Blakely trial begins in Limestone County

Published 4:37 pm Monday, July 12, 2021

More than a year after the first attempt at trial for Limestone County’s sheriff, a second attempt is underway in the county.

Jury selection began Monday for the trial of Limestone Sheriff Mike Blakely, who was indicted by a special grand jury in August 2019 on 13 counts, including theft and ethics charges. Two of the charges were later dropped.

Blakely pleaded not guilty to the charges and has remained sheriff as he awaits trial. Previously, trial was set to begin March 9, 2020, with around 500 potential jurors called to meet at an Athens City Schools facility, where they were split into smaller groups and eventually narrowed down to those who would serve on the trial jury.

Unfortunately, the novel coronavirus had other plans, and court systems across the state were shut down the Friday before opening statements were expected. Now, 16 months later, another group of nearly 500 have been called to possibly serve as jurors, this time meeting in the event center portion of the Alabama Veterans Museum & Archives before meeting at the Limestone County Courthouse.

Multiple news outlets reported not being allowed to observe jury selection Monday, citing a court bailiff who said Judge Pamela Baschab had ordered it for jurors’ benefit. However, no order had been filed in the state’s public court records system as of The News Courier’s press deadline Monday.

The charges

Blakely was first elected sheriff in Limestone County in 1983 and has won reelection each term since, making him the state record-holder for longest consecutive terms as a county sheriff. The Alabama attorney general’s office presented evidence to the special grand jury in 2019 of multiple thefts, including from campaign accounts and county funds, that they say Blakely committed.

The first four counts of the indictment stemmed from funds taken from the Alabama Realtors Political Action Committee, Red Brick Strategies, Austin Hinds Motors Inc. or Friends of Mike Blakely. Counts 5–10 featured thefts or ethics charges involving funds from the Limestone County Sheriff Law Enforcement Fund and a wire transfer from a Limestone County Sheriff’s Office employee.

It was from the latter group that two charges were later dropped. The 11th count on the indictment related to the wire transfer, while the 12th and 13th charge the sheriff with using his official position or office to acquire interest-free loans.