A Walker County grand jury indicted Sheriff Nick Smith and his chief deputy in connection to unlawful hiring practices.
Smith was indicted on six misdemeanor charges of violating article standards for employing law enforcement officers.
Chief deputy Ralph Williams was indicted on one count of false or misleading information.
The investigation surrounded the hiring of school resource officers and two other deputies. The employees were not certified by the Alabama Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission (APOSTC), which is required for law enforcement in Alabama.
Just last month, a motion to hold Smith in contempt of court was dropped after he proved that he had provided the information requested by APOSTC in connection with an investigation.
Further, Smith has faced criticism over the 2023 high-profile death of Anthony "Tony" Mitchell in the Walker County Jail. At one point, Smith deactivated his own Facebook page, as well as the sheriff's office page, but has since reactivated them. He has since used social media to defend himself and said he expected retaliation.
Smith recently announced he will run for another term as sheriff.
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