ATHENS, Alabama — The state of Alabama has filed a motion to set a trial date for Limestone County Sheriff Michael Anthony Blakely, who was indicted on 12 felonies and one misdemeanor in August 2019.
According to the motion, the trial was set to begin back in March, but the COVID-19 pandemic halted all jury trials in the state. The state argues that in the eight months since the beginning of the pandemic, "court officials have now learned how to safely conduct a jury trial."
Further in the motion, the state gives its reasoning behind pushing for a trial.
"Limestone County residents continue to live and work in a community in which their sheriff stands accused of multiple felonies," the motion reads. "These people deserve a resolution on whether Defendant Blakely is guilty or innocent of the charges he faces."
The motion was submitted on Nov. 10, 2020, by the Alabama Attorney General's Office.
Read the full motion below:
A status conference for this case has been set for Nov. 19, 2020 at 1:30 p.m. in the circuit court courtroom in Athens.
