Click to view 'Text of Franklin letter' Floyd County District Attorney Leigh Patterson confirmed Friday that she has been assigned to the case of missing Walker County 911 dispatcher Theresa Parker.
Parker has been missing since March 21. No arrests have been made, but investigators have said Parker’s estranged husband, Sam Parker, a former LaFayette police officer, is a person of interest in the case.
Sam Parker was fired earlier this month after police reportedly found explosives in his police locker.
Buzz Franklin, Walker County’s district attorney, asked that he be removed from the case. Patterson declined to discuss details.
Her role will be to assess evidence and prosecute any possible criminal charges.
Franklin, who serves Walker, Catoosa, Chattooga and Dade counties in the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit, said it is standard procedure in cases with local officers he works often with.
“I’ve tried several cases involving Sam, and he’s a friend,” Franklin said Friday morning. “It would just be better for everyone involved if we weren’t participating in the potential prosecution.” Franklin sent a letter dated April 5 to state Attorney General Thurbert E. Baker asking for relief in the case. That came just two weeks after Theresa Parker disappeared.
“Due to the relationships, it would avoid the appearance of impropriety for an independent prosecutor to advise and guide the various law enforcement,” Franklin continued in the letter.
Walker County Sheriff Steve Wilson said he could not speak to the contents of the letter.
“I wouldn’t be in a position to comment about that,” Wilson said Friday.
He said Patterson advised him “not to speak about any evidence in the case or any investigative acts in the case.” The situation is similar to that of Floyd County Police Department investigator Dallas Battle, who is under investigation. Patterson asked that she be removed from that case, and it has been assigned to the Cobb County DA’s office.
Staff Writer Eric Beavers contributed to this report.
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