Aug. 01--A Florida grand jury recently returned a criminal charge against the former police chief of the city of Dothan.
The Chief Assistant State Attorney Greg Marcille for the First Judicial District of Florida, which includes Pensacola, said a grand jury returned a single-count indictment charging 48-year-old John Powell with accepting cash contributions in access of the $50 limit as allowed under Florida state law. Marcille called the charge a misdemeanor crime, which if convicted carried up to a year in jail and a possible $1,000 fine.
Marcille said the indictment came as a result of a complaint filed by David Morgan, the incumbent sheriff of Escambia County in Florida. Marcille said the complaint, filed on July 17, alleged Powell had collected more than the $50 cash limit in donations during the course of the election campaign for Escambia County Sheriff.
"If I were to contribute to Mr. Powell's campaign the maximum I could contribute was $50," Marcille said. "The allegations were approximately 30 individuals contributed more than $50 in cash to his campaign."
Marcille said Powell voluntarily met investigators at the Escambia County Jail to be processed Monday. According to their website Powell has already been released. Marcille said investigators with the state attorney's office investigated the matter.
"It's not unusual for complaints regarding election matters to be presented to a grand jury because of the political aspect of it," Marcille said. "It is not unusual for an election complaint to be filed, however it is relatively unusual for charges to be filed."
Marcille referred questions about any impact on the pending Escambia County Sheriff's election to David H. Stafford, supervisor of Escambia County Elections.
Stafford said he's not aware of any state provision prohibiting Powell from continuing to seek the office of sheriff for Escambia County with the pending misdemeanor charge.
Stafford said both Morgan and Powell qualified to run for the office of sheriff for Escambia County. They will run against each other in the Republican primary on Tuesday August 14.
Stafford said a third person, Mindy Lynn Pare, also qualified as a write-in candidate for the office of sheriff. But he said her name will not appear on the ballot during the Nov. 6 general election.
Powell served as the chief of police for the city of Dothan from March 2005 to August 2009. As police chief he coordinated the activities of the 255 employees within the Dothan Police Department.
Powell resigned as police chief to take the position of the director of the Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco, which he no longer holds.
Powell previously served as police chief for two other agencies, including the Wilson Police Department in North Carolina for just under three years and the Hartsville Police Department in South Carolina for about two years.
Powell also took a position with the FBI for three years after he'd worked at the Escambia County Sheriff's Office for 13 years in Florida. He also ran for sheriff of Escambia County Sheriff in 2004. He won the primary election, but lost the general election.
Copyright 2012 - Dothan Eagle, Ala.
