The lawsuit between Perry County Sheriff Roy Fikes and County Commission Chairman Albert Turner Jr. over courthouse security and employee control has been settled by order of the Perry County Circuit Court.
Under a settlement filed with the court last week, the sheriff has the authority to hire, discipline and terminate deputies and jailers. Clerical employees, jail cooks and dispatchers are county employees subject to county personnel policies and procedures.
Courthouse Control and Security
The sheriff may provide deputies for courthouse security as requested by the commission, but the commission has exclusive control of the courthouse and will work with the sheriff to develop a plan for courthouse security.
The commission has exclusive power to:
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Hire, discipline and terminate all county employees and staff.
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Manage county-employed courthouse security personnel.
The order also addresses physical access to the building, a key point of contention in the case. The commission will provide the sheriff with a key fob, and the sheriff will distribute keys only to deputy sheriffs as he deems necessary to carry out his duties. Each side will pay its own attorneys’ fees.
Case Background
Fikes filed the lawsuit in September 2025, asking the circuit court to rule on who controls courthouse security, employee discipline and physical access to the Perry County Courthouse.
The complaint alleged that Turner had overstepped his authority as commission chairman by:
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Attempting to discipline sheriff’s employees.
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Directing payroll to stop paying courthouse security officers.
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Changing courthouse locks while refusing to provide passkeys to the sheriff.
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Sending a letter containing allegedly false information to the Alabama Peace Officers’ Standards and Training Commission.
The sheriff argued that as an independently elected constitutional officer, he holds authority over courthouse security and his own employees under Alabama law.
