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November 20, 2024 – USA –
a small-town legal drama in Escambia County, Alabama, exposed alarming misuse of prosecutorial and police powers. School board member and Atmore News co-owner Sherry Digmon, reporter Don Fletcher, bookkeeper Ashley Fore, and fellow board member Cindy Jackson were arrested under accusations of “revealing grand jury secrets.” However, no actual grand jury had convened, exposing the claims as baseless.
At the heart of the controversy was a political tussle over Superintendent Michele McClung’s contract renewal. When the board rejected her reappointment twice in 2023, District Attorney Stephen Billy and Sheriff Heath Jackson responded by weaponizing criminal charges. According to the plaintiffs, Sheriff Jackson orchestrated their arrests on Fridays to ensure they would spend weekends behind bars, and humiliating strip searches and phone seizures followed.
The criminal case collapsed in April 2024 when the Alabama Attorney General’s office dismissed all charges. In response, the group filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in November, seeking damages and accountability. Represented by the Institute for Justice, they allege violations of the First and Fourth Amendments—the right to free speech and protection from unreasonable seizures.
Jared McClain of the Institute stated: “Qualified immunity only applies when the officer shouldn’t have known that what they did violated the law… Here, they did nothing wrong”. The plaintiffs describe their experience as an intentional abuse of authority meant to intimidate dissenters, noting the emotional toll and fear of reprisals.
A commentary piece further criticizes District Attorney Billy for directly threatening board members and misusing grand jury powers to influence a school personnel dispute, exacerbated by Sheriff Jackson’s aggressive tactics.
This case highlights a dangerous national trend: public officials weaponizing legal tools to silence critics. The lawsuit, now in U.S. District Court, stands as a test of constitutional protections for journalists and citizens alike.
Reference –
https://www.courthousenews.com/arrests-of-alabama-journalists-spark-civil-rights-lawsuit/
