Baldwin County Jury Acquits Attorney Harry Still of Assault Charge in Bay Minette Case

BAY MINETTE, Ala. — A Baldwin County Circuit Court jury has found attorney Harry Still not guilty of a misdemeanor assault charge stemming from a September 2025 altercation with Bay Minette City Councilman Matt Franklin.

The jury returned its verdict after about five minutes of deliberation in a trial presided over by Circuit Judge Clark Stankowski.

The charge

Still, a practicing attorney, was arrested on the misdemeanor charge in Bay Minette on Sept. 3, 2025. Police statements and accounts from former Mayor Bob Wills and former Police Chief Al Tolbert alleged that Still attacked Franklin in Franklin’s office in downtown Bay Minette after a conversation became heated, and that the fight continued out the front door and onto the street, where several witnesses allegedly saw Still restraining Franklin. The jury rejected the charge.

The two men have known each other since childhood.

Appeal from municipal court

Still was first tried in Bay Minette Municipal Court, where Judge Marcus McDowell found him guilty. McDowell also serves as municipal attorney for Fairhope.

Still appealed that ruling and requested a jury trial in circuit court, which ended in his acquittal.

Legislative response

The case drew attention in the Alabama Legislature, where state Sen. Chris Elliott filed legislation to provide stiffer penalties for attacks on local elected officials. Elliott said Still’s case inspired the bill, which did not pass before the end of the legislative session.

After the incident, Bay Minette Mayor-elect Joshua Brown issued a statement that said in part, “There is absolutely no place for intimidation, physical threats, or violence in this community.” Brown defeated Wills in the most recent municipal election.

Background

Still ran for mayor of Bay Minette in 2020. Tolbert is no longer Bay Minette’s police chief and now works for the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office. Franklin remains on the Bay Minette City Council.