FBI seizes improperly stored sexual assault kits from Prichard Police Department

July 13, 2026 – PRICHARD, Ala. – The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) took custody of 148 unprocessed and improperly stored sexual assault kits from the Prichard Police Department's storage.

The Prichard Police Department's responsibilities have been handed over to the Mobile County Sheriff's Department following the arrest of Prichard Police Officer Emanuel Dotch on allegations of widespread misconduct and criminal activity committed under the color of law.

Federal authorities claim that Dotch participated in a pattern of corruption that included covering up crimes, concealing evidence, and conspiring with other officers to conduct unlawful traffic stops. According to investigators, Dotch also extorted individuals by demanding payments in exchange for releasing them from arrest and allegedly accepted corrupt payments to carry out illegal acts.

Back on March 2026, Prichard Police Officer Ryan Phillips was arrested after a secret grand jury indicted him on three counts of Receiving Stolen Property in the Second Degree (Firearm) which is a Class C felony under Alabama law. This indictment followed a February 12, 2026, shooting on Wesley Avenue, where investigators recovered 14 firearms, some reported stolen.

Last Wednesday Prichard Police Officer Jihan Hasan Irby was arrested on two counts of first-degree extortion, two counts of bribery, and one count of use of office for personal gain. This is all part of the same FBI investigation of corruption involving the Prichard Police Force.

As part of the Mobile Sheriff's takeover of the Prichard Police Department, investigators with the Mobile Sheriff's Department discovered the 148 unprocessed and improperly stored sexual assault kits in the Prichard Police Department evidence room.

Women reported rapes to the Prichard Police, went through the invasive sexual assault exam and then the evidence was apparently never processed so that their assailants could be found. This has been going on for years.

The FBI said in a statement, "At the request of the Mobile County Sheriff's Office. FBI Mobile and our law enforcement partners stand with survivors of sexual assault and are committed to justice being served."

"We are committed to ensure that every survivor has justice brought to them, and that we take whatever time it takes to be thorough to ensure that we link up every single one of these kits to a case, to a suspect," Jordan Hadfield, FBI Mobile Assistant Special Agent in Charge told reporters.

According to the FBI. the original criminal complaint alleges that Dotch covered up crimes and concealed evidence for violent individuals to assist them in avoiding prosecution.

Apparently sexual assault was one of those crimes that the Prichard Police routinely covered up.

"The complaint affidavit further alleges that Dotch conspired with other PPD officers to conduct unlawful traffic stops and detentions of victims to deprive them of rights secured by the Constitution and laws of the United States. Finally, the charges allege that Dotch extorted individuals for bribes in exchange for letting them go free from arrest and agreed to accept corrupt payments to commit illegal acts, including transporting bulk marijuana, all while acting under the color of law as a police officer."

Dotch, Irby, and Phillips like any other defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.

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