Two elected county officials and a member of the Alabama Ethics Commission are among a long list of people who may be called to testify during the criminal trial of Limestone County Sheriff Mike Blakely, court records show.

The Alabama Attorney General’s Office submitted a subpoena request form this week, which includes the names of 50 people from a wide range of backgrounds. The elected officials on the list are Limestone County commissioners Steve Turner and Jason Black.

Black said he had talked with AG’s Office investigators, but provided no additional information. Turner said AG’s officials had not met with him, so he didn’t know why he’s on the list.

“They said they would be getting with me,” he said.

Also named is John Plunk, an Athens attorney and member of the Alabama Ethics Commission. Plunk, who received his subpoena Tuesday, said he had no idea why he would be called to testify.

In October 2018, the Alabama Ethics Commission voted 4-0 to refer an ethics complaint against Blakely to the AG’s office for investigation, but Plunk recused because he knows the sheriff.

“I’ve read the indictment, but I never looked at the investigative files or anything,” Plunk said.

Others on the subpoena list include nine current Limestone County Sheriff’s Office employees and three former employees. Two Limestone County Commission employees are also named.

Other potential witnesses work for cellphone companies, banks and Western Union.

Beau Rivage Resorts, travel website Expedia and a Rogersville pharmacy are also named.

The AG’s office declined to comment on why Turner, Black, Plunk and the pharmacy are being considered as possible witnesses for the state.

A subpoena request does not indicate guilt or criminal wrongdoing by the person called to testify.

The list was filed prior to presiding Judge Pride Tompkins’ ruling on a motion filed by Blakely’s attorneys to seal certain motions. Last week, attorney Marcus J. Helstowski said the request was to prevent “certain statements made in motions and other pretrial motions” from reaching the public.

“We don’t want the public to be tainted, and we don’t want members of the jury to have too much information regarding this case prior to coming into court,” Helstowski told the media last week.

On Tuesday, Tompkins issued an order stating all pretrial motions in the case must be filed by Feb. 19. He has set a hearing to rule on pretrial motions for Feb. 26 at the Limestone County Courthouse. Blakely’s trial begins Monday, March 9.

Helstowski was unavailable for comment Wednesday. A call placed to Robert Tuten, another member of Blakely’s defense team, was not returned prior to The News Courier’s deadline.

The charges against Blakely

A Limestone County grand jury returned a 13-count indictment against Blakely on Aug. 21, 2019. Twelve counts are felonies; one is a misdemeanor. The first four counts charge Blakely with four separate thefts from his campaign account totaling $11,000. Counts 5-10 charge him with theft or ethics charges stemming from him taking money from Limestone County funds, including from the pistol permit fund.

Counts 12 and 13 charge the sheriff with using his official position or office to acquire interest-free loans. Specifically, Count 12 charges Blakely with using his official position or office to obtain interest-free loans in the form of a $50,000 cashier’s check, a $22,189.68 credit, or both.

Count 13 charges Blakely with using his official position or office to obtain interest-free loans by taking money from a safe that was used to store the personal funds of inmates at the Limestone County Jail.

Tuten previously told The News Courier the theft allegations are not true.

“There’s no money missing, and all the audits came up exactly as they should have,” he told The News Courier in August 2019.

The charges against Blakely stem from an investigation conducted by the AG’s office and the FBI.

In addition to Tuten and Helstowski, Blakely is represented by attorney Mark McDaniel, who previously represented former Gov. Guy Hunt after he was indicted on ethics charges.