An Atmore News newspaper box on Main Street contains the publication's latest edition highlighting the arrests and indictments of its publisher and reporter on charges they illegally disclosed information pertaining to a grand jury proceeding.The attorney representing a newspaper publisher and reporter arrested and indicted on charges they disclosed grand jury secrets says his clients are the victims of a prosecutor who is “after people he has a problem with.
Fletcher also wrote a story about how Escambia County authorities had seized cell phones of the four school board members who voted not to renew McClung’s contract. “The superintendent texted my client and said all was well,” White said. “When was non-renewed, she changed her mind.”The charges against Digmon and Fletcher, coming down on Friday, have created a wave of national attention in recent days. White has said he’s been contacted by, CNN and the New York Post, among other outlets as well as the Committee to Protect Journalists – a press freedom group based out of New York.
Jared Schroeder, associate professor of journalism at the University of Missouri, said that given the facts he is aware of in the case, there is no grounds for Billy to pursue charges against Digmon or Fletcher for publishing the information they received, even if it was protected under a state grand jury secrecy law.
The county’s three judges -- Circuit Judges Jeffrey White and Jeffrey Stearns, and District Judge James Coale -- have recused themselves from Digmon and Fletcher’s cases, acknowledging a prior professional relationship.