Top Dothan official dodges questions about defending felon
Visit Dothan’s Board of Directors support him, but Aaron McCreight would obviously lose his job if sent to prison.
DOTHAN, Ala. (WTVY) - Dothan’s city manager refuses to disclose whether he wrote a potentially unethical letter that seeks leniency for a convicted bank fraudster.
Credible sources have told News 4 that Kevin Cowper sent that letter on behalf of Aaron McCreight, the embattled Visit Dothan president and chief executive officer.
An Iowa judge will consider McCreight’s character references before sentencing him.
When asked about the existence of such a letter this week, Cowper walked away without answering.
Watch Kevin Cowper’s reaction to letter questions above this story.
If on a city letterhead or if Cowper identifies himself as Dothan city manager, the letter would almost certainly be public record.
News 4 filed an open record request last month asking for a copy of the letter, but the city has not responded.
A letter could be problematic because it would have put the city in an official position of supporting convicted felons.
McCreight admits, as president of a Cedar Rapids tourism group, he falsified income projections to finance a music festival that flopped.
He landed in Dothan after the bank that made the loan in Iowa, as well as festival vendors, got duped.
In his Visit Dothan role, McCreight works closely with Cowper and other city officials and receives high marks for bolstering tourism.
Visit Dothan’s Board of Directors support him, but McCreight would obviously lose his job if sent to prison.
After pleading guilty in January, he faces up to 30 years.
No sentencing date is set.
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