Sheriff Won't Serve Himself Summons

A hearing regarding the validity of Gov. Bob Riley’s appointment for sheriff of Greene County had to be delayed on Tuesday because the man whose qualifications were being questioned didn’t appear.

The plaintiffs contend the reason he was never served a summons to appear was because he didn’t serve himself.

The sheriff’s attorney, however, contends that he never needed to appear in the first place.

George Cook was appointed sheriff of Greene County by the governor on June 18. Three days later, two county residents — current coroner and former interim Sheriff Ronald K. Smith and former County Commissioner Garria Spencer — filed court action to determine whether Riley’s selection complied with state law.

They contend that Riley’s choice was improper because Cook was a Tuscaloosa County resident working as an enforcement agent for the Alabama Beverage Control Board and not a registered Greene County voter at the time of the appointment. That same day, an entire courtroom full of people turned out to agree with them during an organized protest the appointment at the Greene County Courthouse.

Prince Darius Chestnut, who is representing the plaintiffs but also serves as the Greene County Commission’s legal counsel, accused Cook and his legal team on Tuesday of trying to stall the case until at least January 2011, when Cook’s interim role as sheriff ends, and the county’s newly elected sheriff — most likely Jonathan “Joe” Benison, who won the Democratic primary and faces no Republican opposition in the November general election — will take over.


Read more here and follow us on Twitter!