School board member charged with releasing grand jury info to another board member
An Escambia County (Ala.) grand jury indicted District 4 School Board Member Cindy Jackson Friday on charges that she released grand jury information. The grand jury also indicted District 6 School Board Member Sherry Digmon and Atmore News reporter Don Fletcher on identical charges.
Digmon, owner of the Atmore News and Atmore Magazine, along with Fletcher had been previously arrested on those charges. A preliminary hearing on those cases was scheduled for Monday, but the hearing was cancelled after the grand jury indictments.
A third person, school board employee Veronica Ashely Fore has also been arrested for revealing grand jury information, but her case has not been presented to a grand jury.
Digmon has also been indicted on felony charges of using her office for personal gain by soliciting advertisements for her newspaper and magazine and then voting to approve the bills as a school board member. The same grand jury that indicted Digmon on those charges also recommended she be impeached from her position on the school board. No court date has been set for the impeachment trial.
Jackson turned herself in at the Escambia County Detention Center earlier this week and was released on bond.
Brewton Attorney Earnie White, who represents Digmon, Fletcher and Jackson, said Jackson has done nothing wrong.
"She didn't do anything wrong," White said. "It will all come out in the wash. We have a mess in Brewton like we have in Washington."
White stated the subpoenas, arrests and indictments initiated by District Attorney Steve Billy came after the school board voted not to renew Superintendent Michele McClung's contract.
Billy said he was originally asked to look into the expenditures from the school system involving COVID funds and said he began his investigation prior to any votes on McClung's contract.
He said Jackson is accused of illegally getting copies of grand jury indictments and forwarding them to Digmon, who printed that information in the Atmore News.
"It's totally unrelated to the superintendent and is based on the school board's actions alone," Billy said.
Escambia County Circuit Judges Todd Stearns and Jeff White, along with District Judge Eric Coale, have recused themselves from making rulings in the cases.
Tom Parker, chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, has appointed retired Autauga County Circuit Judge Ben A. Fuller to preside over any trials and make other decisions in the pending cases.
As of press time Wednesday, no trial dates or hearings had been scheduled.
