ARTS
A Christmas
Carol cast and
crew have ties
to Columbus 1E
SUNDAY DECEMBER 18 2016
Sawan "Sunny" Shah, second from right, leaves federal court on Jan. 1 surrounded by friends. Shah
pleaded guilty to one count of operating an unlisenced money transmitting business.
MUSCOGEE COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE
Darrs defense of
Shah was his undoing
BY CHUCK WILLIAMS
chwilliams@ledger-enquirer.com
Lex et Justitia. Translated
it means Law and Justice.
Those three Latin words are
etched in gold above the bench
and jump out as you enter U.S.
District Court Judge Clay Lands
second-floor courtroom in
downtown Columbus.
Some would argue that on the
morning of Jan. 26, Muscogee
County Sheriff John T. Darr
walked into that courtroom and
made an error in judgment,
confusing his role in law and
justice. Darr, the countys top
law enforcement officer, asked
CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Executions fall to 25-year low
BY MARK BERMAN
Washington Post
When the state of Alabama
executed Ronald Bert Smith Jr.
last week, he became the 20th
inmate put to death in the Unit-
ed States this year. Smiths exe-
cution was a rarity for the Unit-
ed States, where the death pen-
alty is still retained in most
states and on the federal level
but, in practice, is carried out
only in a shrinking handful of
places.
No other lethal injections are
scheduled for this month, mean-
ing Smith will probably be the
CUSTOMER SERVICE
To subscribe or report delivery issues,
888-323-1222 or ledger-enquirer.com/customer-service
STAY CONNECTED
$2.00 LEDGER-ENQUIRER.COM
support of Shah.
Darr Tompkins
Land to show mercy on Sawan
Sonny Shah, a local busi-
nessman who owns a string of
convenience stores and had just
pleaded guilty to his role in a
$24 million criminal conspiracy
to defraud the Internal Revenue
Service.
Many were surprised Darr
would speak in such a public
manner for a felon. But Shah
last inmate executed this year in
the United States. As a result,
the country is poised to end
2016 with its lowest number of
executions in 25 years.
The decline in executions
continues a recent trend, as
2016 will be the fourth consec-
utive year with fewer executions
than the year before. It also
speaks to a country that has
shifted away from the death
penalty in many places, while
those states still trying to exe-
cute inmates have struggled
with court challenges, drug
shortages and issues with carry-
ing out the executions.
Overall, though, the trend is
Business
Classifieds
Comics
LOCAL
Annual bicycle
giveaway is all
about the love 3A
FACEBOOK.COM/COLUMBUSLEDGERENQUIRER
TWITTER.COM/LEDGERENQUIRER
ROBIN TRIMARCHI rtrimarchi@ledger-enquirer.com
was a campaign contributor and
friend, and Darr felt compelled
to stand in front of the court
after also writing a letter in
troubled by what Shah did.
One of those astounded by
Darrs action was Donna Tomp-
kins, then a captain in the Mus-
cogee County Sheriffs Office.
That was the day I decided
to run, Tompkins said in a
recent interview. The day that
came out on the front page of
the Ledger-Enquirer, my phone
blew up. It was people in our
department and other depart-
ments who said, What the hell
is your boss doing? All I could
say is, I dont know.
Tompkins, with more than 30
clear. Since a peak of 98 in
1999, executions have steadily
declined, falling this year to the
lowest total since 1991, when 14
inmates were put to death.
This years decline can be
attributed, in part, to a handful
of states that are among the
most active practitioners of
capital punishment but have
been sidelined for part or all of
2016.
Florida, for instance, has
carried out the fourth most
executions nationwide since the
U.S. Supreme Court reinstated
the death penalty in 1976. Flor-
idas death penalty has been in
flux for much of this year, ever
20A Legals 15A
1D Local 3A
1Z Nation 4A
SAVE UP TO
$125
IN COUPONS
INSIDE
SERVING GEORGIA AND
SOUTHEAST ALABAMA SINCE 1828
Showers
66/64 See 2A
years experience in the sheriffs
office, resigned her job less than
two months later and set out to
unseat her boss, who had been
in the job since his unlikely
victory in 2008. She did just
that on Dec. 6, narrowly defeat-
ing Darr in a runoff, with 51.67
percent of the more than 12,400
votes cast.
A number of issues factored
into the defeat, including Darrs
continuing Superior Court suit
SUNDAY INTERVIEW
against the city over the funding
of the sheriffs office and a MILTON HIRSCH
string of administrative prob-
lems. ON MARRIAGE
For some people, standing up Think about that spouse
for Shah in federal court became
the central issue, Darr admitted and not yourself, and you
in an interview last week. wont have any
I dont want to say it was
naive, but it was a misjudgment problems. 13A
on my part, and it played out in
the campaign, Darr said.
If Darr wont call it naive,
Tompkins certainly will.
This is my estimation and
perhaps its unkind but one of
two things: either you are in-
credibly naive, in which case I
am not sure you should be the
sheriff, or there is something
more to that story, she said.
Either way it is not good.
Darr still defends his decision
to speak up for Shah, who was
involved in cashing 567 fake
income tax refund checks dur-
ing 2013 and 2014. The checks
SPORTS
totaled more than $1.3 million
according to facts presented in MCGRIFF STAYING
the sentencing.Land sentenced
Shah to 21 months in federal FOR SUGAR BOWL
prison and ordered him to pay Auburns secondary
full restitution.
Land, at the time of the sen- coach is heading to Ole
tencing, made it clear he was Miss, but not until after
Doing something 567 times the Sugar Bowl. 1C
does not suggest it was a mis-
take, the judge said. It sug-
gests it would have continued if
he was not arrested.
Darr and Shahs father were
the only two who addressed the
court before Land passed down
the sentence.
I never conveyed this well,
but I did want the guy to be held
accountable, Darr said. He
should be held accountable.
SEE SHAH, 9A
JOB SPOTLIGHT
since the Supreme Court struck
down its system of imposing FILM PRODUCER
death sentences in January.
In some cases, states hoping
to carry out executions have
HAS BIG PLANS
His battle plan? Launch a
been delayed by an inability to
get the drugs needed for lethal nimble movie studio in
injections, still the countrys Columbus for animated
primary method of capital pun-
ishment. These states have been and live-action
hampered by a years-long short- productions. 20A
age of lethal-injection drugs.
Ohio, one of the most active
death-penalty states, stopped
executions for what will ulti-
mately be at least three years FEATURES
while it sought new drugs. The
state now says it plans to re-
sume executions in January,
CANTUS CONCERT
though a spokesman did not TO BE DIVERSE
respond to a message seeking This year, Cantus
comment about whether offi-
cials there had obtained the Christmas will feature 26
necessary drugs. singers performing
classical masterpieces
and audience carols. 1E
Obituaries 14A
Opinion 2B
Sports 1C