Selma’s former interim fire chief has sued the city for overtime pay days before he begins serving a prison sentence for an unrelated incident.
Franklin Nelson Edwards claims in a federal lawsuit filed on Sept. 2 that the city did not pay him for overtime hours when he was assistant chief from January 2019 until he was terminated in May 2024. Edwards claims the city council allowed administrative personnel to receive overtime pay because the fire department was understaffed at the time.
He also claims that he should have been returned to his previous position as a firefighter when he was removed as assistant chief.
“The Council effectuated a termination without mayoral approval and in breach of their own administrative procedures,” the lawsuit claims.
When the lawsuit was filed on Sept. 2, Edwards was free on bond while he appealed a conviction of leaving the scene of an accident involving a death or injury, a class-C felony. Edwards was given a sentence of 10 years with three that must be served after being convicted by a jury at the Bessemer Cutoff Courthouse in March 2025.
Edwards appealed, but the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals upheld the conviction this week. His bond was revoked, and he is awaiting transfer to the Alabama Department of Corrections, according to AL.com.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.