Former Prattville Police Officer Cooperates with Investigation, Gets Reduced Sentence

Attorney General Steve Marshall announced that former Prattville police officer, John Wayne McDaniel Jr., has been sentenced for conspiracy to commit burglary, third-degree theft, second-degree theft of prescription medicine and criminal impersonation of a police officer.

McDaniel was sentenced this morning in Autauga County Circuit Court to 10 years for each count, with the sentences split for him to serve three years in community corrections. The sentences run concurrently. In the community corrections program, defendants may serve their time outside of prison or jail but are held to stringent conditions and supervision, and upon any failure to comply are subject to immediately being sent to jail or prison.

“It is always serious and a sad betrayal of the public’s trust when a law enforcement officer breaks the law he has sworn to uphold,” said Attorney General Marshall. In this case, the court considered that McDaniel acknowledged his wrongdoing, cooperated in the investigation, and assisted with information for the prosecution of others in related crimes. His sentence takes this into account, yet imposes strong controls to invoke his prison sentence if he fails to abide by the strict standards of the community corrections program.”

McDaniel’s cooperation was a factor in the successful prosecution of another former Prattville police officer, Leon Todd Townson, who was sentenced on Monday to serve 10 years in the Alabama Department of Corrections for first-degree insurance fraud and conspiracy to commit first-degree burglary, and three years for third-degree burglary. Townson’s sentences run concurrently. Additionally, he was ordered to pay $203,307.20 in restitution to Travelers Insurance for defrauding the company. A co-defendant in the burglary conspiracy who also had agreed to cooperate in the prosecution of Townson, Raymond Douglas McCray, was also sentenced on Monday to 10 years, which was suspended for three years of probation. McDaniel, 49, and Townson, 51, are of Prattville; and McCray, 18, is of Montgomery.

Attorney General Marshall commended Assistant Attorney General John Kachelman of the Attorney General’s Criminal Trials Division for his work in bringing these cases to a successful conclusion. He also commended Special Agents of his Investigations Division, and thanked the Prattville Police Department for their exemplary work in the investigation and prosecution of these cases.