McCreary out on $146,000 bail after judge weighs 25-year pattern

Albert McCreary is no longer sitting in jail while awaiting trial. On Monday, Mobile County District Judge Zackery Moore set bail at $146,000 for the former code enforcement officer, a move that ends the detention order requested by prosecutors. The judge also imposed specific conditions designed to ensure McCreary returns for his court dates, despite the serious nature of the charges against him.

The decision came after a day of testimony regarding a rape charge filed against McCreary. Prosecutors had argued for his continued detention under Aniah's Law, a statute that allows judges to deny bail for defendants charged with certain violent offenses. District Attorney Keith Blackwood said his office believed denying bail was the appropriate step given the facts presented. However, the judge ruled that the substantial cash component of the bond, along with other restrictions, provided sufficient assurance that McCreary would appear.

The path to this bail hearing began in July. On July 20, a woman contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation to report a rape by a Prichard police officer she called "Detective Black." She told agents that she had spoken with the officer on July 9 at the Prichard Municipal Complex and exchanged phone numbers. That night, she said she agreed to meet him at 1010 Baltimore Street while he worked a side security job for the Mobile Housing Authority. According to her account, they ate a chicken dinner at a restaurant on Government Street before the officer placed his gun on the vehicle console and raped her.

Investigators later identified "Detective Black" as McCreary. Although he served as a code enforcement officer and an elected Mobile County constable, he was not a sworn police officer. When officers arrested him, they found him in possession of a gun, a badge, and handcuffs. A spokeswoman for Prichard confirmed that McCreary no longer works for the city.

Mobile County Sheriff's Office investigator Joshua Coleman testified that McCreary's behavior is part of an ongoing pattern. Coleman said investigators have uncovered about six reports alleging that McCreary sexually abused children in Baldwin County and Pensacola. He described this as a disturbing history dating back 25 years. Before working in Prichard, McCreary was an officer at the Baldwin County juvenile detention center. Baldwin County terminated him in 2021 after receiving multiple complaints that he solicited teenage detainees. Coleman also cited documented reports from Escambia County, Florida, involving alleged abuse of children ages 9 to 16 between 2001 and 2013. Most of those alleged victims were connected to a church or daycare center that McCreary ran. Only one of those incidents led to criminal charges, for which McCreary pleaded guilty to felony battery in a plea deal.

Defense attorney Eric Roberts challenged the credibility of the alleged victim in the current case. During cross-examination, Coleman acknowledged that the woman has 55 prior arrests, including several for false allegations, though those specific charges were dismissed. Coleman also noted that the woman takes medication for a mental health issue. Roberts argued that McCreary has not yet been charged with crimes related to the older allegations. He also stated that the alleged victim makes threats and fabricates stories when she does not get her way.

Prosecutors countered that key parts of the woman's story were verified. Coleman testified that she identified McCreary from a lineup of six photographs. Cell phone location data confirmed that both parties were at the Prichard Municipal Complex on July 9. The data also showed their phones pinging off the same cell towers near Government Street and Baltimore Street that night. McCreary told investigators he dated the woman in 2025 but denied seeing her this year. Investigators later recovered deleted text messages between the two on his phone.

In addition to the rape, first-degree sexual abuse, and unlawful imprisonment charges, McCreary faces counts of perjury, possession of a forged instrument, and insurance fraud. The fraud charge relates to a bond that constables are required to obtain. Judge Moore set a preliminary hearing for those specific charges for November 18.

District Attorney Blackwood stated that his team is investigating the other reports of sexual misconduct. He said the office intends to follow up on those reports to see if they can be used in the current cases. He emphasized that the state did not choose the victim and that they speak for all victims in court regardless of their background.