Morgan County sheriff pleads the Fifth in lawsuit response

MORGAN COUNTY, AL (WAFF) - Morgan County Sheriff Ana Franklin doesn't have anything to say when it comes to a new lawsuit filed against her in federal court.

Franklin pleaded the Fifth 30 times in a written response to a lawsuit filed by blogger Glenda Lockhart, according to our news partners at the Decatur Daily.

"The defendant neither admits nor denies the material averments in this numbered paragraph but asserts her Fifth Amendment rights," her lawyer responded each time.

Lockhart is suing Morgan over allegations that she and three deputies lied to her grandson in order to blackmail him into installing spyware on her computer.

Lockhart runs a blog that has been critical of the sheriff's office.

In a hearing last month, Morgan denied knowing about the spyware.

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Last month, a Morgan County judge ruled that Franklin and three deputies acted illegally in their investigation of Lockhart and former jail warden Leon Bradley.

Franklin is not seeking re-election.

Read more of this story at the Decatur Daily.

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