Attorney Beverly Barber urges county follow‑up after alleging court‑record changes and contamination at Mitchell’s Paradise campground

Beverly Barber addressed the St. Clair County Commission during public comment on Jan. 7 with three items she said require county attention: (1) apparent alterations to electronic circuit court records she and her contacts observed, (2) delays obtaining a criminal warrant connected to a civil matter she filed, and (3) allegations of environmental contamination at Mitchell’s Paradise Campground that may affect local drinking water and people who fish the lake.

Barber said she had discussed the electronic‑records issue with the Administrative Office of Courts (AOC) in Montgomery and that an AOC legal contact (she named someone she recalled as “Hoyer”) had identified two possible origins for the changes. She described cases in which a party listed in an electronic filing appeared to have been removed and other entries duplicated; Barber said, in some instances, changes could produce a missed statute‑of‑limitations date and cause a case to be lost. Barber asked the commission to pursue a trace of where the changes originated and suggested involving the attorney general’s office.

Regarding law enforcement response, Barber said she had filed a criminal complaint related to a derogatory internet posting and that local investigators had not yet provided a warrant; she said multiple people reported being told officers were not available to respond to calls. Commissioner Joe Kemp (speaking as counsel) reminded the public that the sheriff is an elected official and not subordinate to the commission and suggested complaining directly to the sheriff’s office while the commission followed up through the county attorney.

Barber’s third concern described ongoing litigation and allegations about the Mitchell’s Paradise Campground property on Highway 144 (between Pilton and Ragland). She said she had been told by others that the property was so contaminated that residents were asked to vacate and suggested the contamination might have introduced human pathogens into fish. Barber said she had contacted the health department, the EPA and, she believed, Alabama Power representatives in an effort to identify responsible authorities; she asked the commission to obtain contact information for the agencies she had reached so county staff could follow up.

Commission response and next steps

Commissioners and the county attorney said they had taken notes on Barber’s three items and would follow up with appropriate offices, including the county attorney and the sheriff’s office. County staff asked Barber for contact information and indicated officials would pursue the leads she provided.

What is and isn’t clear from the meeting

- Barber said AOC personnel told her they could see where changes were made in the electronic filing system but she did not provide a named AOC casework reference in the meeting beyond the name she recalled. - Barber said there had been at least one discontinued hearing in the Mitchell’s Paradise matter and that litigation remained pending; she did not provide laboratory results or a formal agency contamination report at the meeting.

Ending: Commissioners logged Barber’s three concerns and asked staff to follow up with the county attorney and the sheriff’s office; the commission clarified that complaints against the sheriff’s office are best directed to the sheriff because the sheriff is an elected official.