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From Feb. 13-15, the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles conducted 71 parole hearings and 29 hearings on pardon requests. Among those considered was Butler County resident Christie Hughes Taylor, who is currently incarcerated at the Tutwiller Annex with a minimum release date of Jan. 24, 2032.

Tutwiller prison for women, in Wetumpka, serves as the receiving unit for all female inmates coming into the state prison system. The facility includes a chapel, an infirmary, mental health unit, and substance abuse programs.

The board Granted Taylor a conditional parole upon acceptance to a transitional home, as well as GPS ankle monitoring, mental health follow ups and drug assessment. 

Taylor’s case dates back to 2017 when she and James L. Waller, then 43 and 38 years old respectively, were charged with various offenses related to the theft of air conditioning units and other equipment from three Greenville churches and a nearby hunting camp.

Acting on a tip, law enforcement executed a search warrant at a Ridge Road residence, discovering stolen goods and a meth lab operated by Taylor and Waller. 

Taylor faced charges including second-degree receiving stolen property, possession of a controlled substance, first-degree manufacturing of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, theft by deception, and probation violation. 

In a 2017 interview, then Butler County Sheriff Kenny Hardin outlined the circumstances of the case.

“We obtained a search warrant Wednesday and went to a residence on Ridge Road and searched it. There we found two air conditioners and two step ladders that we knew were taken from one of the churches. And we also found a meth lab.”

To access hearing minutes, visit www.paroles.alabama.gov/hearing-minutes/. 

Inmate records are available at www.doc.state.al.us/inmatesearch.