A former Hoover substitute teacher will spend four years behind bars after pleading guilty to possessing child sexual abuse material, closing out a case that began with his arrest more than three years ago. Russell John Sweeney was sentenced to 12 years, with four years to serve in prison, and must also register as a sex offender once he's released.
The Alabama Attorney General's Office announced the plea agreement on Tuesday, according to WBRC. Attorney General Steve Marshall said Sweeney was convicted of four Class C felony counts of possessing obscene material, with the sentence structured so Sweeney serves four years in prison followed by mandatory sex offender registration, per the Alabama Attorney General's Office. Assistant Attorney General Sara Rogan prosecuted the case, which followed an investigation led by Senior Special Agent Colin Bradley.
Marshall said in the announcement that Sweeney possessed material depicting the sexual abuse of children, and that the state will continue seeking justice for victims, including those who remain unidentified, per WBRC's reporting on the attorney general's statement.
A Years-Long Path From Arrest to Plea
Sweeney was 48 years old when he was arrested in Hoover in June 2023, following warrants issued by state special agents. At the time, his bond was set at $60,000 at the Jefferson County Jail, according to the Alabama Attorney General's Office's original press release. The arrest stemmed from a warrant charging him with multiple counts of possessing child sexual abuse material, a case that the Dothan Eagle notes took more than three years to resolve into this month's plea agreement.
The investigation that led to Sweeney's arrest involved special agents from the Alabama Attorney General's Office working alongside the Hoover Police Department and the University of Alabama Police Regional Evidence and Analysis and Cyber Intelligence Team, the attorney general's office said. The Child Rescue Coalition works to combat online child exploitation.
Sweeney Had Worked as a Substitute Teacher
Sweeney had worked as a substitute teacher.
How Alabama Law Treats the Charges
Sweeney was charged with possessing obscene material, a Class C felony under Alabama law, according to 1819 News. Under Section 13A-5-6 of the Code of Alabama, a Class C felony carries a statutory sentencing range of one year and one day up to 10 years per count. Sweeney's 12-year sentence calls for four years in prison. Alabama law distinguishes possession from offenses involving intent to disseminate, which carry stricter penalties, as Hoodline has previously detailed.
Sweeney's mandatory registration as a sex offender comes amid a shifting legal landscape for such requirements in Alabama. An en banc federal appeals court ruled this past July that the state's blanket restriction barring convicted sex offenders from living with minor children requires individualized judicial review rather than an automatic lifetime bar, as Hoodline reported in its coverage of the Atlanta court's ruling. The case adds to a string of recent CSAM prosecutions across the state, including a Shelby County arrest Hoodline reported earlier this month.
