The Basement’s founder has preliminary hearing on impersonating a police officer charge

Arrested for impersonating an officer Aug. 20, Matt Pitt, founder of the youth ministry The Basement, had a preliminary hearing at the Jefferson County District Court on Dec. 9.

The hearing was held to determine whether or not the charge would be sent to a grand jury for review, al.com reported, and after the hearing was completed, Judge Katrina Ross said she would send the case to a grand jury.

Several witnesses spoke during the hearing including Pitt’s cousin, Bailey Little, who said Pitt was trying to show he was a good guy when he showed two Jefferson County residents his honorary sheriff’s badge.

The charge against Pitt, according to court records, is based on the issue of whether or not he flashed an honorary badge “and pretended to be a deputy during a June 15 incident,” al.com reported.

Defense attorney’s subpoenaed eight people to testify at the hearing about how Pitt had been given the badge, including Jefferson County Sheriff Mike Hale and Jefferson County Tax Collector J.T. Smallwood, but Ross denied the request for the two officials to testify.

Assistant Jefferson County District Attorney Patrick Lamb said, “There is no reason for bringing public officials and high-ranking officers to court other than some misguided attempt to harass them,” in a motion filed opposing the subpoenas, according to al.com. “In short, only two types of evidence are admissible in a preliminary hearing: evidence supporting probable cause and evidence challenging probable cause.”

Pitt was arrested Aug. 20 by Birmingham police on the impersonation charge filed by the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, al.com reported, but Pitt bonded out of that charge and was transferred to the Shelby County jail, where prosecutors asked that his bond be revoked on a previous impersonating a police officer case.

According to al.com, Shelby County Circuit Judge Dan Reeves revoked Pitt’s probation on Oct. 15 because of the new charge in Jefferson County. Pitt is now serving the remaining 10 months of his one-year sentence in that case. (TAB)