Ex-chairman of civil rights group pleads not guilty

January 20, 2011 at 12:15p.m.

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — The former national chairman of an Atlanta-based civil rights organization has pleaded not guilty to 51 felony charges including grand theft involving a meal program for older poor people in southwest Ohio.

Court officials say the Rev. Raleigh Trammell entered the pleas today in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court.

The former local president and national chairman of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference was indicted last week. He is out of jail on $10,000 bail and on electronic home monitoring.

The Dayton Daily News reports that Trammell declined to comment after his arraignment on one charge of grand theft and 25 counts each of forgery and tampering with government documents.