Kelsey Davis

Montgomery Advertiser

Sumter County Sheriff Tyrone Clark, who is accused of allowing an inmate run a drug trafficking enterprise from within jail walls, appeared on Monday in front of Alabama Supreme Court justices for the first day of his impeachment trial.

Allegations pending against Clark are extensive, but at their focal point is “inmate trustee” Rodney Coats.

Coats, whose bond for his eight criminal charges totaled $675,000, was allegedly allowed to leave the jail unsupervised and return with drugs, contraband cellphones and cigarettes.

He and other inmates could leave the jail to perform unsupervised jobs like sell watermelons on the side of the road, said Assistant Attorney General Megan Kirkpatrick during her opening statements. She added that Clark would receive a 25 percent cut from the work the men did.

When he re-entered the jail, detention officers were forbidden from searching him, Kirkpatrick said. Aside from being allowed to leave the jail unsupervised, Coats was also allegedly granted access to a private room away from his cell.

“(Coats) had his own space in the administration building that was unsupervised where people would bring women who were forced to have sex with him,” Kirkpatrick said.

One of those women testified that she was repeatedly made to bring drugs to Coats at his administration quarters, where he and other detention officers raped her. She said that Coats' cousin had been holding her against her will in a trailer controlled by Coats for weeks. The trailer was equipped with surveillance cameras often used by drug dealers to oversee operations while they're away, testified York (Sumter County) Officer Brian Harris.

The female witness said Coats watched the video stream from a laptop he had access to in the administration office.

When outside law enforcement later searched the jail as part of the investigation, a key was found in Coats' administration area that opened a box containing a handgun and live ammunition.

Clark’s legal counsel deems the allegations a “political witch hunt” rooted in Sumter County District Attorney’s allegiance to Attorney General Luther Strange.

“This is simply small town politics blown up in this arena that has no business being in front of this Supreme Court,” said Chad Morgan, who represents Clark.

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Clark was re-elected in January 2015 after a runoff against former Deputy Thomas Lewis. Clark was originally voted into office in 2011.

The investigation into Clark’s activities was initiated by the Sumter County District Attorney’s Office. In April, a Sumter County grand jury issued a report of impeachment against Clark.

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“That report was sent to the Office of Attorney General to review the referral and take appropriate action,” stated a press release from the Office of Attorney General Luther Strange.

Three months later, Strange began the proceedings for Clark’s impeachment, which will culminate in Clark’s impeachment trial.

If the Alabama Supreme Court justices find Clark guilty of the alleged violations, he will automatically be removed from office.

Any potential criminal proceedings would be separately filed.

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