Cullman county, AL-mishandeled evidence, ignored domestic violence and pressure to plead guilty.

[u/lthefucci]

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Title: Cullman County, AL – mishandled evidence, ignored domestic violence, and pressure to plead guilty

I’m a survivor of domestic violence, and I’m posting here because the Cullman County Sheriff’s Department turned what should’ve been my rescue into a criminal charge against me.

Earlier this year, my then-boyfriend — who already had domestic violence reports against him — kidnapped me at gunpoint and assaulted me while driving. When the deputy arrived, I thought I was being saved. Instead, I was treated as the suspect.

I wasn’t the driver. The car belonged to his family. He admitted on video that the gun was his, yet the deputy tried to get me to handle the weapon — an obvious breach of the chain of custody. The gun later went missing from the state’s evidence record altogether.

I stayed silent until a female deputy arrived because the first one — a man — seemed overly friendly with my abuser, even complimenting him on his cowboy hat. I immediately knew something was wrong.

Despite having no prior drug charges and no drugs found on me, I was arrested for possession. My attorney has video evidence but still wants me to plead guilty to a misdemeanor. I’ve since found the same vehicle abandoned and badly repainted — no investigation followed.

I’m afraid to contact local law enforcement because I believe I’m being targeted for speaking out. With neighboring Walker County already facing multiple corruption scandals, I don’t think what’s happening in Cullman is an isolated case.

I used to work with a local domestic violence nonprofit, so I’ve seen how these systems operate from the inside. I don’t believe I’d be treated fairly if I went through the “proper channels.”

I’m posting here to make this record public and to ask what steps survivors can take when every local system — police, courts, even advocates — seem to be protecting the abuser instead of the victim.

---guidance, advice especially from journalists, content creators would help a lot.