By Associated Press
Mobile AL – Charles "Charlie" McNichol, the former law enforcement coordinator and spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Mobile, pleaded guilty Friday to a misdemeanor charge of leaking information about a grand jury probe into Orange Beach corruption.
U.S. District Judge William Steele released McNichol on his own recognizance and set sentencing for Oct. 18, the Press-Register reported on its Website.
On paid leave from his job, McNichol faces no more than a year in prison. The federal prosecutor's office in Pensacola, Fla., is handling the case.
Prosecutors charged McNichol with theft of government property for leaking secret information to a "personal friend" about an indictment of former Orange Beach Mayor Steve Russo and three others, and a planned news conference to announce the charges.
The friend was not identified in court documents.
McNichol, surrounded by family members Friday, said he was "warmed" by their support. He declined further comment.
Before his federal job, McNichol spent 15 years with the Daphne Police Department, serving as assistant chief for the last few of those years.
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Information from: Press-Register, http://www.al.com/mobileregister