On the same day he is expected to report to jail, former Limestone County Sheriff Mike Blakely told supporters on social media that he is “signing off for a while.”

The announcement came on the same day that Blakely’s attorneys filed another challenge to his conviction.

“The texts and calls have been overwhelming!” Blakely announced on Facebook. “I appreciate everyone of you. But I’m gonna have to be signing off for a while. Don’t know if or when I might be able to communicate again. If I’m not out by Easter go ahead and hide the eggs. God is good all the time!”

Blakely announced on social media Thursday that he will begin serving his sentence today in the Franklin County Jail.

Blakely, who was the state’s longest serving sheriff, was convicted in August 2021 of one count of theft and one count of using his position for personal gain. He was sentenced to three years in jail.

The theft charge was related to his campaign fund and dealings with Red Brick consulting, while the personal gain charge was related to $29,050 in interest free loans from a safe that held money belonging to inmates.

In a 100-page Rule 32 petition, Blakely’s lawyers argue several grounds for overturning his conviction, including that retired Alabama Court of Appeals Judge Pamela Baschab was not qualified to preside over his trial because her state bar association membership was not active, meaning she was not licensed to practice law in the state.

Earlier motions for a new trial were rejected in 2021. Arguments included that the judge violated Blakely’s constitutional right to a public trial by closing the courtroom to spectators and the press during the first day and a half of jury selection, that the judge should have held a hearing or granted Blakely’s request for a mistrial because a juror came forward after the trial to say that she did not believe he was guilty despite voting to convict, and that the judge erroneously denied Blakely’s requests to dismiss five of the charges against him.

According to WHNT, Blakely is likely to serve his sentence isolated from the general population in the Franklin County Jail.

“It will be probably separate from the general population due to his past law enforcement experience,” Franklin County Sheriff Shannon Oliver said. “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, it’s a new step and we’re just going to have to play it by ear.”