Defense gets started in Limestone County Sheriff Mike Blakely’s criminal trial The defense moving through witnesses as they try to make their case that sheriff Blakely never acted with criminal intent. Posted: Jul 28, 2021 6:23 PM Posted By: Nicole Zedeck Another full day of witness testimonies in the criminal trial of Limestone County Sheriff Mike Blakely. The defense moving through witnesses as they try to make their case that Blakely never acted with criminal intent. Wednesday was the first full day of witness testimony from the defense, and they are moving along very quickly. They expect to rest their case by Thursday.