Alabama town’s ex-police chief accused of domestic violence

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The former police chief for a town in south-central Alabama faces multiple charges of domestic violence.

In a news release Thursday, Attorney General Steve Marshall said former Lockhart Police Chief Franklin Jackson, 50, of Lockhart, surrendered a day earlier at the Covington County Sheriff’s Office. Marshall’s office did not say whether Jackson has an attorney who could speak on his behalf.

Marshall said Jackson was indicted Sept. 28 by a Covington County grand jury. The indictment charges him with one count of domestic violence strangulation or suffocation, one count of second-degree domestic violence/stalking, two counts of third-degree domestic violence/harassment, and one count of third-degree domestic violence/assault.

Further details about Jackson’s alleged crimes have not been released.

It wasn’t immediately clear when Jackson left the Lockhart Police Department.

If convicted, Jackson faces between two and 20 years in jail and a fine of up to $30,000 for the charges involving strangulation or suffocation and second-degree domestic violence/stalking, which are felonies. He also faces up to a year behind bars and a fine of up to $6,000 on each of the third-degree domestic violence charges, which are misdemeanors.