Constable indicted on sex abuse charges

A local man who has served as Tharptown’s constable for more than 20 years was indicted on sex abuse charges by a recent grand jury, officials said.
Ray Hill, 80, of Franklin 48, Russellville, was indicted for first-degree sexual abuse, courthouse officials said.
According to Franklin County Sheriff Shannon Oliver, the indictment is the result of a report the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office received in January 2012.
Oliver said the sheriff’s office received a report on Jan. 3, 2012, that Hill allegedly forced a 17-year-old female to touch him inappropriately when he was on duty the previous day.
Oliver said since Hill is a local public official, the case was forwarded to the Alabama Bureau of Investigation who began investigating the case the morning the report was received.
Oliver said ABI investigators had collected enough information to initially arrest Hill on Jan. 5, 2012.
After the case was presented to a recent Franklin County grand jury, jury members voted to indict Hill on the charges, which means the jury found sufficient evidence to carry the case to trial.
Officials said Hill’s case would be set for arraignment and placed on the criminal trial docket later this year.
Hill has been out on bond since his arrest last January.