Law enforcement officer suggests Sue Bell Cobb apologize, ask for forgiveness
The chief deputy with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office is asking former Alabama Chief Justice and Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Sue Bell Cobb for an apology. Randy Christian, chief deputy with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, said Cobb should apologize in the wake of her hiring and defending a campaign staffer, Paul Littlejohn III who was arrested Friday for violating the state’s Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). “He was doing his job, plain and simple, and doing it well,” Christian said in a statement to AL.com. “How sad that a candidate for governor supports a convicted sex offender over sexual assault victims.” “She also apparently doesn’t support law enforcement doing the difficult job of ensuring through compliance of the sex offender registration law that no other victim comes in harm’s way. That is the sole reason for the law’s creation,” Christian continued. “It’s not just shameful, it’s disgusting desperation on her part. If I’m reading this right, she wanted us to just look the other way. If she has any integrity left, she will apologize to law enforcement, sexual assault victims and ask for forgiveness.” Littlejohn, is a former inmate at the Draper Correctional Facility in Elmore County where he spent 30 years following his 1984 conviction for three crimes: rape by forcible compulsion, sodomy I and robbery I. Court records indicate Littlejohn was convicted of raping a 20 year old female and sodomizing a 30 year old female. On Wednesday the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department was notified he was in violation of SORNA as he was working as a pastor at Greater Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church, which also runs a daycare and is near a school. As a registered sex offender, Littlejohn is prohibited from both living and working near an elementary school or daycare. Littlejohn failed to disclose this information to the sex offender registry. Violation of SORNA is considered a felony. Even after Littlejohn’s arrest, Cobb continued to defend him calling the arrest “politically motivated.” Cobb says the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office is led by a Republican, and that the arrest was made because Republicans don’t want to face her in the general election.
Sue Bell Cobb stands by Deputy Field Director, registered sex offender
Former Alabama Chief Justice and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Sue Bell Cobb is standing beside a campaign worker — Paul Littlejohn III of Birmingham, Ala. — despite his violent criminal history. Littlejohn, is a former inmate at the Draper Correctional Facility in Elmore County where he spent 30 years following his 1984 conviction for three crimes: rape by forcible compulsion, sodomy I and robbery I. Court records indicate Littlejohn was convicted of raping a 20 year old female and sodomizing a 30 year old female. Both victims were strangers. Now he’s working in politics — currently helping deliver votes for Cobb as her Deputy Field Director where she’s sending him door-to-door to solicit votes in the hotly contested gubernatorial race. In a letter released on campaign stationary to Al.Com’s Roy Johnson, Cobb’s campaign manager Landon Nichols Jr. defends Littlejohn saying he should be forgiven for his crimes. Nichols asks, “Have you ever made a mistake? Once you have atoned for that mistake, do you believe in forgiveness?” He goes on to say, “I do.” According to campaign finance reports, Cobb has paid his company — Unity Group Solution, of which AL.com says he is a partner — $19,066 in March and another $21,739 in April ($18,739 on April 4 and $3,000 on April 11). As a former sex offender, Littlejohn is required to register with the state’s sex offender registry. In his most recent update, April 30, he was listed as homeless despite his income from Cobb’s campaign. Prior to working for Sure Bell Cobb’s campaign Littlejohn told Al.Com that he worked on campaigns for Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin and U.S. Senator Doug Jones. Alabama Today has reached out to Cobb’s campaign for comment. We will update this piece accordingly should they respond.
Kay Ivey signs sex offender reporting bill into law
A bill to bring Alabama’s criminal code regarding sex offenders up-to-date with observed trends in sexual misconduct, particularly when technology is involved, has been signed in to law. SB301, sponsored by Mobile-Democrat Sen. Vivian Figures was signed by Gov. Kay Ivey on Friday. “The most important duty of government is to keep our people safe. I proudly signed SB301, because it protects the vulnerable in our society by ensuring that reporting requirements for sex offenders are strict and enforced,” Ivey said. “Our laws must keep up with changes in our technology.” “I am thankful for the work of Senator Figures, all legislators, and Attorney General Steve Marshall in securing bipartisan passage of this important legislation,” Ivey added. SB301 codifies a total of five new criminal offenses into law. The legislation also makes changes to the existing sex-offender laws to strengthen reporting requirements and it clarifies parts of the existing statute. “This new law is an important step forward in updating our criminal code to combat new and troubling forms of sexual misconduct, many of which are made possible by evolving technology,” Figures commented. “As sponsor of this legislation, I thank the Attorney General’s Office and the Office of Prosecution Services for their leadership in developing and promoting the proposal. I also thank Governor Ivey for signing the bill into law.”
