The Alexander City Outlook

Former Coosa Sheriff indicted

Former Coosa County Sheriff Ricky Lovell Owens, 39, of Kellyton was indicted by a Coosa County grand jury last week for multiple charges of felony ethics and theft.

Owens surrendered late Sunday at the Coosa County Jail and was released on $50,000 bond.

The Alabama Attorney General’s Office presented evidence to a Coosa County grand jury on Oct. 28, resulting in an eight-count indictment against Owens. Owens faces the following charges.

intentionally using his public position as sheriff for the unlawful personal gain of a check for $1,100;

intentionally using his public position as sheriff for the unlawful personal gain of a check for $3,700;

intentionally using his public position as sheriff for the unlawful personal gain of a check for $3,200;

intentionally using his public position as sheriff for the unlawful personal gain of a check for $3,300;

two counts of first-degree theft of a check valued at more than $2,500 from the Coosa County Sheriff’s Office;

intentionally using his public position as sheriff for the unlawful personal gain of an unspecified sum of currency;

intentionally used his public position as sheriff for the unlawful personal gain of a check for $8,300.

Owens was released from the Coosa County Jail Sunday in Rockford on $50,000 bond. He could not immediately be reached for comment.

“It is always serious when someone who used to be in law enforcement is accused of wrongdoing, but it is particularly disappointing when a former sheriff faces charges of crimes that involve the abuse of his position and theft of public funds,” Attorney General Troy King said in a statement released yesterday morning.

No further information was released at this time.

If convicted, Owens faces a maximum penalty of two to 20 years imprisonment for each count, all of which are class B felonies.

Owens was defeated in the 2006 election by current Sheriff Terry Wilson. In a 2007 story by The Outlook, an audit of the Coosa County Sheriff’s Department performed by the Alabama Department of Public Examiners of Public Accounts showed that Owens had spent money that wasn’t properly documented for law enforcement purchases.

The audit also showed that Owens would have to repay nearly $49,000.