One of Baldwin County’s most infamous criminals and sex offenders has found himself in hot water in Escambia County.
Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Mike Lambert reported Tuesday that Fredrick “Hollywood Fred” Barkley, 55, of Atmore was arrested August 8 for three violations of Alabama’s Sex Offender Notification Act.
According to a 2010 article published by Al.com, Barkley, who reportedly got his nickname from the flashy clothes he wore and his peroxide-bleached hair, was married for a short time to Louise Hearin, ex-wife of former Mobile Register chairman of the board and publisher, the late William J. Hearin. The couple married in 2001 but the union was annulled in 2002, while Barkley served time for a child-enticement conviction.
The former Baldwin County con, who now lives at an Edgewood Court address in Atmore, has a long rap sheet, including an attempted murder charge that evolved from an incident during which he threw a coffee table at his elderly wife. He reportedly entered a guilty plea to a lesser charge, but that charge was dropped when Hearin refused to testify against him.
Court records show that he has also been convicted of third-degree theft for stealing a gas barbecue grill from a home in Bay Minette and was given a 25-year sentence for drug possession, along with an additional 20 years under a state law that applies to defendants accused of a new crime after three previous felonies.
Barkley remains in the Escambia County Detention Center under total bonds of $25,000 on one count each of a registered sex offender who failed to report, failed to register and failed to have “sex offender” notated on his driver’s license.