Attorney General asked to take over investigation

DOTHAN, Ala.—Dothan’s city manager recently sent a letter to Alabama Attorney General Troy King, asking his office to take over and stop an investigation currently underway by the Houston County Sheriff’s Office into a complaint filed against two other city officials.

Dothan Police Officer RaeMonica Carney filed a criminal incident report with the Houston County Sheriff’s Office last week against Police Chief John Powell and Dothan City Attorney Len White, alleging witness intimidation and criminal coercion. Sheriff Andy Hughes said the report was turned over to an investigator in his office. He recently said the investigation was ongoing, and when it was completed it would be turned over to District Attorney Doug Valeska for review.

Carney also filed a grievance with the City of Dothan against Powell and White.

In the letter signed by Dothan City Manager Mike West, he asked the Attorney General’s Office to take over the investigation because Hughes worked under Powell as a sergeant at the Dothan Police Department before he was elected sheriff.

West declined to comment about the letter. He did say city officials are doing an internal review of the complaint filed with the city against White and Powell.

Chris Bence, chief of staff for Alabama Attorney General Troy King, said the Attorney General’s Office received the letter and King read the letter Wednesday morning. Bence said King planned to assign the chief of the investigations division and his senior staff to review the letter to determine whether or not his office should become involved in the matter.

“There has to be a legal basis for us to become involved,“ Bence said.

Carney, a nine-year veteran of the Dothan Police Department, wrote in her complaint that White singled her out, then yelled and screamed at her during an interview about a pending wrongful death lawsuit filed against the City of Dothan and the Dothan Police Department. She filed the complaint against Powell because she said he did not take up for her during the inappropriate behavior shown by White.

Carney was questioned by White as to her participation in a traffic crash investigation involving Tabitha Farmer in January 2007. Shortly after Farmer was released by police from the crash scene, she was involved in a traffic fatality that left Larry Downing dead after he was crushed up against the Southern Family Market building. Earlier this year, Farmer pleaded guilty to murder in the fatality, and was sentenced to serve 25 years in prison.

Carney said the interview boiled down to a difference of opinion between her and the other officers at the first crash scene. Carney said she did not feel Farmer was safe to continue driving after the crash, but other officers allowed her to continue driving.