ASHVILLE — Former St. Clair County Schools Superintendent Tom Sanders was arrested Tuesday for allegedly using campaign contributions for personal use.Sanders, 49, of Ashville, turned himself in to the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department Tuesday morning after he was indicted by a grand jury, which convened last week.
The grand jury found there was enough evidence to warrant a criminal trial in the case involving the former superintendent.
District Attorney Richard Minor said Sanders was indicted on two felony charges and one misdemeanor charge involving a campaign contribution.
According to the indictment, a campaign contribution check was given to Sanders by Trussville businessman and developer Jack Harris. Minor said Tuesday Sanders was indicted on one ethics violation, involving the conversion of those contributions to personal use, a Class B felony.
In the second count of the three-count indictment, Sanders was indicted for the improper use of campaign money received, Minor said.
“That’s a violation of the Fair Campaign Practices Act,” he said, adding that the charge is also a Class B Felony.
Minor said each felony count carries a sentence of two to 20 years in prison, if Sanders is convicted.
Minor said Sanders was also indicted for failing to report a campaign contribution, a Class A misdemeanor.
Minor said if Sanders was convicted on all three counts, he would serve a minimum of two years in prison.
“The charges are the result of an Alabama Bureau of Investigation case based on alleged criminal activities that were presented during another court hearing,” Minor said.
The court hearing Minor was referring to involved former Ashville High School bookkeeper Amy Murphree, who was convicted and sentenced for embezzling $140,749 from Ashville High School during a five-year period.
In May, Murphree’s defense attorney Lance Bell presented documents to the court, which were put on record, indicating Murphree and Sanders were having an affair during the time she was stealing money from the School System.
According to court documents, Murphree allegedly used the money she stole to fund her affair with the former superintendent. The records included a transcript of alleged tape recordings between Murphree and Sanders.
“Murphree used just about all the money taken from the school to pay for hotel rooms for the affair, trips with Sanders, to purchase Viagra for Sanders, prescription pills for herself and Sanders, food for both of them, along with other items during the affair with Sanders,” Bell wrote in a sentencing memorandum to St. Clair County Circuit Court Judge Charles Robinson.
In the transcripts of alleged tape recordings between the two, the former superintendent repeatedly denies he knew Murphree was stealing school funds while they were having an affair.
However, he does admit in the transcript that he cashed a campaign check and gave her the money.
“I just, I got questioned today about you know, when I got that check cashed and gave you some money to help you out,” Sanders said.
“Questioned by whom?” Murphree asked.
“ABI,” Sanders said.
He later asks Murphree in the transcript to lie to authorities about him cashing the check and giving her the campaign funds.
“… All it’s going to do is get me in trouble,” he said. “It’s not going to get you in trouble. You can just say, you can say, you just deny it.”
Sanders resigned as superintendent in December 2005, before his term of office ended, citing health reasons and what he believed was in the best interests of his family.
He had worked for the system 26 years. He was principal of Ashville High School before he was elected superintendent.
Sanders was released shortly after his arrest Tuesday morning, posting a $5,000 property bond.
Sanders is expected to make his first court appearance at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 3, in Ashville.
Sanders declined to make any comments Tuesday about his arrest.
