New accusations surrounding Russell County Probate Judge Democratic candidate Belinda Strickland's alleged criminal history have come to light just before the November 5 election.
Strickland will face off against Republican candidate Kristi Mott next month for the open probate judgeship after the sitting Judge Alford Harden announced his retirement.
The race remained relatively obscure until last week when Strickland reportedly made a surprise appearance at a GOP event in Hurtsboro, which she allegedly later misrepresented.
East Alabama Republican Club chair Peggy Blackshear shared her accounting of the event in a Facebook post.
According to Blackshear, Strickland showed up unannounced at a dinner event at the Hurtsboro restaurant, where people were to meet Mott and other GOP candidates.
"As people were enjoying the delicious food provided by Mary & Mary's, the door opened & in walked the Democratic candidate for probate judge," Blackshear wrote. "She walks in, goes to the serving line & gets her food. The only reason I am even posting this is because of the bold lies being told by Ms. Strickland. I was informed yesterday that she is telling people she was attacked at this event, she included me by name. I am here to tell you that I have NEVER even introduced myself to her, much less 'attack' her. Now, did a few people engage her in conversation with some questions, absolutely, people tend to have questions when they cannot get 2 + 2 to equal 4."
Another attendee, Rick Perry, posted to Facebook that he was displeased with Strickland's surprise appearance and that he "waited outside until they left and let them know what I thought about them, their heritage and their party."
Since the dinner drama, several now-removed comments on Mott's campaign page have pointed to Strickland's alleged criminal history spanning decades and several states.
A background check provided to 1819 News shows multiple criminal charges filed against Strickland and a list of bankruptcies, tax liens and previous aliases. It is uncertain if the charges and aliases listed in the report are actually Strickland's, although they bear her first and middle names and date of birth. Some alleged crimes were also matched using social security information. Multiple attempts by 1819 News to reach Strickland to confirm the report's accuracy were unsuccessful.
Strickland's alleged criminal and arrest history spans from 1997 to 2013 in the report. While mostly traffic-related, others bear more weight. According to the report, Strickland was charged with a felony in Texas in 1999. The felony was for unspecified property theft between $1,500 and $20,000. In September 1999, an extradition was filed to move Strickland from Ohio to Texas, but that appears to have been unsuccessful. The Bell County case portal claims the case was dismissed the following year.
The background check also lists a 2006 misdemeanor "check deception" under the name Belinda May Lang in Indiana.
Strickland's alleged legal troubles span far beyond the criminal sphere.
The report also lists several liens. Between 2006 and 2015, Strickland had nine judgments filed against her, including a state tax warrant from Indiana, totaling $13,666. These judgments include education-related small claims filed by Kent State and Purdue University. Kent State is listed as an alma mater on Strickland's campaign page. However, Purdue is not.
The report also says Strickland filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy four times between 1994 and 2013 in Georgia, Ohio and North Carolina. In the most recent filing, from April 2013, Strickland was the sole petitioner. That filing was dismissed due to failure to make payments. One of the Ohio bankruptcies is listed as dismissed, while the other is listed as a "standard discharge."
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email craig.monger@1819news.com.
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