Probation officer charged

HALEYVILLE - A Haleyville man has been arrested, charged with an ethics violation in relation to his work as a probation officer.
Michael Steven Painter, 49, of 5898 Newburg Road, was taken into custody Friday, May 15, and charged with an ethics violation over using a public office for personal gain and custodial sexual misconduct, according to Andrew Hamlin, District Attorney for the 24th Judical Circuit in Alabama, which encompasses Fayette, Lamar and Pickens counties.  The charges have been lodged against Painter in relation to conduct that he allegedly engaged in while employed as a probation officer with the Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles.
Painter’s bond is set at $150,000 by the Fayette County District Court.  His bond was posted, and he has been released from custody.  Painter remains on mandatory leave pending an internal investigation by the Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles.
“The Bureau of Pardons and Paroles placed this officer on mandatory leave when this allegation was first made. We have worked closely with the local authorities in Fayette in support of this investigation,”  Terry Abbott, director of communications for the Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles said. “The bureau will never allow a probation officer to engage in inappropriate and unethical conduct, and if this allegation is true, we will support prosecution in this case to the fullest extent of the law."
During his law enforcement career, Painter has worked with the Haleyville Police Department, Winston County Sheriff’s Office and Brilliant Police Department.  He sought the Republican nomination for Winston County Sheriff in 2010, but lost in the primary.  Painter has been with the Bureau of Pardons and Paroles since July 1, 2016.
The 24th Judicial Circuit’s District Attorney’s Ofice is being assisted with the investigation by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s State Bureau of Investigation and the criminal investigations division of the 25th Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office - which encompasses Winston and Marion counties.  The Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles is also offering its assistance and full cooperation with the case, Hamlin said.

*When someone is accused of a crime, it is merely an accusation until or unless the person is found guilty in a court of law.