Hawthorne case continued
Published 4:58 pm Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Escambia County Board of Education member Richard Hawthorne has not yet had his day in court.
Hawthorne’s case has been continued. He was scheduled to appear in circuit court this week.
Hawthorne, who resigned his position as an Escambia County Sheriff’s Department transportation officer, was arrested last year on a grand jury indictment on charges of two counts of custodial sexual misconduct; two counts of ethics violation; two counts of prostitution and one count of promoting prison contraband, second degree.
Hawthorne has served on the board of education since 2001, representing the Flomaton area. He did not run for re-election for a new term.
The Alabama Bureau of Investigation was looking into allegations that Hawthorne had acted inappropriately with female inmates after the women made accusations.
According to reports, one incident occurred in March 2009 when a female inmate was being transported to a state facility, and another occurred in April 2009 when a female inmate was being taken to a state mental health facility.
Hawthorne resigned his position with the sheriff’s department shortly after the ABI began its investigation.