Suspended Jefferson County District Attorney Claims Innocence On Perjury Charge
Suspended Jefferson County District Attorney Charles Todd Henderson says he isn’t guilty of a perjury charge announced late Friday by the Alabama Attorney General’s Office.
“I’m standing here today and I’m telling you I didn’t do it,” Henderson said at a press conference Tuesday. “I look forward to that day in court and I hope that day comes soon.”
Jim Parkman, an attorney for Henderson, suggested at the press conference the charge is politically motivated.
“I think it is strange, the timing of this indictment came just moments, minutes before an active workday that Todd Henderson was to step into office,” Parkman said.
Henderson was to take office as district attorney Tuesday. Instead, he was suspended in accordance with state law following the felony indictment. A Jefferson County judge appointed Danny Carr interim district attorney over the weekend.
Henderson is accused of giving false testimony in a divorce trial in which he served as guardian ad litem for the divorcing couple’s minor child. Parkman says Henderson was appointed to that position at the request of the woman in the case. Parkman says she did work on Henderson’s campaign. Henderson was removed as guardian ad litem after allegations of bias.
Parkman acknowledged Henderson had a romantic relationship with the woman, but said it didn’t start until after he was removed from the case.
Parkman said on Tuesday he still doesn’t know the specifics of the charge.
“The indictment doesn’t tell us what question was asked that he responded to that he lied about,” Parkman said. “But I can tell you that in reading it, you know, we have looked at it, we don’t believe there’s a single word.”
Henderson is a Democrat. Republican Attorney General Luther Strange’s office says it investigated Henderson based on information it received from the Alabama State Bar in December.
Nearly 60 cases dismissed due to corruption in Hanceville Police Department
The grand jury determined that 58 felony criminal cases had been tainted by corruption in the Hanceville Police Department, after four officers and the police chief were indicted on a variety of charges related to mishandling or removing evidence from the department's evidence room.
President Trump fires Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden
Hayden, who became the first woman and the first African American to serve as the Librarian of Congress when she was appointed in 2016, was abruptly fired via email late Thursday.
First Afrikaners granted refugee status due to arrive in U.S.
Three months ago, President Trump signed an executive order telling white Afrikaans South Africans they could apply for refugee status in the U.S. The first group has been swiftly processed and is set to arrive on U.S. soil Monday
Court rules Alabama violated Voting Rights Act in drawing congressional lines
A three-judge panel permanently blocked Alabama from using a state-drawn map that they said flouted their directive to draw a plan that was fair to Black voters. The decision was not a surprise because the panel ruled against the state twice previously and put a new map in place for last year’s elections.
Who is the new Pope Leo XIV and what are his views?
Pope Leo XIV was born and raised in Chicago. He is of French, Italian and Spanish descent. He spent years working as a missionary in Peru.
India and Pakistan trade attacks amid risk of war between nuclear states
The escalation began after India accused Pakistan of being behind an attack where gunmen killed 26 people, mostly tourists, in India-administered Kashmir on April 22. Pakistan denies it.
