LIMESTONE COUNTY, Ala. (WHNT) – Convicted former Limestone County Sheriff Mike Blakely said he will report to jail on Friday, February 24 to begin his sentence.

Blakely, who was the state’s longest-serving sheriff at the time of his conviction, was convicted on theft and ethics charges in 2021. He was sentenced to three years in a county jail.

Blakely stated in a post on social media he would be serving his time in Franklin County.

He asked the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals to overturn his conviction and sentence, but the court rejected that appeal — and his request for a rehearing.

Blakely is likely to serve his sentence isolated from the general population.

“He will be housed in the jail,” said Franklin County Sheriff Shannon Oliver. “It will be probably separate from the general population due to his past law enforcement experience. There’s not going to be a lot of different treatment other than he will be a prisoner. But he will be subject to anything any of the others will be. But right now, its a new step and we’re just going to have to play it by ear.