Ethics commission investigating two Cleburne commissioners

The Alabama ethics commission is investigating the use of inmate labor by Two Cleburne County commissioners  The commission has requested records connected to Commissioner Laura Cobb’s employment of a county inmate at a gas station she manages. The Ethics Commission also has requested records of Commissioner Emmett Owen’s use of inmate labor.  Cobb, who took office in January, says she interviewed the inmate, who was later hired to work full-time in the gas station on Alabama 46. The inmate is paid $7.25 per hour, the federal minimum wage. Cobb said that inmate, was released from jail about two weeks ago and still works for the station doing cleaning and yard work.  According to the records provided by Robertson, the Ethics Commission requested the records of the gas station’s payments to Walker as well as the records of Owen's payments to inmates at his place of business in Georgia.  Owen has spoken to an investigator and last week he acknowledged taking prisoners to work with him at the Candler Building in Atlanta. Taking the inmates out of state is an infraction of the rules of the program, but according to John Hamm, director of member services for the Association of County Commissions of Alabama, it’s not against state law.