BLAKELY VERDICT: Sheriff guilty on 2 counts

Aug. 2—Mike Blakely still holds the record for longest-running sheriff in Alabama, but as of Monday afternoon, he no longer held the title of Limestone County's sheriff.

It took jurors about a day and a half of deliberation before returning a verdict of guilty on two counts and not guilty on the other eight counts left in his 13-count indictment. The other three listed in the indictment had been previously dismissed by prosecutors.

"It was a lot better hearing those not guilty verdicts than the guilty," defense attorney Mark McDaniel told reporters outside the courtroom Monday.

He said after 44 years practicing law, nothing surprises him, including the jury's decision regarding Blakely, but that he looks forward to another day in court for his client.

"We will certainly appeal this decision today," he said. "... But the first thing we'll do is file a motion on bond."

Blakely's bond was revoked following the verdict, and he was escorted to the county jail from the courtroom. Under state law, a county's coroner takes over the position of sheriff if the sheriff is arrested.

In Limestone County, that means Coroner Mike West takes over, if only temporarily, and the seat is still held by a Democrat. West and Blakely were the only two elected Democrats in Limestone County as of the most recent election.

They were each first elected to their positions in 1982.

The theft

Blakely was found guilty of first-degree theft and use of official position or office for personal gain. The theft stems from an alleged arrangement between Blakely, his 2014 campaign to be re-elected sheriff and Red Brick Strategies.

Evidence shows an email exchange in which Athens attorney John Plunk agreed to pay $3,500 per month to Red Brick Strategies for assistance with Blakely's re-election campaign. RBS' owner, Trent Willis, testified he didn't want the campaign account to pay because his company primarily dealt with Republicans.

The agreement was for six months of payments, and checks presented during the trial show payments from Plunk and his father-in-law's company, Emm-Dee Drug Co Inc., also known as Athens Pharmacy. However, the arrangement changed in the final weeks.

Blakely's campaign manager, Thomas Watkins, said he handed a signed but otherwise blank check to Blakely, which was later filled out by Blakely for $7,500 to RBS. Watkins testified this wasn't something he did often, and he only knew the amount for that month's campaign report because Blakely told him.

Evidence shows a second check for $4,000 was made out to Blakely from RBS' account and later deposited into Blakely's personal account. Blakely had testified that the $7,500 was supposed to cover two months of payments plus $500 for election night videography, but it was later discovered that Plunk had also paid one of the months and the $500 was unnecessary.

According to Blakely, the $4,000 was a refund of sorts, but it was one that Watkins testified he knew nothing about. Because campaign finance laws require campaign funds to be deposited in a bank account separate from the candidate's and reported on the relevant campaign finance reports, Blakely's actions were considered theft of campaign funds.

The amount made it a first-degree theft, a Class B felony. His conviction leaves him facing two to 20 years in prison.

Inmate loans

The other conviction stems from a series of interest-free loans Blakely obtained through the Limestone County Jail — specifically, from a safe that held funds for the inmates. Commonly referred as money they had "on the books," the funds included money earned through work while in jail, cash they had on them when arrested or money brought in by family or friends.

These funds could then be used to buy items from the jail's commissary or vending machines, such as snacks, drinks and select personal hygiene products.

Ramona Robinson, who served as the jail clerk at the time, was one of multiple Limestone County Sheriff's Office employees who considered loans from the inmate fund a common practice. However, where other employees might borrow from the inmate fund because it was too late to get what they needed for work purposes out of the law enforcement fund, or they needed to cash a small check that would clear the bank the next day, Robinson testified Blakely would ask for hundreds of dollars at a time.

Evidence shows he received 19 loans totaling $29,050. Robinson said she never asked why he chose to get it from the inmate fund but that sometimes his checks would be held for weeks or months before he gave the OK for her to cash it. She tracked the amounts using handwritten IOUs in the safe.

She said the practice eventually contributed to her leaving the job for a position in the Limestone County Commission office. Blakely's defense attorneys repeatedly noted there was never any money missing, and there was testimony to the fact that inmates were never without the money to which they were entitled.

However, as prosecutors noted, Blakely only had access to the safe because he had been elected sheriff, and he never paid interest on the loans. There was never any evidence presented that inmates had given permission for him to use their funds for himself, nor any evidence that the funds used were for law enforcement purposes.

Given this and other testimony or evidence, jurors convicted Blakely of use of his official position or office for personal gain. It is also a Class B felony, meaning Blakely also faces two to 20 years for this charge, though the sentences could be served concurrently, if the judge so orders.

AG's office responds

Alabama's attorney general did not make an appearance in the courtroom during Blakely's trial, but the Republican AG did issue a statement on behalf of his office Monday.

"Public officials must set the highest example of accountability, and no matter how long someone holds office, they are not above the law," AG Steve Marshall said. "Sheriff Blakely repeatedly swore an oath to enforce and obey the law during his (nearly) 40 years in office, and he now knows the consequences of violating that oath."

Marshall thanked the special prosecutors who worked the case, as well as special agents, support staff and the FBI for their assistance and work. He and McDaniel also each thanked the jurors for their time and effort during this trial, which was entering its fourth week.

Blakely's defense team filed two motions Monday evening, seeking a bond for their client and a pre-sentence investigation. Hearing and sentencing dates had not been made public as of The News Courier's press deadline.