Murder and the Politician

by Diane Fanning

On Monday morning in Alabama, Mobile County Commissioner Stephen Nodine sat in his usual spot for the county commission meeting.  No one really cared what he thought about the road plans for U.S. 98 on the agenda.  They just wanted to know why he was walking free among them.

In mid-May, a grand jury delivered a bill of indictment alleging that Nodine should be removed from office on charges of willful neglect of duty, corruption in office, incompetence, intemperance in the use of intoxicating liquors or narcotics, and moral turpitude.

They specified that he used one county vehicle for personal business, including visits to the Gulf Shores home of his long-time mistress Angel Downs (above) and driving under the influence, as well as losing another county pickup after he drove it to New Orleans Mardis Gras 2008.  The truck was found and about to be towed from the location where Nodine, in a drunken stupor, abandoned it.  The grand jury also cited him for purchasing non-official food and fuel with his county credit card.

On top of that, there were drug allegations: marijuana was found in his county vehicle in December 2009; he fraudulently purchased the painkiller Lortab from at least nine different pharmacies in four different states; and he was publicly intoxicated.  The last occurred during the first week in May when, wearing his county hat, he showed up belligerent at the Command Center for the BP oil spill.

Add to those incidents charges of stalking, harassment, verbal abuse, physical abuse and making threats against Angel Downs after she attempted to break off their relationship.  To complicate his sins even further, Nodine flashed his badge to law enforcement in an an attempt to avoid being arrested or charged with violation of a court-issued protective order.  It's no surprise that many of the commissioners' constituents saw him as a dishonest, abusive jerk.

Many of us have become numb to allegations of moral and ethical shortcomings by politicians, though.  It often seems as if many run for election not to serve, but to take advantage of their positions.  It becomes easy to simply turn away with boredom when another politician disappoints us.

The horror of May 9, however, could not be ignored.  That event stirred up the outrage of both Mobile and Baldwin County residents.  A shot rang out in The Ridge condominium complex, and Angel Downs fell down on her driveway, bleeding from her head.  Nodine's red county-issued pickup truck was seen leaving the area immediately afterwards. Helpless neighbors surrounded Angel and watched her die before paramedics arrived at the scene.

Nodine turned himself into authorities on the marijuana charges on May 14.  His wife filed for divorce, and he signed the papers on May 17.  Nodine's county truck was confiscated to search for evidence. Authorities found spent .40-caliber rounds and the presence of blood.

Still, fifteen days after the death of Angel Downs, Stephen Nodine sat in a county commission meeting as if nothing had happened.

While Nodine played the role of innocent and persecuted, the Grand Jury of Baldwin County met to consider the death of Angel Downs.  After seven hours of testimony, they handed down an indictment against the commissioner for murder.

At 7:15 Monday evening, in front of the Baldwin County Corrections Center, Stephen Nodine stepped out of his attorney's SUV, dressed in khaki shorts and a blue golf shirt.  He didn't say a word as a deputy approached through a crowd of reporters, slapped handcuffs on his wrists and escorted him inside.

The bail amount on a first degree murder charge in Alabama is an automatic $500,000.  If Nodine raises his bond, he will be on house arrest and forced to wear an ankle monitor.  It will be difficult for the family and the community to see Nodine walk out of jail, even with that new limiting accessory.

Nonetheless, there is comfort in knowing that Angel has not been forgotten, that someone has been arrested for her murder, and the journey on the road to justice has begun.

UPDATE: Stephen Nodine is still in jail unable to post bond, but he has resigned his position as a Mobile County Commissioner.