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Mitchell denies alleged misconduct detailed in formal complaint

A letter delivered to the Hayneville Town Council at its May 12 meeting accuses the small municipality’s chief law enforcement officer of acts demonstrating a blatant disregard for the authority of the town’s municipal court.

In the formal, written complaint, Hayneville Municipal Judge Kameisha Logan alleges Hayneville Police Chief Kelvin Mitchell has, by repeated actions, attempted to directly interfere with the town’s judiciary and municipal government proceedings.

Logan declined to comment on the allegations outlined in the letter, which included routinely ignoring bond orders to release defendants from jail for reduced payments. Logan did, however, confirm that the letter pictured here is a copy of the one she submitted to the council.

She also said the events and actions outlined in the letter are under investigation through the Alabama attorney General’s Office and the Alabama Ethics Commission.

Logan’s letter details one particular instance during which she claims Mitchell attempted to circumvent a $1,500 bond set for a defendant, suggesting they instead pay $30 to the town’s magistrate for their release. 

“When I advised that such a release was unlawful, he became argumentative,” Logan writes. “Later in his office, he stated, ‘The Romans do as the Romans do,’ and admitted that he routinely ignores bond orders and facilitates release for reduced payments, regardless of what the court has ordered. He further declared that he does not agree with the law and therefore does not have to follow it. Under Alabama law, law enforcement officers have no legal authority to alter, reduce, or override court-ordered bail amounts. This power lies exclusively with the judiciary or a magistrate acting within legal authority.”

Mitchell denied any knowledge of the cited incident. 

“I don’t know what the young lady is talking about,” Mitchell said. 

When asked about the validity of Logan’s claims, Mitchell said, “I’m not going to even dignify that with an answer. All this stuff that the young lady’s saying, I ain’t even going to entertain it, because she’s dishonest. I told her that in the courtroom, I’m not going to entertain a dishonest person.”

The letter details multiple instances of alleged misconduct by Mitchell, who Logan claimed has attempted to influence her decision regarding charges filed against Lowndes County Sheriff Chris West.

According to Logan’s letter, a special prosecutor, personally selected by Mitchell for the case, could not attend the scheduled May 8 hearing date. Having instructed Mitchell to ensure the attorney could be present, the judge said she learned on May 5 that no prosecutor would appear at the trial.

“The attorney stated he never received notice of the hearing date,” Logan said in the letter. “When I informed Chief Mitchell that I would not continue the case again and that I may be inclined to dismiss it for failure to prosecute, he responded with hostility — yelling, using profanity and then threatening that if I did not find the sheriff guilty or if I dismissed the charge, he would use his power to have me removed from the bench.”

Following what Logan refers to as an “outburst,” the judge said she issued a formal court order restricting Mitchell from appearing in the courtroom unless he is subpoenaed or had a case pending before the court. Logan claims Mitchell refused the order and said he would not comply with the order and that she had no authority.

Subsequent to the altercation, Logan said she informed Mitchell he could be found in contempt of court, to which he supposedly responded with a threat to arrest her for disorderly conduct.

Hayneville Mayor Jimmie Davis, who was called to the courtroom to mediate on May 8 after tensions flared between Logan and Mitchell, confirmed that the council received and reviewed the judge’s letter at its May 12 meeting.

The council has not yet reached a decision on handling Logan’s complaints. 

 “We are waiting on the town’s attorney [Michael Strickland] to give us some legal advice,” Davis said. 

Meanwhile, Logan’s letter asserts the chief’s alleged actions are not only inappropriate but unlawful.”

“It is a violation of state and federal law to threaten, harass or intimidate a judge in an effort to influence the outcome of judicial proceedings,” Logan’s letter declares. “Such behavior undermines the independence of the judiciary, disrupts the separation of powers and interferes with the fair administration of justice.”