Keith McGuire Rape Trial Set for Tomorrow

Nineteen years after a Lauderdale County woman says she was raped and sodomized by Brian Keith McGuire, formerly of Lexington, Jan Simpson* will finally have her day in court. McGuire, who was 30 at the time of the incident, claims the sex with the then 19 year-old woman was consensual.

Jury selection will begin Monday at 8:30 in Lauderdale County, with Franklin County Judge Terry Dempsey presiding. Dempsey has just completed the unenviable task of officiating at the Christie Bray Scott murder trial where he managed to keep a check on attorneys Robert Tuten, Joey Rushing, and Doug Evans. Residents of Lauderdale County should be extremely grateful to Judge Dempsey for stepping in when Lauderdale Circuit Court judges recused themselves due to their association with McGuire's father, Lexington Mayor Bobby McGuire.

Associated Press reporter Jean Cole has been following the case from Limestone County, where Keith McGuire has been accused of fondling at least four female students while a teacher/coach at Clements School. Cole reported last week that neither defense attorney Jeff Austin nor prosecutor Pamela Casey would comment on the case at that time. Should McGuire be found not guilty, he still faces the prospect of losing his Alabama teaching certification due to the Limestone incidents.

While Simpson did not file charges against McGuire until 2006, three years is too long to wait for justice. We hope this trial will soon be over for the sake of both accuser and accused.

* Name changed to protect victim's anonymity


David Bronner on the National Alabama start-up delay: "I have too much damn money in it to see it fail." Well, it's nice to know he considers the RSA's money his own...we think.