Fairfield Councilman Primus Mack charged with harassment after female juvenile relative complained he groped and kissed her

FAIRFIELD, Alabama 
A Fairfield councilman, pastor and day care owner has been charged with harassment after a juvenile relative accused him of groping and kissing her at his home three months ago.

Primus Mack

The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said this afternoon that a misdemeanor warrant had been obtained against District 2 Councilman Primus Gregory Mack, 56.
Jefferson County Chief Deputy Randy Christian said the girl's mother reported that Mack sexually assaulted the girl on June 5 at his home on Valley Road, which he also uses to run his business, Ivory's Day Care.
Fairfield police took an initial report on June 6 but turned the case over to the sheriff's office for further investigation because it involved a city official, Mayor Kenneth Coachman said.
The case was investigated by the sheriff's office and reviewed by the Bessemer district attorney's office, which determined the appropriate charge would be harassment because the child was touched on top of her clothing, Christian said.
Bond for Mack was set at $1,000.
Mack declined comment on Monday, but his attorney, Calvin Biggers, said his client would turn himself in to authorities Tuesday morning.
Biggers called the accusations baseless and said his client welcomes his day in court. "This is a chance for him to clear himself," Biggers said.
Mack was appointed in January to the council to finish the term of Vincent Smith, who resigned to take a job in New Orleans. Mack had campaigned for the council seat in 2008 but lost. Mack also serves as pastor of Saint Mark Baptist Church in Wylam.
Biggers said that, because Mack owns a day care, the state Department of Human Resources has been made aware of the allegations and proposed putting his client on a watch list until the facts of the case can be determined.