Digmon facing three felony charges

Escambia County (Ala.) School Board member Sherry Digmon has been arrested twice within a week on charges her newspaper (Atmore News) released grand jury secrets and was arrested again on ethics violations for approving bills as a school board member that benefited the Atmore News and the Atmore magazine.

Digmon, 72, 405 South Main St., Atmore, along with Atmore News reporter Don Fletcher, 69, 204 Marshall Ave., Atmore, and school board employee Veronica Ashley Fore, 47, 3998 Ridge Road, Brewton, were arrested Friday on Class C felonies for revealing grand jury information. All three were released on $10,000 bond.

Digmon turned herself in Wednesday on warrants charging her with two ethics violations stemming from the Atmore News and Atmore magazine being paid in excess of $2,500 from the school system for ads run in her Atmore magazine and Digmon approving the payment of the bill as a school board member.

Count one states Digmon received a financial gain by selling ads to the board of eduction "which she has a financial interest in and which received a financial gain in excess of $2,500.

District Attorney Steve Billy said the financial gain was well beyond $2,500.

Count two of the indictment against her states Digmon used her position as a school board member to sell the ads, noting she used subordinates to get those ads run and paid for, noting she solicited ads from former Superintendent John Knott and/or Chief Financial Officer Julie Madden by soliciting ads for the financial benefit of her business.

Billy said the indictments had noting to do with the recent votes not to renew the contract of Superintendent Michele McClung, which Digmon opposed.

Billy said it has been an on-going investigation long before the vote on McClung's contact was up for renewal and even before she was named superintendent.

Digmon turned herself in Wednesday on the ethics violation and jailed on $100,000 bond. Billy said if convicted of the Class B felony, she is subject to a two to 20 years in prison sentence.

Charges against Digmon, Fletcher and Fore state Fore divulged and provided grand jury investigation information to members of the media and that Fletcher published that information in the Atmore News and that Digmon approved and allowed that information to be published.