Calhoun County Sheriff Matthew Wade said a former state senator and well-known Anniston attorney is under investigation after a female inmate accused him of sexual assault. According to documents in a civil case, the attorney is former State Sen. Doug Ghee (D-Anniston).
Wade said the incident allegedly happened in mid-July.
"I take this very seriously and the investigation is ongoing with the sheriff's office and the Alabama Attorney General's Office," Wade said. "Several complaints have also been made to the Alabama Bar Association seeking disciplinary action."
The civil case states Ghee, 78, was visiting the 29-year-old in a room for attorney visits at the Calhoun County Jail. She was shackled and handcuffed for the entire visit.
The inmate was facing charges of obstruction of justice in Calhoun County and promoting prison contraband, possession of a controlled substance and theft of property in St. Clair County.
The inmate said Ghee told her he could get her a good deal if she paid him $2,500 and agreed to be his sex slave. She said he told her he had longstanding relationships with local judges and could pull some strings.
During a second visit, the inmate claims she got up to leave the interview room, and the attorney kissed her, put his hands on her throat and touched her breast.
“Defendant Ghee’s egregious sexual harassment and other conduct in this case was extreme and outrageous,” the lawsuit states. “[Plaintiff] was already in a fragile state as she was facing a 15-year prison sentence.”
“Defendant Ghee raised [Plaintiff’s] hopes of getting a lower sentence but only at the demand for money and to become a sex slave upon release,” the suit continues. “Then upon his second visit, he committed sexual assault, battery, and false imprisonment on her while she was chained and shackled.”
According to the complaint, a corrections officer who came into the visiting room and removed the inmate stopped the interaction between the inmate and Ghee. The plaintiff called the move "an act of heroism."
The civil suit seeks compensatory and punitive damages, attorney fees, and court costs. The complaint lists battery, extortion, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, false imprisonment and wantonness as the offenses committed against the plaintiff.
Security cameras are installed in all attorney-visiting rooms in the jail.
Wade said investigators are combing through multiple digital assets of evidence, and the process will take time.
Ghee served as a state senator from 1990 to 1998. No criminal charges have been filed.
Ghee's daughter, Wendy Ghee Draper, also listed in the civil suit, ran as a Republican for Senate District 12 in 2022. She was challenged due to her father's time as a Democratic senator and past donations to Democrats.
Ghee and several of his family members who work at the firm have previously emphasized their focus on public service by serving in several capacities, including church committees, the Committee for Better Public Education, the Museum Board, the Forever Wild Board, Leadership Calhoun County and others.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email erica.thomas@1819news.com.
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