Concerned citizens gathered peacefully on Friday on the Fayette Courthouse lawn to protest the recent transfer of convicted sex offender Timothy Vess Benton from state prison to the Fayette Community Corrections Program (CCP). Residents in the rally demanded transparency and accountability regarding the decision.
Benton was originally arrested and indicted on a 48-count felony Grand Jury indictment in 2017. In 2019, he pled guilty to two counts of sodomy in the second degree and was sentenced to 17 years in the custody of the Alabama Department of Corrections.
On June 25, 2025, Circuit Judge Samuel W. Junkin modified the terms of his incarceration to serve the remainder of his sentence under the supervision of the 24th Judicial Circuit’s Community Corrections Program. On August 6, the order was approved for Benton’s transfer to the CCP. The decision sparked public outcry, leading to the protest where residents voiced their concerns over the change.
See complete story in The Times-Record.
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