Robert Wilters, who spent more than two decades as a Baldwin County circuit judge before stepping down from the bench in early June, announced this week that he is running for Baldwin County District Attorney, setting up a challenge to incumbent Hallie Dixon.
Wilters, 60, a Bay Minette native with more than 35 years in law enforcement and the courts, said he plans to make his candidacy official during a three-stop tour of the county on June 16, with a morning breakfast at Street’s in Bay Minette, a midday stop at Wolf Bay Lodge in Foley and an evening event at The Venue in Fairhope. He will face Dixon, the county’s top prosecutor since 2011, in the Republican primary set for March 1, 2016.
Wilters was blunt about his reasons for entering the race, describing the district attorney’s office under Dixon as being in what he called “total disarray.” He said assistant prosecutors are not receiving adequate training, phone calls from the public are going unreturned, and local law enforcement agencies have lost confidence in the office’s leadership. He said he decided to act rather than simply criticize from the sidelines.
He retired from the circuit bench on June 5, having served as a Baldwin County Circuit Court judge since January 1993. During his time on the bench, Wilters said launching a drug court in 2007 stood out as the achievement he was proudest of, and he acknowledged it is unusual for a judge to leave the bench to seek a prosecutor’s job rather than the other way around.
Dixon has faced a rocky stretch in office over the past year, including a federal review of how her office handled certain personnel matters, a municipal citation in Daphne over barking dogs, and an incident in which marijuana-laced brownies turned up in her office. She also drew public attention after turning her adult daughter over to authorities on a theft matter, a move she addressed publicly to push back on speculation about her personal life. Dixon has said she has never lost a case she has personally prosecuted and maintains that crime victims she has represented in court have been satisfied with the outcomes.
Dixon was not immediately available for comment on Wilters’ announcement. The race will be one of the more closely watched contests on the Baldwin County ballot heading into next year’s primary.