Editing Hugh King

{{Infobox Biography
| subject_name   =Hugh Garrett King, Sr.
| image_name     =HughKing.jpg
| image_size     =150px
| image_caption  =
| date_of_birth  =[[February 6]], [[1954]]
| place_of_birth =
| date_of_death  =
| place_of_death =
| occupation     =Pastor, politician
| religion       =
| spouse         =
| parents        =
| children       =
}}
The Reverend '''Hugh Garrett King, Sr.''' (b. [[1954]]) is an African American community leader, former [[Pensacola City Council]]man and former pastor of the [[Greater Union Baptist Church]]. He was arrested on [[April 28]], [[2007]] for cocaine possession, after which he was removed as pastor. He pleaded no contest on [[January 14]], [[2008]] and received two years' probation, but is expected to appeal the legality of the search that led to his arrest.  On July 7, 2009 the cocaine possession conviction was overturned by an appeals court.  The 1st District Court of Appeal in Tallahassee ruled that the Pensacola police did not have "reasonable suspicion" to pull over the green Ford Explorer in which King was a passenger on April 27, 2007.

On [[February 7]], [[2008]], King pre-filed to challenge [[Marie Young]] for her [[Escambia County District 3|District 3]] seat on the [[Escambia County Board of County Commissioners|Escambia County Commission]].  However, he dropped out of the race without explanation several months later.

==Political & Spiritual Career==
King entered the political arena as president of the local [[Southern Christian Leadership Conference]]. He 
joined [[Movement for Change]] founder [[LeRoy Boyd]] in efforts to name a city street after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

King was elected to the [[Pensacola City Council]] in [[1999]]. On [[January 14]], [[2000]] King and the City Council voted to rename a portion of [[Alcaniz Street]] (north of [[Cervantes Street]], through the [[Eastside]] neighborhood) [[Martin Luther King Jr. Drive]].

He was installed as the fifteenth pastor of Greater Union Baptist Church in the spring of 2004 following the death of his father, Reverend [[A. J. King, Sr.]], on [[October 9]], [[2003]]. Citing the primacy of his church position, King announced he would not seek reelection to the Pensacola City Council.<ref>[http://www.inweekly.net/article.asp?artID=132 Church Comes First], Independent News, August 9, 2004.</ref> [[Jewel Cannada-Wynn]] replaced him in the 2004 election.

King played a major role in generating support for the [[Community Maritime Park]] project and was appointed to the [[Community Maritime Park Associates]] Board of Trustees. He oversaw the formation of the [[Contractor Academy]] that was established as part of the CMPA's "Covenant with the Community" to help minority contractors compete for government jobs.

==Controversies==
===Front Porch===
When [[Front Porch Pensacola]] community liaison [[Thelma Manley]] came under fire in early [[2007]] for alleged mismanagement of organization funds, Rev. King, a member of the Front Porch Council, came to her defense. King hosted a [[March 20]] press conference at his church, where he defended Manley of the allegations and accused Council members [[Michelle MacNeil]] and [[Melanie Nichols]] of racism.

[[Image:HughKingMugshot.jpg|thumb|right|Mugshot of Rev. King following his April 28, 2007 arrest]]
===Cocaine Possession===
In the early morning hours of [[April 28]], [[2007]] Rev. King was arrested by [[Pensacola Police Department|police officers]] who were responding to a burglary call at North [[D Street]]. The police stopped [[Mark Anthony Cotton]] and King, his passenger, several blocks away from the crime at [[A Street|A]] and [[Blount Street]]s. They were driving a light-green Ford Explorer similar in build to the gray Chevrolet Blazer described by witnesses as leaving the burglary. After an officer observed a knife covered in white powder residue on the vehicle's center console, Cotton and King were searched. A bag of cocaine, valued at around $25, was found in King's back pocket.<ref>"Hugh King charged with cocaine possession." ''Pensacola News Journal'', April 29, 2007.</ref>  Later reports stated that less than a gram of cocaine was found on King.<ref name="outpastor">"For now, King out as pastor." ''Pensacola News Journal'', May 9, 2007.</ref>On July 7, 2009 the cocaine possession conviction was overturned by an appeals court.  The 1st District Court of Appeal in Tallahassee ruled that the Pensacola police did not have "reasonable suspicion" to pull over the green Ford Explorer in which King was a passenger on April 27, 2007.

In May, Greater Union Baptist Church suspended King as pastor indefinitely.<ref name="outpastor"/>

King entered a written waiver of not guilty on one charge of cocaine possession on [[May 17]] and requested a jury trial.<ref>"Rev. King pleads not guilty." ''Pensacola News Journal'', May 17, 2007.</ref> Attorney [[Barry Baroset]] later asked Circuit Judge [[Joel Boles]] to suppress the evidence against his client, arguing that Officers [[Charles Decker]] and [[Matthew Coverdale]] illegally stopped and searched Cotton's vehicle, which he said did not closely match the Chevrolet Blazer described by robbery witnesses.<ref>"Reverend battles drug charge." ''Pensacola News Journal'', August 11, 2007.</ref> Boles denied the request, saying the offficers had a "well-founded suspicion" to stop the vehicle.<ref>"Judge rules King traffic stop, search legal." ''Pensacola News Journal'', September 26, 2007.</ref>

He was expected to plead guilty and enter a pretrial intervention program,<ref>"Rev. King to avoid trial." ''Pensacola News Journal'', November 1, 2007.</ref> but later denied agreeing to the terms of the program. "We stood before this congregation and said we were not guilty, and we told the truth," King said. "We entered a formal plea of 'not guilty.' That has not changed, and it will not change."<ref>"King plans to fight cocaine charges." ''Pensacola News Journal'', November 9, 2007.</ref>

King later dismissed Baroset as his attorney and hired [[Ted Stokes]]. He announced his resignation as pastor of [[Greater Union Baptist Church|Greater Union]] on [[December 23]], [[2007]], and in early January [[2008]] stated that he would change his guilty plea to [[Wikipedia:Nolo contendere|no contest]]. As Stokes explained, "The pretrial intervention would have been fine, but the state wanted him to admit guilt. He has a big issue with acknowledging guilt. I don't think Mr. King has any regrets."<ref>"King expected to make plea." ''Pensacola News Journal'', January 3, 2008.</ref>

King entered the plea before Judge [[Joel Boles]] on [[January 14]] and was sentenced to two years' probation. Boles withheld [[Wikipedia:Adjudication|adjudication]], meaning King will not have a felony conviction appear on his record. King still intends to appeal the legality of the traffic stop and search that led to his arrest.<ref>"Hugh King gets probation." ''Pensacola News Journal'', January 14, 2007.</ref>

As a result of King's plea, [[Community Maritime Park Associates]] Chairman [[Lacey Collier]] asked Board members to consider removing him "for conduct detrimental to the interests of the corporation," as allowed by the organization's bylaws.<ref>"Park board could oust King." ''Pensacola News Journal'', January 12, 2008.</ref>  King was removed from the CMPA board in February 2008 by an 11-1 (with King dissenting).

==References==
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{{succession box | before = [[Sharon L. Wakeman]] | title = [[Pensacola City Council]]<br/>[[City of Pensacola District 6|District 6]] | years = [[1999]]-[[2004]] | after = [[Lester A. Smith]]}}
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[[Category:Community Maritime Park|King, Hugh]] [[Category:African-American politicians|King, Hugh]] [[Category:African-American religious leaders|King, Hugh]]