Clarke County Democrat

Clarke Grand Jury indicts ex-Sheriff Norris



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Ray Norris

Ray Norris

The former sheriff of Clarke County has been indicted by the Clarke County Grand Jury on several charges of wrongdoing.

Attorney General Steve Marshall announced the indictment against William Ray Norris with a press release Friday afternoon, Jan. 14.

The charges are for the unlawful use of campaign contributions, violating the Fair Campaign Practices Act, use of office for personal gain, violating the Statement of Economic Interest disclosure requirements, and income tax evasion.

Norris surrendered to authorities at the Washington County Sheriff’s Office Friday and was released on $50,000 bond.

Norris resigned from his office on May 24, 2021 after Attorney General Marshall’s Special Prosecutions Division filed articles of impeachment with the Alabama Supreme Court. The resignation was effective June 1. Norris was scheduled to appear before the Alabama Supreme Court on June 2 to answer the two counts of information of impeachment charges but his resignation made that hearing unnecessary.

Attorney General Marshall’s Special Prosecutions Division presented evidence to a Clarke County grand jury, resulting in Norris’s indictment on Jan. 11. Specifically, the indictment charges Norris with five counts of the unlawful use of campaign contributions, two counts of intentionally violating Fair Campaign Practices Act reporting requirements, one count of use of office for personal gain, two counts of intentionally violating Statement of Economic

Interest disclosure requirements, and one count of income tax evasion.

The charges are the same or similar to the impeachment charges that were brought against him.

No further information about the investigation or about Norris’s alleged crimes other than that stated in the indictment is being released at this time, the news release stated.

If convicted, Norris faces a maximum penalty of two to 20 years for the alleged ethics violation and each count of the unlawful use of campaign contributions, which are class B felonies.

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