MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - A special agent who was fired from the state attorney general’s office says he’s appealing his termination to the state Personnel Board.
Attorney General Luther Strange wrote a termination letter May 12 accusing Howard Sisson of helping former Deputy Attorney General Sonny Regan undermine an investigation into Republican House Speaker Mike Hubbard. Reagan resigned from his position in December after being told that he’d be fired on accusations of undermining the special Lee County grand jury’s investigation.
Hubbard, of Auburn, faces 23 felony ethics charges accusing him of using his political offices for personal gain and has denied the allegations.
Strange said Sisson helped Reagan secretly tape a conversation with the acting attorney general who was in charge of Hubbard’s case and later lied about losing the recorder. Strange also accused Sisson of disclosing confidential information.
In the termination letter, Strange said Sisson - a former police officer - should know as a criminal investigator that defense attorneys typically accuse prosecutors of misconduct and that he couldn’t be trusted.
Sisson wrote a letter to the Personnel Board May 15 and said he was asked by a chief investigator to help record the conversation and that he did so to bring attention to another investigator’s conduct.
Sisson accused the investigator of threatening and bullying him, and said he was fired in retaliation for trying to report misconduct.
“As soon as he reports what he considers to be violations in the office, he goes from being the most credible state law enforcement officer used by the attorney general’s office to being accused by the attorney general’s office of being disloyal, untrustworthy and deceitful,” Sisson’s attorney, Mickey McDermott told the Montgomery Advertiser.
“They’re attacking my honor,” Sisson told Al.com. “I’ve been building and protecting my honor for 28 years and I’m not going to walk away from this.”
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