GENEVA, Ala. (WTVY) -Flamboyant defense attorney David Harrison has officially stepped in to represent embattled Geneva County Court Clerk Ashley Powell, declaring that his client remains “innocent until proven guilty” as she faces a high-stakes criminal prosecution. Court records confirmed Harrison formally took over the defense on Friday, marking a dramatic shift in a scandal that has gripped the local courthouse for months.
Powell is accused of using her public office for personal gain, centered around an August 8 indictment alleging she systematically stole approximately $93,000 from the clerk’s office she was entrusted to run.
Ashley Averett Powell(Geneva County Jail)
Despite the gravity of the allegations, Powell continues to draw a taxpayer-funded salary. While a judge reviewed initial evidence and ordered her removed from the physical office back in March, state records show she remains on the state payroll, collecting $8,347 per month while free on a $30,000 appearance bond.
“We are innocent until proven guilty, and will be zealously working to solve this case in my client’s best interest,” Harrison said in a statement Friday afternoon, signaling a aggressive defense strategy moving forward.
Powell is scheduled to be formally arraigned on August 27, where she is expected to enter a not guilty plea.
While Harrison declined to discuss possible strategies he will use, a pretrial diversion program that would keep charges off Powell’s criminal record apparently won’t be an option. The Geneva County District Attorney’s website reveals any offense wherein the offender is a public official and the charge is related to his or her capacity as a public official cannot be part of the diversion program.
Harrison is no stranger to the region’s most intense legal dramas. His roster of clients includes Adrienne Reid, the Enterprise woman accused of murdering her two-year-old daughter, Coley McCraney, who is currently serving a life sentence for the double murder of two Dothan teenagers, and a veterinarian accused of choking a helpless cat at his office .
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