A subpoena fight is unfolding in Bay Minette after defense attorneys for a former Faulkner State Community College culinary program leader sought to force Baldwin County District Attorney Hallie Dixon and members of her staff to take the witness stand.
Prosecutors filed paperwork this week arguing there is no legitimate basis for compelling Dixon to testify, calling the defense request an “extraordinary demand” to put the county’s chief prosecutor on the stand in her own office’s case. The dispute centers on Edward Bushaw, 54, of Foley, who helped launch the culinary arts program at Faulkner State before being indicted in 2013 on charges including second-degree property theft, evading sales taxes, and using his official position for personal benefit.
Bushaw’s defense attorney requested a hearing to determine whether Dixon and her office should be removed from the case altogether, filing a motion a day earlier that raised allegations about Dixon’s conduct in office, including a claim that she used her position improperly and retaliated against a staff member following a personal relationship. Dixon has confirmed that a complaint was filed against her with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission but declined to discuss details.
Along with Dixon, subpoenas went out to an investigator and two assistant prosecutors in her office, as well as a former employee, all sought as potential witnesses at the disqualification hearing scheduled for the Baldwin County Courthouse. In their response, prosecutors said the defense has offered no legal grounds that would justify calling a sitting district attorney to testify and accused Bushaw’s team of trying to shift attention away from the theft and tax charges he faces.
The clash adds an unusual wrinkle to a case that already drew attention locally given Bushaw’s role in building out career-training programs at the community college, which serves students throughout Baldwin County. Whether the hearing proceeds as scheduled, and whether Dixon or her staff will ultimately testify, remains before the court. The outcome could shape not only Bushaw’s prosecution but also public scrutiny of how the district attorney’s office handles internal personnel disputes alongside active criminal cases.
Residents following the case will be watching to see whether the judge sides with prosecutors seeking to keep the focus on the theft and tax allegations, or allows the defense to probe further into the internal workplace complaint against the county’s top prosecutor.