Imagine getting a call about helping a client buy a strip club. You show up ready to discuss property, paperwork and money. Instead, you allegedly get police, a rental car search and a bag of fentanyl and meth.
That is basically the nightmare Atlanta attorney Terry Bailey says he lived through.
Bailey is suing the city of Prichard, Alabama, claiming several police officers lured him into a bizarre setup that ended with him being arrested and jailed on drug trafficking charges. And yes, he says the whole thing sounds less like a normal legal dispute and more like a movie that needed a few extra plot twists.
Bailey, who mainly represents hospitality clients on licensing, zoning and regulatory matters, says he was contacted in November about a potential strip club property deal in Prichard. According to his claims, he believed a client needed legal help with purchasing the property.
So, naturally, Bailey went to check it out.
He was not alone. His driver, Brandon Tatum, was with him.
But according to Bailey, the meeting quickly went sideways. Instead of meeting a client to discuss a business deal, they were allegedly greeted by Prichard police officers who wanted to search their rental car.
And what did officers allegedly find? A bag containing illegal drugs, including fentanyl and methamphetamine.
Suddenly, the alleged property meeting had gone from “let’s discuss the paperwork” to “somebody call a lawyer.” Ironically, Bailey was already the lawyer.
Bailey claims the drugs were not his and that police officers intentionally orchestrated the situation to make him look guilty. He says he was falsely arrested and jailed on drug trafficking allegations. That is a serious accusation.
His lawsuit now puts the conduct of the Prichard officers under the microscope. Bailey is essentially arguing that the people who were supposed to enforce the law instead turned his visit into an alleged trap.
The case could become a major headache for the Alabama city if Bailey’s allegations are proven. Police departments generally prefer their officers to be known for catching criminals, not allegedly creating bizarre crime plots involving unsuspecting attorneys.
For Bailey, the case is about more than one disastrous trip to Alabama. He is challenging what he says was a deliberate attempt to frame him.
The legal battle will now have to determine what really happened that day, who knew what, and most importantly, where those drugs actually came from.
