Dobyne v. State

On November 8, 2001, Lee Thomas Do-byne 1 approached Ricky Heard, the assistant chief of police of Brent, Alabama, who was in his patrol car. After joining Heard in the patrol car, Dobyne requested that Heard “watch his back.” Heard recorded the conversation with Dobyne and reported the conversation, which Heard construed as an attempt to bribe him, to his chief and to the Alabama Bureau of Investigation (“ABI”). The ABI enlisted Heard’s aid in conducting a sting operation and had Heard tell Dobyne that he would agree to “watch his back.” Heard recorded several more conversations with Do-byne…