DECEMBER 2004: After losing his appeal of a Sunshine Law violation, Escambia County Commissioner W.D. Childers returned to jail to serve the remaining 22 days of his 60-day jail sentence for discussing public business in secret with a fellow commissioner. Childers was released early for good behavior and ended up serving 49 days in jail for the Open Meetings Law offense. He was set free on bond while appealing his 3 ½-year sentence on bribery charges. Childers was the first public official to serve jail time for violating the Sunshine Law. Also this month, Escambia commissioner Willie Junior, a key witness against Childers, was found dead, an apparent suicide. The Dec. 9 discovery came a month after Junior disappeared the day before he was scheduled to be sentenced on charges of bribery, theft and a Sunshine Law violation. In exchange for his testimony against Childers, Junior was to spend no more than 18 months in prison. Junior could have faced 125 years in prison if convicted on all 11 criminal charges he faced. (See also June 2002, August 2002, September 2002, June 2003, October 2004)
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