Motions filed in ethics case against former state senator

State prosecutors filed a motion Friday alleging that Former state Sen. Lowell Barron circulated $52,000 in campaign money back to himself through his co-defendant in violation of Alabama law.  A DeKalb County grand jury indicted Barron in April, along with former campaign staff worker Rhonda Jill Johnson, on six counts of state campaign and ethics violations.  The motion filed by prosecutor Matt Hart of the Attorney General's office also said the state intends to prove at trial that Barron and Johnson had a "personal" relationship that included a foreign trip in which they shared a hotel room. Johnson also received a $100,000 interest-free loan from Barron, according to the court documents.  The motion is the first time prosecutors have provided their interpretation of the nature of the relationship between Barron and Johnson, which they contend was both criminal and personal.  Barron's attorney, Joe Espy argued in court last month that Barron and Johnson did not have a personal relationship. He asked the court to review testimony about the relationship gathered by prosecutors and decide if the material should be given to the defense. Espy argued the defense was entitled to any testimony that was "exculpatory," or favorable to Barron and Johnson.  The prosecutor's motion to DeKalb Circuit Judge Randall Cole outlined the materials it was providing to Cole in accordance with the review order issued Aug. 21. The materials included recorded interviews, excerpts of grand jury testimony, a summary of interviews regarding the relationship between Barron and Johnson and other materials. Prosecutors argued in the filing that only the criminal relationship between Barron and Johnson mattered, but it also provided information it said pointed to a personal relationship between the former senator and his longtime aide.  Hart described Johnson as "an accomplice" to Barron routing $52,000 in campaign funds to himself through her.