Alabama women say mayor Bubba Copeland used their names and images in erotic fiction before he killed himself

Women in a small town in Alabama say they were shocked to find out their names and images were used in erotic fiction written by the local mayor, who took his own life after being outed for having a secret life online as a “transgender curvy girl.”

One local hair stylist even said both her first and last name were used in a graphic story written by Smiths Station Mayor F.L. “Bubba” Copeland, 62, who shot himself dead in front of local sheriff’s deputies just days after conservative news website 1819 News published a story that featured photos of his “alter ego” Brittini Blaire Summerlin in a bra and feminine clothing.

“It was basically describing the way that I look — and intensified, I guess, as a porn star,” the unidentified woman told WTVM.

“And it went into very graphic detail. I didn’t get past the first page because I honestly couldn’t stomach it.”

Ansley Summerlin also said that following Copeland’s death on Friday, friends started sending her “photos that were posted of me on multiple porn sites.”

“He proceeded to use my first and middle names on the sites, and I believe there are about nine stories now that have five or six photos of my face and my name, across the net,” she said.

Copeland posted at least four pieces of transgender erotic fiction — and one story about stealing a local woman’s identity — online, the Daily Mail reports.

In one of these short stories, Copeland — who also owned a local grocery store — wrote about watching women on in-store security cameras and saving the videos for his “private collection,” according to the Mail.

In another long-form story posted under the pseudonym Brittini Blair, the narrator becomes obsessed with a real-life business owner, whom he ultimately murders to assume her identity.

The story reportedly went into detail about the steps the narrator takes to “transition” and completely change his body to look like the real-life woman living in the small town.

It explains that “her life had become his obsession,” and that calling him a “stalker would be an understatement,” the Mail reports.

Other parts of the story feature the narrator installing spyware on the woman’s devices to monitor her purchases, movements and mannerisms.

The narrator also reportedly begins a hormone treatment regimen, buying similar clothes and training in the woman’s profession to assume her identity.

Eventually, the narrator explains he carefully began to pretend to be the woman in her friend group and goes into detail about how he seduced her husband, a feat he called “passing the ultimate test,” the Mail reports.

“This life is all I have ever wanted, and finally, it was mine!” the story reads, according to the Mail.

It ultimately delves into the narrator’s plan to kill the woman and permanently take her place in the community.

After 1819 News published an article about these stories and Copeland’s use of community members’ photos, the mayor contacted a friend at the local police department, Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones said.

“It was a friend calling a friend,” he explained. “Let’s just say he was concerned about the article. I think ‘upset’ would be a good way of putting it.”

Authorities then conducted a welfare check on the mayor.

Two deputies first went to Copeland’s to find him, and then to a local market he frequented, before ultimately spotting the mayor driving on a county road, officials said.

The deputies then turned on their emergency lights and tried to get Copeland to pull over.

When he ultimately did, Copeland got out of the vehicle and shot himself.

“We had no idea Copeland would die on the spot,” Jones said. 

“There were obvious concerns for his welfare, and deputies were attempting to get him to stop, make contact with him, assess the situation, and then take action based on that assessment.”

He added that he does not know what the deputies could have done differently, even as authorities investigate his death. 

Copeland, who also served as the pastor at First Baptist Church in nearby Phenix City, had earlier told a friend he had been facing “some tough days.”

But 1819 News editor Jeff Poor is now defending the website’s coverage of Copeland.

“There’s a whole lot more here,” he told Breitbart. “This was clearly a troubled man, and it’s unfortunate that he ended his life.

“But it wasn’t for any of the reasons or any of the stated narrative of the mainstream media,” he claimed.

“He didn’t just write erotic fiction — he wrote erotic slasher fiction where he fantasized about murdering a woman in the local community, and used her real name.”

Poor claimed Copeland originally denied responsibility for the fiction stories when contacted by 1819 News, until he was presented with corroborating evidence before the first story was published.

“We would come to find out over time there was more and more things he was kind of misleading us on,” Poor said.

But authorities are not investigating Copeland’s online posts, according to AL.com.

If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.