Municipal Judge Jim Wooten has chosen to recuse himself from all cases pending in Brookside, and Marcus Jones has been appointed to take them.
Police officers in Brookside, just north of Birmingham, have been accused of abusing their authority to obtain revenue. Brookside police face multiple lawsuits.
Henry Irby was named interim police chief in February. According to WBRC, he hopes to build back trust in his department from the Brookside community.
A court order stated that Wooten recused himself “in order to promote public confidence and integrity and impartiality of the Brookside Municipal Court.”
“We are honored to have Judge Jones as one of our municipal judges,” Brookside Mayor Mike Bryan told WBRC. “Judge Jones has served as a municipal judge for a number of municipalities in Jefferson County since 1990. This is just another step in our efforts to build trust with the community.”
Brookside town officials said the municipal court will resume on April 28. All of the pending cases will be evaluated to determine if there are grounds for dismissal.
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