Lawsuit Filed Against 49 Alabama Sheriffs

HALE COUNTY, Ala. (WCBI)- A lawsuit is filed against 49 Alabama sheriffs after two organizations say they didn’t comply with a public records request.

Both the Pickens and Lamar County sheriffs are listed in the lawsuit.

Tuscaloosa News reports the Southern Center for Human Rights and the Alabama Appleseed Center for Law and Justice, announced the lawsuit yesterday, March 12.

The groups are suing the sheriffs for not releasing records that show whether or not they’ve gained personal profit from jailhouse food programs.

Currently, Alabama law states sheriffs can keep leftover food money, and some keep the money as income.

But in 2009, you may remember an Alabama sheriff nicknamed “sheriff corndog” was jailed after making $200,000 over three years while inmates ate corndogs twice a day.

The groups are asking for a judge to order the release of the requested documents.