Attorney General to appoint special prosecutor for county
Saying he had a legal and personal conflict with continuing to prosecute cases involved with the Escambia County School Board and school system, District Attorney Steve Billy filed motions to recuse himself from prosecuting the cases.
Due to the recusal, Billy also requested and received a continuance on status hearings that were scheduled for Monday.
The cases involve school system bookkeeper Veronica Ashley Fore, School Board Member Cindy Jackson, School Board Member Sherry Ann Digmon and Atmore News Reporter Don Fletcher. The four have been charged with revealing grand jury information.
Digmon also faces an ethics violation, accusing her of using her position as a school board member for personal gain.
Circuit Judge Ben A. Fuller also granted a motion filed by Billy to dismiss impeachment proceedings against Digmon for receiving advertisements from the school system for the Atmore News and Atmore Magazine and then voting to pay the bills as a sitting school board member.
In his motion to dismiss the impeachment charge, Billy noted that Digmon has been indicted on other felony offenses which, upon conviction, would disqualify her from holding public office.
“That a successful prosecution of her pending felony cases would have the same result as impeachment,” Billy wrote in his motion to dismiss the impeachment charge; “That the ends of judicial economy would best be served, as time and resources would be more wisely and effectively used is the matter was dismissed; that justice would be best served.”
Billy did not go into detail in his motion to recuse himself from the cases, citing a legal and personal conflict, other than noting that he has an assistant district attorney who works for the law firm that represents the school board.
Billy did say this week that the Alabama Attorney General’s Office would appoint a new prosecutor for the cases, whether it’s someone from the attorney general’s office or a special prosecutor.
Brewton attorney Earnie White, who represents Digmon, Jackson and Fletcher, had no comment on Billy’s decision to recuse himself from the cases.
Brewton attorney Danny White, who represents Fore, also had no comment.
