Two Questions on John Pilati's Status/Killen Police

The Franklin County Times ran an article yesterday on John Pilati's quest to regain a license to practice law. Before anyone misunderstands the thrust of this post, let us state that we have no opposition to Pilati regaining his law license. His quest may not have a favorable outcome, but we certainly don't oppose it. What do we oppose? Pilati, or anyone, circumventing the law. There have been many opinions, etc, sent to this blog, and facts have been hard to cull from all the fiction.

Here are the facts:

1. John Pilati has six federal misdemeanor convictions for which he served two prison sentences.

2. A federal judge ordered Pilati to register as a sex offender upon his five convictions related to drug testing young men who were in the Franklin County judicial system.

3. Federally ordered listings on the sex offender registry usually last at least 15 years, but can be shortened for "good behavior."

4. In December 2015, Pilati received a pardon from the state board of pardons, and the state then removed the former district attorney from the offender list.

Now here are our two questions (we're awaiting an answer from the Northern Alabama District of the federal court system):

1. Do federal misdemeanor convictions automatically bar political and gun rights?

2. How can the State of Alabama pardon anyone for a federal crime, be it misdemeanor or felony?

At this point, we have only one comment: While John Pilati may be a former registered sex offender, it does not look seemly for the Franklin County Board of Education to nominate him for any office, even if those in the equalization board do not come into contact with minors.

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From a reader:

Why is it that every time I drive by Walton’s Auto Shop in Killen, there is a Killen Police car being repaired? I understand routine wear & tear, but there are major issues with their patrol cars. All of their cars, with the exception of the newest Chevy Tahoe, have over 250,000 miles on them. Now, to the normal person 200,000 miles may not be a big deal. But, these cars are used by officers and put them at grave danger considering, fuel pumps have gone out, transmissions have been blown, motor overhauls, etc…

Right now, there are officers that have to use older vehicles (that are worse than what they have), as substitute cars while their cars are constantly in the shop. It’s a major safety hazard. One day, an officer is going to have a very serious accident and kill himself or someone else. The money they’re saving by not purchasing new vehicles that are safer, will end up costing more in the long run when they are sued by a family member whose spouse is killed.

Tim Tubbs is only about saving money, and Bryan Hammond, the Chief of Police, only wants to keep peace with the mayor and council. SOMETHING has to be done!! These officers and all officers risk their lives daily, and their worst issue shouldn't be their patrol car.



Shoalanda