Atmore News Staff
Escambia County (Ala.) District Attorney Steve Billy, who announced in September he would retire at the end of this calendar year, has apparently changed his mind.
According to a report published in a Flomaton newspaper, the county’s top prosecutor — one of the subjects of a civil lawsuit stemming from the false arrests of four county residents late last year — notified State Sen. Greg Albritton of Atmore that he had changed his mind and would continue to serve a term that doesn’t expire until 2028.
“Circumstances change,” Billy told the Tri-City Ledger. “I had a lot of people encourage me to stay in office…”
According to court documents, the DA has retained Mobile attorneys Mike Strasavich and Bill Wasden of the Burr & Forman firm to defend him in the suit.
The civil action alleges that the district attorney and Sheriff Heath Jackson (personally and through four of his deputies) acted in concert to misuse their respective offices and arrest the four — Atmore News Publisher and county school board member Sherry Digmon, reporter Don Fletcher, school system bookkeeper Ashley Fore and school board member Cindy Jackson — on bogus charges.
According to court records, the sheriff has retained Mobile attorney Emily Van Haneghan of the Hand Arendall Harrison Sale firm. Christopher Scott Williams of that same firm filed the initial Notice of Appearance on behalf of the five county lawmen.
Jared McClain of Institute for Justice, the lead attorney for the plaintiffs, said late last week he’d heard the speculation that Billy rescinded his retirement because the state wasn’t going to fund his defense if he wasn’t in office. “I don’t know if that’s the reason or not,” McClain said, “but it could explain his change in course.”
McClain said neither the district attorney, the sheriff nor the defendant deputies — Arthur Odom, Kevin Durden, Matthew Rabren and Steven Dereck Lowry — has formally responded to the legal complaint, which was filed in November.
“The complaint has not been answered yet,” he said. “They were scheduled to answer on December 23. But we finally just heard from opposing counsel on Tuesday (December 10) and Wednesday (December 11). They both requested, and the court granted, a 30-day extension, making their answer or motions to dismiss now due on January 22.”
Billy, a former Brewton florist, is in his fourth six-year term. He was first elected in 2004, when he ran unopposed for the seat held by his former boss, DA Mike Godwin, who retired. Billy has not faced opposition in any of his re-election bids.