rest Birmingham Police Sergeant Wytasha Carter, I’m saddened to learn of the death of Mobile Police Officer Sean Tuder, who was killed today in the line of duty. I extend my sincerest condolences and heartfelt prayers to Officer Tuder’s wife and family, fellow officers and to the community he served. Officer Tuder was an exceptional young officer, a true leader and was once recognized as ‘Officer of the Month’ for his commitment to serve and protect. This senseless tragedy has sadly taken the life of yet another Mobile police officer, far too soon, and stands as a reminder of the sacrifices made by those who wear the badge. To the Mobile community, know that all of Alabama joins you in mourning this remarkable law enforcement officer. Elected officials in Washington also shared condolences. Horrific news out of Mobile. Our prayers are with Officer Tudor’s family, the @MobileALPolice, and our entire community. https://t.co/fOYWBff9kJ — Archive: Rep. Bradley Byrne (@RepByrne) January 20, 2019 Praying for @MobileALPolice Officer Sean Tuder’s family following this tragic shooting. https://t.co/jQf0TkcGxP — Richard Shelby (@SenShelby) January 20, 2019
