DOTHAN, Ala (WDHN) — A local businessman and blogger paid thousands in court fees after the top prosecutor in Houston County asked a judge to hold him in contempt for allegedly not paying thousands of dollars to the court system through his bonding company.
District Attorney Russ Goodman claims that over the past five months, Stokes and his bonding company, A-Advantage Bonding, failed to pay around 332 bond fees in the Houston County court system.
According to Goodman, Stokes should have paid the court system around $35 for each case, putting him on the line for around $11,270.
The Houston County Clerk’s Office confirmed to WDHN that Stokes paid all fees and cases listed in the DA’s lawsuit on Monday after the suit was filed.
Stokes says that while he went to the courthouse to pay bond fees today, he did not know about the lawsuit then and just paid what he was told to pay.
While Goodman was looking for a Houston County Judge to hold Stokes in contempt, he said he would review the case and consider how to proceed.
Stokes has been under fire lately after a state audit claimed $155,000 is unaccounted for from Cottonwood Rescue, of which he was the president.
After the report was released, Cottonwood Rescue President Rickey Stokes told WDHN in an exclusive interview that no illegal action had occurred and that the $155,000 would soon be accounted for.
Houston County Chairman Brandon Shoupe claims the money was embezzled.
Chairman Shoupe says a couple of those undocumented purchases include online gambling and lingerie. Stokes denies this, saying he didn’t purchase those and they were both fraud cases.
DA Goodman says he is still reviewing the auditor’s report and the case and cannot tell if his office will seek charges against Stokes.
