From The Tribune staff reports
MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Attorney General’s Office announced Tuesday, November 9, that former Lee County District Attorney Brandon Hughes had been ordered to serve his 10-month sentence for two felony counts in the Lee County Detention Facility in Opelika.
In September, attorneys for Hughes filed a motion asking that he serve his sentence in a community corrections program rather than in jail. Today, the trial court denied the defense request and ordered Hughes to report within 48 hours to serve his 10-month sentence at the Lee County Detention Facility.
According to Hughes’ June plea agreement, he agreed to a three-year sentence for both counts, split to serve ten months in jail. Additionally, Hughes will be required to pay back the Lee County District Attorney’s Fund $14,000 in legal fees related to using his public office for personal gain and $1,350 in restitution to Highway 50 Towing of Lanett, Alabama.
While Hughes previously had been suspended from office as a result of his indictment, the court’s acceptance of his plea of guilty caused his removal from office as a matter of law. He was allowed to remain out on bond pending an application to serve his sentence in a community corrections program.
“Brandon Hughes violated the public trust and therefore deserved to serve his sentence in jail,” Chief Deputy Attorney General Clay Crenshaw said.
Crenshaw thanked the staff of the Attorney General’s Special Prosecutions Division, specifically Assistant Chief Deputy Attorney General Clark Morris, Assistant Attorneys General Jasper Roberts and Alana Cammack, and paralegal Jennifer Means-Marsh for their work in prosecuting the case. He also expressed his appreciation of valuable assistance provided by the Alabama Ethics Commission and the Alabama Department of Examiners of Public Accounts.