Mayor 'PeeWee' Richardson Charged With Multiple Sex Crimes

Daily Mountain Eagle: Carbon Hill Mayor James William “Pee Wee” Richardson, 61, was arrested by agents from the Alabama Attorney General’s office late Thursday night. Richardson is charged with four counts of first-degree sexual abuse, four counts of custodial sexual misconduct, two counts of harassment and one count of soliciting prostitution. An unnamed source told the Daily Mountain Eagle that the charges stem from contact with inmates at the city of Carbon Hill’s municipal jail. Agents arrested Richardson late Thursday night in Carbon Hill. As he was being led into the jail in handcuffs by the agents, Richardson denied the charges or any sexual misconduct on three occasions, before saying he did not want to make any other statement at this time. He is being held at the Walker County Jail on a $250,000 cash bond. The agents from the AG’s office said they were unable to comment on the case, but their office would likely release a statement early today. The sexual abuse charges and custodial sexual misconduct are Class C felonies that carry a one- to 10-year sentence each if convicted. According to the Alabama Code, a person commits first-degree sexual abuse if he subjects another person to sexual contact by forcible compulsion or forces a person who is incapable of consenting. For the custodial sexual misconduct charges, the code states “It shall be unlawful for any employee to engage in sexual conduct with a person who is in the custody of the Department of Corrections, the Department of Youth Services, a sheriff, a county, or a municipality.” It goes on to add that the consent of the person in custody is not a defense, because their custody renders them incapable of consenting. Harassment is a Class C misdemeanor and soliciting prostitution is a Class A misdemeanor. If convicted, those charges carry a sentence of up to three months in jail and a fine of up to $500 and up to one year in jail and a fine up to $6,000, respectively.