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Merrell to run for district attorney’s office
Published Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Walt Merrell has announced he is a Republican candidate for Covington County district attorney.
Hired by then-district attorney Genie Loggins as a drug task force prosecutor in 2002, Merrell spent five years in the district attorney’s office. In his experience there, he successfully prosecuted cases ranging from child sex abuse to drugs and helped prosecute capital murder cases.
He said he’d like to return to work he found personally fulfilling.
Fighting the war on drugs and helping addicts put their lives back together have been a major focus of his life, shaped initially by family experience. It is no secret that he has a sibling with a drug addiction.
He believes, he said, that his brother turned to an illegal substance at a time of his life when he had gone through a divorce, had financial troubles, and a dealer said to him, ‘Here, this will make you feel better.’
“That dealer has robbed my brother of at least 10 years of his life,” Merrell said. “I have no problem with prosecution costing a dealer 10 years of his.”
Drug dealers are predators, he said, and they belong behind bars. But at the same time, he said, the court can be more effective by putting addicts in a rehab program, freeing up prison space for a dealer.
“I’ve had all kinds of people call me or send me emails saying, ‘You saved my life,’ ” he said. “I didn’t save their lives, but being part of the process became fulfilling to me.”
Unless the court system delivers the message that drug dealers belong in prison, “we are not deterring criminal activity.”
Too many drug dealers and other criminals are allowed to plead to lesser offenses, he said, instead of being sentenced to time behind bars. He also cited a theft case in which a man stole $40,000 from an employer, but was allowed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor.
Resolutions like that, he said, undermine the morale of law enforcement rather than encouraging them to make good, solid cases.
In 2004-5, as the local DTF prosecutor, he worked at the state level to strengthen laws that have led to a decrease in the production of methamphetamines. He said he had been talking with Sen. Jimmy Holley and others about the possibility of regulating pseudoephedrine, an ingredient in over-the-counter medication that is used in the production of meth. When he and a DTF agent were invited to Montgomery to speak on the issue, he thought he was meeting with a senator or two.
Instead, he found himself in a committee meeting filled with lobbyists for pharmaceutical companies.
“We were outmanned and outgunned,” he said. But at the end of the day, they had reached compromise on a bill – now a law – that regulates the amount of drugs containing pseudoephedrine that can be sold, requires a photo identification to purchase the drugs, and requires retailers to keep lists of those who buy.
“Out of that effort, meth production has dropped dramatically,” he said.
He is a partner in Merrell and Bryan, LLC of Andalusia.
He is a graduate of Cumberland School of Law at Samford University and earned an undergraduate degree at the University of Montevallo in political science.
He is a member of the Andalusia Lions Club; is a founding member of the board of directors of Crossover Ministries; is a member and former president of the LBW Community College Foundation board; teaches Sunday School and Royal Ambassadors at Bethany Baptist Church; is the attorney for the local Police Benevolence Association; and is the former president of the Covington County Bar Association.
He and his wife, Hannah Gantt Merrell, have three daughters, Cape, Bay and Banks.
Comments
Posted by starfish (anonymous) on February 9, 2010 at 7:06 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Got my vote and the vote of all those I know.
Posted by Naviddousel (anonymous) on February 9, 2010 at 8:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)
That "evil" dealer made the brother use drugs. Gosh, I'm glad that during the brother's crises someone didn't suggest blowing up a mall or hijacking something since Merrill's brother was so weak-minded to outside influence.
Wonder how much leeway Young Walt gave other drug abusers when serving as a prosecuter? Did the young mother who had meth in the house get a break because maybe she was abused as a youngster and used drugs to blunt the pain? Did the crack addict get a break when it was revealed that he was physically abused by his parents during his youth? I doubt it.
Walt will carry on the drug war, spending dollars chasing after the latest drug crises, describing it as a threat to our society till the next one comes along. He'll make no real dent in the problem because it is attacked at the back end but the citizens will continue to spend money on a losing war.
Posted by allaboutme (anonymous) on February 9, 2010 at 8:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I am excited to see that Walt is running for D.A. I know that he will do an exceptional job and he has my vote!
Posted by lawsuit (anonymous) on February 9, 2010 at 9:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)
what a joke ,,depends on who sratches your back right walt, people of covington county do not vote for walt he defends child molesters and drug dealers it is a matter of public record .
Posted by biscuitsandhoovergravy (anonymous) on February 9, 2010 at 10:11 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Is this true? Did or does Walt as an attorney defend child molesters and drug dealers? Not an accusation...just asking a question.
Posted by bluecollarguy (anonymous) on February 9, 2010 at 10:18 a.m. (Suggest removal)
biscuits, lawyers defend everything from traffic tickets to murder, its all part of the constitution our founding fathers set forth when they started up this country back in 1776, your a lot smarter than that.............
Posted by bluecollarguy (anonymous) on February 9, 2010 at 10:24 a.m. (Suggest removal)
....and also biscuits, the State has this thing for 'indigent'' defendants, by law where some people are 'appointed' by the court to defend a client, it's a constitutional thing, the lawyers don't get a choice in the matter, they have to take whatever case is given to them under this system, its been that way I know of the last 40 years....
