There was nothing there.

In an unusual statement Thursday, the Alabama Attorney General's office refuted claims of improper spending against former Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Secretary Spencer Collier. The AG's statement -- backing up claims by some within ALEA that Collier was fired after a shoddy and punitive internal investigation -- says a special grand jury in Montgomery found no evidence to prosecute Collier.

"No witness established a credible basis for the initiation of a criminal inquiry in the first place," the AG's office said in a statement.

It went on to say: "The investigation of former Secretary Collier is now closed."

Collier, the first to disclose the existence of provocative texts from Gov. Robert Bentley to his former aide Rebekah Caldwell Mason, was placed on medical leave in February and replaced by current Secretary Stan Stabler, who initiated a probe of Collier.

Former ALEA Secretary Spencer Collier

Bentley fired Collier in March - on the same day Collier told of the text messages - citing the report as the reason for dismissal. He said the report indicated a "possible misuse of funds."

"To determine the facts with certainty, the Special Prosecutions Division of the Attorney General's Office conducted a complete investigation of the ALEA allegations against Collier," the AG's statement said. "For efficiency, and to ensure public confidence in the investigation, all of the information from ALEA was presented to the Montgomery County Special Grand Jury. Numerous witnesses, including senior ALEA leadership, were called to testify before the Special Grand Jury.

Attorney General Luther Strange presided over the "criminal investigative proceeding."

"In the course of the investigation, no witness provided credible evidence of criminal "misuse of state funds," the statement said. "No witness provided credible evidence of any other criminal violation on the part of former Secretary Collier. Finally, no witness established a credible basis for the initiation of a criminal inquiry in the first place."

Prosecutors rarely discuss details about grand juries that return "no bills," or findings of insufficient evidence to prosecute, although they are allowed to do so when details of the case have been made public and clarification is in the public interest.

Details about the Collier accusations became public recently after Gov. Robert Bentley turned over an internal ALEA investigation of Collier to the committee considering Bentley's impeachment. The document questioned spending by Collier on clothing, guns and sunglasses, and painted a picture of a man on the edge of the law.

Several of the people quoted in the investigative document have told AL.com they were misquoted or taken out of context in the ALEA report, and felt the answers they gave investigators were not reflected in the final document. Some called it a "hatchet job" or a "witch hunt."

Collier said today he felt "like an undue burden has been lifted of my shoulders."

He said he believes the investigation was vindictive and punitive from the start.

"I feel strongly it was an effort to punish me," he said.

Collier by John Archibald on Scribd