July 26, 2011<\/p>\n
\u00a0Greetings:<\/p>\n
\u00a0According to this article by Mobile Press Register reporter Kathryn Sayre http:\/\/blog.al.com\/live\/2011\/07\/mobile_district_attorney_rich.html<\/a>, Mobile County DA Ashley Rich is threatening to sue the Mobile County Commission for alleged money owed to the DA’s office.\u00a0 The Mobile District Attorney\u2019s Office owes Rodney K. Stanberry his freedom. It feels awful to be treated unfairly, doesn’t it? \u00a0DA Ashley Rich is able to sue the County Commission, but thanks to the Supreme Court ruling in the Connick v. Thompson case, Rodney can’t sue her office for a wrongful conviction and prosecutorial misconduct (note, Rich is basing her standing in\u00a0 a potential suit on the actions of the previous two District Attorneys (Chris Galanos and John Tyson, Jr. Given that she worked for Tyson for 14 years as Assistant District Attorney, Rodney should be able to ask and receive from her office a remedy to the misconduct practiced by a prosecutor (Buzz Jordan) who began \u201cinvestigating Rodney\u2019s case under Galanos and who tried and got a conviction under John Tyson, Jr.). The Mobile County Commission should stand strong, give the DA’s Office more money if they agree to establish a conviction integrity unit to help prevent wrongful convictions and to help those who have evidence that a wrongful conviction may have occurred. If Rodney serves his entire 20 years, it would have cost the state well over $250,000. If there are 5 wrongful convictions with 20 year sentences, that’s over a million dollars!\u00a0 This should be addressed. By the way, the county attorney Jay Ross is the law partner of Buzz Jordan, the prosecutor in Rodney’s case.\u00a0 See Buzz Jordan here: http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=cEVURKsGoMI<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0While the Mobile County Commissioners will say that they do not have jurisdiction over criminal matters relating to the DA\u2019s office, an article by Mobile Press Register<\/em> Reporter Robert McClendon indicates that the Mobile County Commission funds 1.5 million dollars of the DA\u2019s office\u2019s 5 million dollar budget.\u00a0 So one would think that the Mobile County Commissioners would have a vested interest in ensuring that the taxpayers of Mobile aren\u2019t not supporting a culture that allows for wrongful convictions to occur and that maintain said convictions at all costs. Again, if it costs on average $13,000 to incarcerate a person in Alabama, it has already cost the taxpayers nearly $200,000 to incarcerate Rodney (15 X 13,000).\u00a0 Without getting into details here, two of the Mobile County Commissioners know about Rodney\u2019s case- one knows or should know that the company Rodney worked for (BFI) would not falsify records or provide false testimony IN COURT to cover for Rodney, as the DA implied. Yet, neither of these individuals wants to get involved with Rodney\u2019s case.\u00a0 Throughout Mobile, as is often the case in wrongful conviction cases throughout the nation, there is a \u201csee no evil, hear no evil\u201d mentality.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 You can call all three Mobile County Commissioners and ask them to insist that the Mobile District Attorney\u2019s Office establishes a Conviction\u00a0 Integrity Unit similar to one established by District Attorney Craig Watkins in Dallas County, Texas. Here is information about the Conviction Integrity Unit: Conviction Integrity Unit<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cEstablished by District Attorney Craig Watkins in July of 2007, the Conviction Integrity Unit reviews and re-investigates legitimate post conviction claims of innocence in accordance with the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, Chapter 64 (Motion for Forensic DNA Testing).\u00a0 In addition, the Conviction Integrity Unit reviews and prosecutes old cases (DNA and non-DNA related) where evidence identifies different or additional perpetrators.\u00a0 Special Field Bureau Chief Russell Wilson supervises the Conviction Integrity Unit, the Appellate Division, the Public Integrity Division, the Federal Division and the Mental Health Unit, as well as public information, evidence destruction and expunctions at the District Attorney\u2019s Office.\u00a0 The Conviction Integrity Unit is staffed by two assistant district attorney, one investigator and one legal assistant.\u00a0 This special division is the first of its kind in the United States.\u201d (source www.dallasda.com)<\/p>\n \u00a0The numbers to reach the Mobile County Commissioners is: Mecercia Ludgood (District 1) (251) 574-1000.\u00a0 Connie Hudson (District 2) 251-574-2000 and Mike Dean (District 3) (251) 574-3000.\u00a0 Call today. They will likely not be interested in this, but let them know that you are watching how they respond to the Mobile District Attorney\u2019s Office.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n I support funding the DA\u2019s office, by the way, as they are a valuable asset to the community.\u00a0 I do wish DA Ashley Rich luck and success in her tenure.\u00a0 But the DA\u2019s office would be strengthened if they addressed wrongful convictions. This should not be a political liability!\u00a0 Rodney K. Stanberry was wrongfully convicted, he is in his 15th<\/sup> year of incarceration and will likely remain there for a full 20 years because he won\u2019t sell his soul to say he is guilty for crimes he did not commit. In many ways, he has been and is being punished for being innocent. \u00a0For more information about Rodney\u2019s case, please go to www.freerodneystanberry.com<\/a> and www.freerodneystanberry.com\/blog<\/a>. Please share with your friends.<\/p>\n Peace,<\/p>\n Artemesia<\/p>\n