Perry County Commission Chairman Albert Turner has announced plans to file a bar complaint against former Fourth Judicial Circuit District Attorney Michael Jackson after charges of voter fraud against Turner were dropped by the Alabama Attorney General’s Office. Turner took to Facebook to share his side of the story, alleging that Jackson’s indictment against him was politically motivated and filled with falsehoods. Turner’s cousin, Robert Turner Jr., defeated Jackson in his bid for re-election last year.
Because of the family connection, Robert Turner’s District Attorney office was barred by state ethical regulations from overseeing the prosecution of the case, so it was sent to the office of Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall. Court documents filed last week indicate that Marshall’s office had dropped all charges against Turner.
Turner’s posts outlined the reasons he believed the charges were dropped, including allegations that jury members were lied to about evidence that did not exist, no formal complaint was filed against him, and no election official filed a complaint. Turner also accused Jackson of prematurely disclosing the grand jury indictment in violation of the law and misusing his power as district attorney to seek revenge against Turner for his defeat in Perry County and the defeat of the 4th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.
Turner said that the Alabama Attorney General’s Office had sent investigators to interview poll officials and employees in the absentee election manager’s office to investigate Jackson’s claim of voter fraud, but no one was able to verify the claim.
Furthermore, Turner claimed that Jackson’s brother-in-law was seated on the grand jury that returned the indictment against him, and that the grand jury members were not originally called to be part of the jury. Turner also pointed out that the total number of votes cast in the primary election in 2022 matched the total number of voters who cast ballots, debunking Jackson’s allegation of over-voting.
Calling Jackson “a menace to the legal system,” Turner said the former District Attorney should no longer be allowed to practice law.
Turner said in his Facebook post this week that he planned to file a bar complaint against Jackson on Wednesday, April 12. As of press time early Wednesday, the Watchman had not been able to confirm if the complaint had yet been filed.