Posted by biscuitsandhoovergravy (anonymous) on February 9, 2010 at 11:02 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I understand that bluecollar. Let me ask you a question. If you were an attorney, and a guy became your client and told you as his attorney that he did sell dope to kids or yes, he did sexually molest his own child or another child...what would you as an officer of the court... do?
Posted by sawdust (anonymous) on February 9, 2010 at 11:20 a.m. (Suggest removal)
there are those who sit on the sidelines of a conflict and complain of it's futility, those who turn a blind eye, those who look to profit thru greed and subversion, but there are those who have the bravery to step forward to the front lines to make a honorable try for justice. walt merrell is one of these brave souls. i know him and his wife hannah, her parents george and brenda gantt, her grandfather sheriff pap gantt. all of theese people have tried to make a honest effort to help true justice prevail. hearty yo ho walt i pray you win.
Posted by andydeerhunter (anonymous) on February 9, 2010 at 11:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Sorry, the "appointment" argument is no good; Mr. Merrell has been retained (paid by the client) numerous times by numerous clients to represent them for making methamphetamine, possession of or receiving controlled substances, and use or possession of drug paraphernalia. So he has been paid to represent drug dealers, if meth making counts as drug dealing.
He has also been retained by at least one drunk driver that killed a man on the bypass.
He has also been appointed by the state to represent others with similar charges and for trafficking methamphetamine.
So when he says "Drug dealers are predators, and they belong behind bars," I wonder if his retained meth-making, drug-dealing clients will want their money back and whether his appointed drug dealer clients will ask for a new lawyer.
Posted by LoyalAmerican (anonymous) on February 9, 2010 at 11:54 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I have had the same thoughts regarding attorney's "defending" predators, drug dealers, shall we say, your average run of the mill scum. I have to reduce it down to understanding that the attorney is not defending the person, they are being paid to ensure the rights of the scum bag are not violated. The phrase, "ensure the rights of the scum bag" also has caused me inner turmoil. That does not sit well with me, but, then again, I must remember, in America, you are innocent until proven guilty. I could never be a defense lawyer. There is no way I could "ensure the rights" of a self proclaimed molester or drug dealer.
One thing I would like for Mr. Merrell to really think about, is his comment regarding the drug dealer who took ten years of his brothers life. The responsibility for the loss of those 10 years is strictly your brother's. Many go through divorce, have financial problems, losses of many kind, etc. However, that is no reason to turn to drugs. The brother had a choice and apparently he made a bad one! Enabling any addict, to shift the blame for their choices onto another, is a slippery slope and not in the addicts best interest.
Posted by rlb1940 (anonymous) on February 9, 2010 at 7:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)
It's hard 'this day and time' to find any family in Covington County, (rich or poor) that has not been dealt with the problems of drugs in our society with family members. If you have not, then consider yourself one of the 'fortunate' ones. Before drugs, it was whiskey and wine drinking, I lived in Covington County all my life and I know its the truth. I 'praise' both of the young men seeking the job, it's a tough one now I would imagine, but somebody's gotta do it. I think Mr. Merrell would be good at 'either' job, defending or 'prosecuting'.......it's just his nature, he's a winner.
Posted by bubba (anonymous) on February 9, 2010 at 10:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Yeah, bluecollar. Lawyers are just honest people making an honest living. I'm sure the whole idea of attorneys was a noble thing in the beginning. These were people educated in the laws and rights guarnteed to all the people of this nation, and as such, made sure that murderers, rapists, pedophiles and etc.. were not deprived of these rights. Now, its just a game to get the clients "off" no matter what they have done. The smoking gun no longer matters. What matters is which angle can be worked after it is determined that law enforcement has not made a critical error that results in the case being thrown out because of a civil rights violation. "If the glove don't fit; you have to aquit." "Detective Furman used the 'N' word". "The DNA shows that only one in 4.1 million could have committed the crime,so, if you take 8.2 million people there is two in there that could be responsible for the the crime. So, if two people with the same DNA out of 8.2 million could have done it, it was the other guy and not my client".
Money and politics will always prevail. Politics is the "good ole' boy" way of life only with a big bank account attached.
Posted by biscuitsandhoovergravy (anonymous) on February 10, 2010 at 7:26 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Bubba, thank you for a very honest and concise appraisal of what the "justice system" has become. Get 12 people who only one of which is a racist or a closet pedophile or just a sorry no count scumbag or maybe just a everyday run of the mill moron and you have a hung jury and a criminal back on the street. The defense attorneys look for these people and put them on the jury for their benefit. Take a child or an elderly person or anyone who is easily confused or mislead and get them on the stand and cut them up with a verbal scalpel and you have a rapist or pedophile back on the street. Guilty or innocent...the last 2 considerations in a court room.
Posted by hammer1 (anonymous) on February 10, 2010 at 8:26 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Walt Merrell would make an outstanding District Attorney. I believe he has jumped to the head of the pact at this present time. Because ther is so much discussion about him, people remember names and if you are in the forefront you will get the vote.
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