“Best jail in the state of Alabama—that’s another thing I’m proud of,” Blakely, 70, said during a news conference outside his attorney’s office. “The food was real good, the staff took very good care of me.”
The former Alabama sheriff was convicted of stealing $4,000 from his campaign account and taking no-interest loans from a country jail fund that held prisoners’ money, breaking ethic violations.
Blakely gave high praise to the jail, happy with the food and company he had during his time there, and denied receiving any special treatment from his former staff.
“I was incarcerated, whether they kept me in my office up front or whether they had me in the hole in the back, when you’re incarcerated, let me tell you, you don’t have the freedom to go,” Blakely said.
For more reporting from the Associated Press, see below.
He was in his 10th straight term at the time of his removal from office, making him Alabama’s longest-serving sheriff at the time.
Blakely said he “couldn’t ask for better treatment from the inmates,” and said some even offered to have him food delivered to the jail.
“I said, ‘No, I eat the jail food ‘cause I love it because I’ve been eating it for the last 38 years,” he said.
Sentenced to three years in custody, Blakely won’t get to serve time in the Limestone County jail once he begins his term. A judge ruled that he will be held at the Franklin County Jail, about 60 miles (97 kilometers) from Athens.
