Community leaders around Lee County and the Chattahoochee Valley wrote letters voicing their support of former Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard after his lawyers submitted a motion for his release from prison after serving a year of his 28-month sentence. In a Wednesday court filing, the state attorney general’s office opposed Hubbard’s request for release.
The letters of support were sent to Lee County Circuit Judge Jacob Walker as a part of Hubbard’s motion for early release, according to court documents. They were written by Bo Jackson, Opelika Mayor Gary Fuller, Opelika City Council President Eddie Smith, Auburn Board of Trustees member Gaines Lanier, former Auburn City Councilmember Gene Dulaney, Dr. Steven Presley with East Alabama Health and Auburn United Methodist Church Pastor Emeritus George Mathison.
“Judge Walker, I cannot imagine any value or benefit of keeping this man in prison,” Fuller wrote. “He is certainly not a threat to society and sending him home would help, in a small way, to reduce the prison population and benefit the taxpayers of Alabama. It would be a kind and humane gesture if you would send him home to his wife and children.”
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Jackson wrote that he has known Hubbard for more than 35 years and called Hubbard a “trusted and valued friend.”
“I don’t know all of the specifics of his case and I don’t need to know, because I know Mike,” Jackson wrote. “I have seen Mike Hubbard’s talents and skills first-hand, and have witnessed his unconditional support for his friends, family and community. Because of these characteristics, I know Mike will be a productive citizen and will have a positive impact on his environment. In fact, I look forward to working with him again as a part of future endeavors.”
Jackson also said that Hubbard played an important part in his receiving the Heisman Trophy in 1985.
“Mike’s incredible work ethic, dedication, and creativity coupled with his countless hours of hard work on my behalf led to a successful Heisman campaign. For this, I am forever grateful,” Jackson said. “His commitment to the goal allowed me and Auburn University a place in history.”
Mathison, who was Hubbard’s pastor, thanked the judge for his leadership in the community as well as his dedication to Christian values and shared anecdotes of his time spent with Hubbard, including when Hubbard encouraged Mathison to write a book while serving as Auburn University’s chaplain for the football team entitled “Positive Thoughts from a Perfect Season.”
According to Mathison, Hubbard and Auburn Network published the book and they decided to use the profits from the book’s sales to help fund the first Habitat for Humanity house in Auburn.
“I just wanted to mention that with you to share with you the kind of person that I feel Mike is through his generosity to help a needy family in Lee County,” Mathison wrote to Walker. “That is just one of many examples that I could share of my experience with him as his pastor and friend and things about his life that I saw close-up that perhaps others did not.”
Hubbard himself wrote a letter to Walker as a part of the motion for early release and said his conviction had severely damaged and embarrassed him and those close to him. Hubbard also apologized and asked for forgiveness from everyone affected by the crimes for which he was convicted and said that his year in prison has been “the most humbling experience in my life.”
“The fact that I was convicted of violating the ethics law of which I oversaw the drafting and passing is embarrassing, and I apologize to the Court,” Hubbard said. “I recognize and admit my errors, and I apologize for the many hardships and tears it has caused my family to endure. I apologize to my employees whose livelihoods have now been thrown into uncertainty. Furthermore, I also apologize to the citizens of Alabama, particularly those living in Lee County.”
Hubbard was convicted in Lee County Circuit Court in 2016 on 12 of 23 counts of violating state ethics laws. Judge Walker sentenced him to four years in prison and eight years of probation, and assessed a fine of $210,000.
Hubbard began serving his prison sentence in September 2020, and in November of that year Walker reduced his sentence from four years to 28 months after six of Hubbard’s convictions were overturned on appeal, cutting the time the former politician was expected to serve for several ethics violations by almost half, according to court documents.
In a response to Hubbard’s motion for early release, state prosecutors urged the court to deny the former speaker of the house’s request and said there was no persuasive reason to justify him serving less than half of the sentence the court ordered 10 months ago.
“As Hubbard appears to see it, his apology is dispositive. Now that he is sorry for his crimes and is ready to ‘rebuild trust with those who have lost faith in [him] and the entire political system,’ he should be released to get started on that work,” state prosecutors said in the response. “It is a positive step that Hubbard recognizes that his crimes ‘harmed society as a whole.’ But he is wrong to think the best way to repair that harm is for the Court to release the very man who caused it after he has served less than half his sentence. By Hubbard’s logic, a remorseful arsonist should be released early if he expresses the desire to rebuild the home he burned down.”
State prosecutors went on to say that while Hubbard’s apology was “a good start,” it was not a basis for his release and does not outweigh the reasons why he should serve his full sentence. Prosecutors called his apology “belated” and said he should have made it five years ago at his sentencing hearing and taken responsibility for the crimes for which he was convicted.
“When a public official victimizes the citizens of Alabama, an apology—even combined with talents and community support—does not justify leniency unavailable to average defendants,” state prosecutors said. “Hubbard should serve his sentence, just like everyone else.”