Attorney guilty on 11 child porn counts

A Dothan attorney was found guilty on 11 child pornography possession charges on Thursday afternoon.

A jury began deliberating around 2 p.m. on the charges filed against Randy Brackin, a 62-year-old former Dothan lawyer. The verdict was reached around 3:30 p.m.

Houston County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Brackin in February 2009, and charged him with 11 felony counts of child porn possession.

“They’re the most valuable asset a country has, little children. Those children continue to be victimized every time those pictures are viewed,” Houston County District Attorney Doug Valeska told jurors. “A man who was an attorney in this circuit who took an oath to follow the law, has a major major problem, I would say he is sexual pervert.”

Valeska reminded jurors the evidence included more than 100 pornographic images of children found on Brackin’s hard drives from his computers, a portable jump drive and a CD.

Valeska posted 11 pornographic pictures on a large bulletin board for the jury to view during his closing arguments.

“Look at this picture, that is disgusting,” Valeska said. “I want you to look at her. I don’t want you to ever forget this girl.”

The Brackin defense team, led by Stephen Etheredge, said during closing arguments that the charges filed against their client were only from images found on a CD, not from a portable jump drive or any other computer equipment. Etheredge was also assisted in the defense by lawyers Doug Bates, Dustin Fowler and Denny Holloway.

Etheredge also suggested his client was set up by his former secretary, Autumn Davis.

“The only person who contends she saw child pornography was Autumn Davis,” Etheredge said. “We have evidence in this case that establishes she was not telling the truth.”

Valeska lauded his key-note witness, Davis, for coming forward and reporting the illegal pornography to the authorities.

“She said she did it for the children, she has a child,” Valeska said. “There’s no motive she had except to protect children. She had the courage to do what’s right.”

Etheredge argued Davis had computer experience because she worked as a secretary in a law office, and suggested she copied illegal pornographic images onto a CD to set up her boss.

“She’s not as angelic as Valeska would present her,” Etheredge said. “Things could not have happened the way testimony said it happened.”

Etheredge claimed Davis said she saw a website containing child pornography, which is actually owned by a candy manufacturing company, and was not a child porn site as insinuated by Davis.

Etheredge suggested the illegal images could’ve come onto his computers as pop-up advertisements.

“We do have evidence that things come on to your computer that you don’t ask for, and if you delete them they’re saved to your hard drive,” Etheredge said.

Etheredge said his client had never viewed the CD, and had never seen it before.

“Nobody’s asking you to condone child pornography. We know that Randy Brackin looked at adult pornography, but it’s not a crime,” Etheredge said. “Mr. Brackin comes into this courtroom clothed with the presumption innocence.”

Valeska said Davis had no motive to set her former boss up to be arrested.

“He liked those images,” Valeska said. “He kept them on a CD, it was easy move around to take it home and watch it.”