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August 24, 2005

Goat Hill Club welcomes new honorary member

The Goat Hill* Club, not affiliated in any way with the Mile High Club, is prepared to vote in new honorary member state Senator Curtis Lee:

Senator, woman triggered state Capitol lockdown

The Alabama Capitol was locked down in the early morning hours of July 22, a Friday during the recent special legislative session, after a Capitol employee discovered two people, one of whom was later identified as a state senator, in the Old House Chamber, according to documents from the Alabama Department of Public Safety.

The employee told Capitol Police that he saw the two people run from the chamber and out of the building, according to an incident report obtained by the Mobile Register.

Using video surveillance cameras and security records generated by card-key entrances at the State House and Capitol, officials identified one of the people as state Sen. Curt Lee, according to the documents. The records describe the other person only as a "white female."

On their initial incident report, Capitol Police officers concluded that "no evidence of a criminal offense took place" because Lee, a Republican from Jasper, has access to the building at all hours. The final version of the report reads: "The case status is marked closed and the case disposition is unfounded."

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Lee issued the following statement to the Register late Monday afternoon:

"I visited the House and Senate chambers of the Capitol at an early hour on July 22, 2005. On a lark, I had suggested to a colleague who works in the Senate that we visit the Capitol, which I think is a very beautiful place since it was renovated a number of years ago.

"Although I am authorized to go into the Alabama State House and the Capitol at any time, I realize that doing so at such an early hour led to security concerns and an 'incident report' being filed at the Department of Public Safety. Absolutely nothing inappropriate occurred, and I have been told that the Department of Safety has closed its investigation.

"I now realize that visiting the Capitol at such an early hour of the day was a mistake, and I regret the decision to do so because of the security concerns it may have raised. I apologize for any inconvenience or concern that my actions might have caused."

According to the incident report, Jessie James Lee, a Capitol employee who began his July 22 shift before 6 a.m., reported to Capitol Police at 5:40 a.m. that he had seen a "white male and a white female" in the Old House Chamber on the second floor of the building. Jessie James Lee is not related to the senator.

"Mr. Lee stated that upon discovery both subjects ran down the second floor east hallway and exited by using the elevator," the report states. "Mr. Lee further stated that he observed both subjects leaving out of the bronze doors on Union Street and driving off in a dark-colored sport utility vehicle."

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Surveillance tape showed Lee and the accompanying female parking the sport utility vehicle on McDowell Lee Drive on the north side of the State House and later exiting the Union Street doors to the Capitol and driving off, the reports states.

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"The user attempted to access the attorney general's floors in the State House and was denied entry. The entry to the Capitol was indicated to be the tunnel entrance," the report states, referring to a tunnel that runs underneath Union Street between the two buildings.

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More images from the camera system showed some of the pair's movement through the buildings, according to the report. Capitol Police Sgt. Mike Tew, the report states, reviewed still shots from the camera system and "identified the suspect as Senator Curtis Lee of the Alabama Senate."

The report does not make clear whether Capitol Police ever questioned the senator. Lee was elected in 1998 and re-elected in 2002. He is married to the former Brandy Murphy. The couple has one child.

Through spokeswoman Martha Earnhardt, the Department of Public Safety denied the Register's request to see the video surveillance at the Capitol and State House on the night of July 21 and the morning of July 22.

Public Safety officials, Earnhardt said, believe that releasing such video records could compromise security measures used at the Capitol and State House by revealing camera locations.

Hat tip to War Liberal. The events occurred nearly a month ago; news story came out last week.

Not to put words in anyone's mouth, or ideas in anyone's head, and not that it's any of my personal business, but...! When public officials go 'larking' about, it's in my interest as a taxpayer to know what kind of person might be making decisions with my tax dollars. Are they liars, thieves, hypocrites? Or do they just have... poor impulse control?

Questions Mrs. Lee might be asking: "What's 'a lark'? Who were you 'larking' with? How do you know her? Why were you there at that hour of the morning? What could you be showing her at that time that she couldn't see during a regular tour? Why did you run from security, if you weren't doing anything wrong/inappropriate? And finally, what kinda fool do you think I am?"

*Andrew Dexter, one of the founders of the town, had held on to a prime piece of property in long anticipation of the capital's eventual move to Montgomery. Dubbed "Goat Hill" for its use as pasturage, the site retained that affectionate appellation despite attempts to dignify the spot with names like "Lafayette Hill" (after the 1825 visit of the Marquis de Lafayette)...

Posted by Jeff at August 24, 2005 09:52 AM