A famous or infamous Liberty County name — seldom heard within the past few years — surfaced unexpectedly during this month’s county commission meeting.
An agenda item listed only as “Resolution consideration — The Rev. Leonard Small” turned out to be an appeal for the commissioners to ask for the release of former tax commissioner Carolyn Brown.
Brown has served seven years of a 30-year sentence after she was convicted of theft by conversion and racketeering for taking some $1 million in taxpayer money.
In careful, quiet, respectful tones, Small read a proposed resolution drafted for the commissioners to call on the Board of Pardons and Paroles to allow Brown to come home.
Small said Brown’s release would bring closure and healing to the community, and an end to the divisiveness which he said was caused by her imprisonment.
Small did not ask the commissioners to act on the proposed resolution at Tuesday’s session, but merely said he hoped they would begin consideration of the action.
He said large numbers of Brown’s family, friends and other supporters had been asked not to attend the meeting, so he could preserve the tone of the request.
“We are asking for mercy,” he said.
There was little reaction from the commissioners, except a “thank you” from Chairman John McIver.
An agenda item listed only as “Resolution consideration — The Rev. Leonard Small” turned out to be an appeal for the commissioners to ask for the release of former tax commissioner Carolyn Brown.
Brown has served seven years of a 30-year sentence after she was convicted of theft by conversion and racketeering for taking some $1 million in taxpayer money.
In careful, quiet, respectful tones, Small read a proposed resolution drafted for the commissioners to call on the Board of Pardons and Paroles to allow Brown to come home.
Small said Brown’s release would bring closure and healing to the community, and an end to the divisiveness which he said was caused by her imprisonment.
Small did not ask the commissioners to act on the proposed resolution at Tuesday’s session, but merely said he hoped they would begin consideration of the action.
He said large numbers of Brown’s family, friends and other supporters had been asked not to attend the meeting, so he could preserve the tone of the request.
“We are asking for mercy,” he said.
There was little reaction from the commissioners, except a “thank you” from Chairman John McIver.