Suspended prosecutor

District Attorney General Bill Gibson, who has been unable to practice law since 2006, said his final day would be July 10.

“My decision today follows through on that notion of doing what I believe is the right thing under difficult and challenging circumstances,” Gibson wrote in the letter.

The General Assembly had convened a special committee to consider Gibson’s removal from the prosecutor’s office that covers Clay, Cumberland, DeKalb, Overton, Pickett, Putnam and White

Gibson’s law license was suspended in 2006 after he wrote letters giving legal advice and spiritual counseling to a convicted murderer prosecuted by his office. But Gibson refused to resign and lawmakers estimate he had been paid more than $190,000 since he lost the ability to practice.

Gibson was no longer working at the Cookeville prosecutor’s office Thursday and couldn’t be reached for comment.

Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey, R-Blountville, said he was relieved by Gibson’s decision.

“We didn’t want to have to go through all that,” he said. “And I’m glad he saw the light, so to speak.”

Ramsey said Gibson had requested the July 10 resignation date so it would fall close enough to the August primary election to give the governor the leeway to appoint his replacement. A special election will be held in August 2009, Ramsey said.

Ramsey said he agreed to that date because it would likely wouldn’t have been until June that the Legislature could return to formally act on the case.