MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) – Law enforcement officers investigating a man’s allegations that a Prichard police officer pressured him to pay a bribe caught a hand-off of cash on video, according to testimony Thursday.
Mobile County District Judge George Zoghby ruled that prosecutors have sufficient evidence against Emanuel Naman Dotch II, 50, and Jihad Hasan Irby, 36, to send the case to a grand jury for possible indictment. They face two counts each of bribery and first-degree extortion, as well as use of their official position for personal gain.
Dotch also faces federal charges that contain the same allegations, as well as other accusations, including charges that he tried to frame an Atlanta laywer and his driver on bogus drug charges . A federal judge on Thursday postponed his trial until the October court term.
Mobile County District Attorney Keith Blackwood said following the hearing that it was an important step in an ongoing effort to clean up a department that has seen a number of its officers – including its police chief – arrested on criminal charges…