Fayette County District Attorney recuses himself from sex crimes case, cites conflict of interest

FAYETTE COUNTY, Ala. (WBRC) - The District Attorney in sex offender case in west Alabama has recused himself from the case.

According to court documents filed Monday, Andrew Hamlin submitted his formal notice of recusal from the case involving Timothy Vess Benton.

Hamlin cited an unspecified conflict of interest as the reason he and his office were turning the case over to the Alabama State Attorney General’s Office.

“It has been determined that a conflict of interest exists that prohibits my office from continuing in the prosecution of the aforesaid cases,” Hamlin wrote, referring to the case against Benton. “Because of this, please take this letter as my formal recusal and request that the Attorney General’s Office superintend the prosecution of said cases and all matters related thereto in the future.”

Benton was originally indicted on 48 sex crimes, but later pleaded guilty to two counts of sodomy in 2019. He served five years in prison before being moved to house arrest.

After being arrested last week for violating the Sex Offender Registration and Community Notification Act (SORNA), Hamlin had filed a motion Friday for Benton to serve the remainder of his sentence in prison.

Now that Hamlin has recused himself, the Alabama Attorney General’s Office will take over the case.

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