A state judge in Alabama agreed with prosecutors last year that the husband of a former Saraland Police officer, left incapacitated after being shot in the line of duty, gambled away much of the money the couple received for her care.
According to state court records, first reported by NBC 15 News, Prichard Police Sgt. Aaron Tucker was named the conservator of his wife Jackie Tucker’s financial matters in 2016. Mrs. Tucker suffered life-altering injuries after being shot in the head during a December 2016 domestic violence call.
After being deemed incapacitated, Jackie’s estate received hundreds of thousands of dollars from fundraisers and a $343,000 Department of Justice benefit allocation. State prosecutors said an independent audit found that Jackie’s estate received $554,305 between 2017 and 2021, but by June 2022, nearly all of it was gone.
Police Sgt. Accused of Gambling Away Wife’s Care Money
Mobile County Probate Judge Mark Erwin ruled that Mr. Tucker did not adequately serve in the conservatorship role for his disabled wife. Instead, Erwin said Tucker spent most of the money on himself, including numerous trips to casinos in Mississippi.
The court ruled that only a small portion of the expended funds had been used to benefit Jackie. The investigation resulted in Aaron being removed as conservator and attorney Scott McNally being named as “Guardian ad Litem” (GAL).
“The GAL discovered that Tucker had spent a significant portion of the funds in casinos in Mississippi. The GAL reported that the $97,000 Mercedes Sprinter van purchased by Tucker, allegedly for ‘injury-specific transportation needs,’ did not contain any type of handicap lift or assistance,” Erwin wrote in his ruling.
Tucker spent $553,957.09 of his wife’s estate during the little more than four-year period.
Hartford Insurance Company, which supplied the fiduciary bond Tucker was required to take out upon being deemed Jackie’s conservator in 2017, is now seeking to receive his ongoing wages to cover its bond.
As the backer of the bond, Hartford was ordered by the court to pay Jackie’s estate $300,000 for Aaron’s mismanagement. The Mobile County Sheriff’s Office continues to oversee the Prichard Police Department amid an ongoing public corruption investigation.
2016 Shooting
On Dec. 21, 2016, Jackie, a veteran Saraland police officer, and her partner, Ron Hannah, responded to a domestic violence call in Saraland, a small suburb of Mobile. Upon arrival, 27-year-old Matthew Blake Richardson opened fire and struck Tucker in the head.
Hannah returned fire, causing Richardson to flee. A brief foot chase ensued before Richardson was shot and later died of his injuries. Richardson’s grandfather said his grandson had suffered from serious mental health issues and had been acting erratically that day.
Tucker was in critical condition but survived through a risky surgery. She spent more than a year in a hospital and the following years in rehabilitation facilities to regain her motor skills and speech.
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