By: Donald V. Watkins
April 7, 2023
BREAKING NEWS ---
On April 6, 2023, bogus voter fraud charges against Perry County, Alabama Commission Chairman Albert Turner, Jr., were dismissed by a state court judge.
Former Perry County District Attorney Michael Jackson and former Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill sought and obtained an out-the-door Indictment of Turner on voter fraud charges as they were leaving office in early January of 2023.
Turner mobilized the effort to defeat Jackson. Merrill left office because he reached the term limits for his statewide office.
The faulty Indictment violated multiple provisions of the Alabama Rules of Criminal Procedure and state statutes on grand jury proceedings. The Indictment also lacked an evidentiary foundation.
The Indictment was the product of impermissible political "targeting"of a strong, outspoken political adversary.
In Alabama, they call this type of Indictment a "drive-by" political shooting. It was a desperate act by two political buffoons to tarnish Turner's name and his family's legacy in the Black Belt region of Alabama and around the nation.
Chairman Turner was never arrested, fingerprinted, arraigned, or had a mug shot taken. Additionally, Turner did not appear at the motion hearing held before Perry County Circuit Judge Marvin Wiggins on the Attorney General's request to dismiss the case. .
Persecuting Members of the Turner Family is a Favorite Alabama Pastime
Turner's parents, who are highly regarded civil rights icons in America, were subjected to the same kind of buffoonery by former U.S. Attorney Jeff Sessions in 1986. They, too, were cleared of bogus voter fraud charges.
Like his parents, Albert Turner, Jr., does more in a single day to serve, advance, and protect the constitutional and civil rights and political interests of Perry County residents than Michael Jackson and John Merrill have done in a lifetime.
For the record, I have always stood with Albert Turner, Jr., in this matter, without hesitation or reservation. I am a full-fledge member of Team Turner. I never run from a fight and never abandon a friend.
Alabama’s Attorney General Conceded that the Charges Against Turner Were Bogus
At the hearing on April 6, 2023, the state of Alabama conceded in open court that there was no evidence of voter fraud by Albert Turner, Jr. With this concession, Judge Marvin Wiggins entered an Order dismissing the case.
Albert Turner, Jr., issued this statement after the case was dismissed:
"Let it be known that no prosecutor should use their office for a political vendetta. My children were upset, and my 86-year-old mother suffered anxiety attacks after hearing that her son would have to face what she, her husband Albert Sr., and Spencer Hogue went through as a defendant in 1986. I don't care if it's me, Donald Watkins, or Donald Trump; a prosecutor should not target individuals because of politics. Michael Jackson and John Merrill will pay for this!"
Now that the criminal case is over, Turner will pursue a civil case against Michael Jackson and John Merrill for malicious prosecution and abuse of the legal process.
Epilogue
I encourage Chairman Albert Turner Jr. to continue waging his unrelenting fight to elevate the quality of life for the residents of Perry County, with all deliberate speed and by using all lawful means at his disposal.
We extend our congratulations to Chairman Turner! Never stop fighting for your political constituents!