Gadsden Woman Accused Of Helping Moundville Inmate Escape Using Fake Court Docs

MOUNDVILLE, AL — Authorities have charged a second person in connection with the alleged use of forged court documents that allowed a Moundville woman to walk free from jail despite pending criminal charges.

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According to a warrant filed in Hale County District Court, 70-year-old Debra Alexander Nichols of Gadsden was charged this week with first-degree permitting or aiding escape, a Class C felony under Alabama law.

Court records show a judge found probable cause for the charge and set Nichols' bond at $15,000.

Nichols was arrested by the Moundville Police Department on Thursday and booked into the Hale County Jail, according to the warrant.

As Patch previously reported, the charge stems from an investigation into the release of Moundville resident Ellory Kate Johnson, who authorities say used forged court documents to convince jail officials that previous criminal cases against her had been dismissed.

The new charges also come after Johnson was sentenced in November 2023 in Tuscaloosa County Circuit Court in a separate case where she admitted to practicing medicine without a license.

In that case, Johnson pleaded guilty after authorities said she represented herself as a physician at MentorUp Life Lab & Clinic, despite not holding a medical license.

While she was initially given probation in that case, court records obtained by Patch show that Judge Daniel F. Pruet revoked her bond after she violated the terms of her release.

Johnson was then sent to Hale County to face other charges and was released from the county jail in May after officials were presented the allegedly forged document from a circuit judge in Hale County stating her offenses had been expunged.

The Hale County Sheriff's Office announced Thursday that both Johnson and an alleged accomplice had been taken into custody in Gadsden.

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