Lane convicted of 2006 murder

By Nick Cenegy
Staff Writer

03-28-2008

After an hour and a half of deliberation Wednesday, a jury convicted Carlton Reshard Lane of murder in the Nov. 9, 2006, shooting death of Christopher Danard Toson at Norwood Homes.

The defense's case before Circuit Judge Brian Howell wrapped up just before noon, capping three and a half days of testimony that included several unexpected twists.

Keyonte Chick, Lane's co-defendant, agreed to a plea agreement earlier this week in
exchange for his testimony.

In closing arguments, Assistant District
Attorney Brian McVeigh began by reviewing what is required by law for someone to be convicted of murder.

In Alabama, if two individuals act in concert to commit a murder, determining which one fired the fatal shot is irrelevant, he explained.

Prosecutors were also not obligated to link Lane's weapon with the weapon that killed Toson, he said.

McVeigh told jurors and a nearly full courtroom gallery of about 30 people that there is no longer a legal distinction in Alabama between the principal actors and those who act as accessories.

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U.S. Marshals open doors to Liberty Park building

By Nick Cenegy
Staff Writer

03-28-2008

If your bread and butter is hunting down the vilest offenders, it is nice to have a classy cubicle to work in … or sleep in.

The U.S. Marshals Northern District and their Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force opened the doors of their Liberty Park building in Birmingham on Wednesday to Sixth District Congressman Spencer Bachus (R-Birmingham), local law enforcement, and the media.

Members of the task force, formed in July 2006, work in a well-appointed building inherited from the Federal Reserve. Law enforcement officers in suits work next to investigators in street clothes; all are focused on quickly tracking and arresting fugitives in Alabama and Mississippi.

"This is the line of defense against some really bad people," Bachus said. "We can breathe a little easier and sleep better at night because those people are no longer on the streets."

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Two officers shot, gunman wounded in Dothan robbery attempt

DOTHAN, Ala. (AP) -- Two Dothan police officers were shot and wounded when they walked into a robbery in progress at a store. The robbery suspect also was shot by the officers.

Dothan Police Chief John Powell says all three are being treated at a hospital. Their names were not immediately released.

The incident happened around midnight Thursday at the Hobo Pantry.

Further details are not available.

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Information from: The Dothan Eagle

April to be Child Abuse Prevention Month

By Megan Nichols
Staff Writer

03-28-2008

Calhoun County commissioners proclaimed April as Child Abuse Prevention Month in the county at their Thursday morning meeting.

Commission Chairman Robert Downing said the group was proud to support prevention efforts in the county.

"We need to do all we can to prevent violence against children," he said. "It's a scourge on society."

April is also national Child Abuse Prevention Month.

Single gunshot wounds 2 men

By Nick Cenegy
Staff Writer

03-28-2008

Two men were wounded by a single gunshot Wednesday when one tried to keep the other from firing the gun at a third man during an argument.

The two men, ages 18 and 20, were arguing with the third man, whom they told police they didn't know, just before 4 p.m. on the 2300 block of McKleroy Avenue, Anniston police said.

According to investigators, the 18-year-old pulled a gun out and pointed it at the third man, threatening to shoot him. When the 20-year-old intervened and pulled the 18-year-old's hand down toward the ground, the gun went off, police said.

The bullet hit the 20-year-old in the finger and wounded the 18-year-old in the stomach, said investigators.

A friend transported the two to a local hospital, where they were treated for their injuries. Neither wound was considered life-threatening, investigators said.

The incident has been ruled an accident, said police.

Bus carrying students crashes near Birmingham, injuries reported

Associated Press

Updated 9:58 a.m.

SPRINGVILLE — A charter bus carrying 46 elementary school children on a field trip to the Tennessee Aquarium ran off Interstate 59 and overturned Friday, injuring four people.

State trooper spokesman David Richards said none of the injuries was believed to be life-threatening, but one child was taken to a hospital by air ambulance. The driver and two other students also were taken to hospitals for treatment, he said.

Forty-nine people in all were on the bus, including two teachers.

Troopers are investigating the cause of the crash, which occurred at 7:30 a.m. CDT about 30 miles northeast of Birmingham. Students from Bryan Elementary School in Jefferson County were traveling to the aquarium in Chattanooga, Tenn., Richards said.

"Three buses were traveling together. One bus left the road, hit a guard rail and overturned on the right shoulder," Richards said.

Officials said school buses would be used to take students from the charter buses to a National Guard armory in Springville.

Prosecution wraps up case in murder trial

By Nick Cenegy
Staff Writer

03-27-2008

Testimony resumed Wednesday at the Calhoun County Courthouse as prosecutors finished laying out their case against Carlton Reashard Lane, 29, accused of shooting Christopher Toson, 29, to death at Norwood Homes in November 2006. Lane's co-defendant, Keyonte Reine Chick, who fled the county after bonding out of jail but was later captured by U.S. Marshals in Ohio, took the stand against Lane. His testimony resulted from a plea agreement that would consolidate his current murder charge, two assault charges, an obstruction of justice charge, and a charge of failing to register as a sex offender, into a 20-year split sentence. Five of the 20 years would be mandatory prison time, the other 15 would be provisional probation. Prosecutors also called a ballistics expert, Lane's cousin who lives at Norwood Homes and a police investigator. The trial is scheduled to continue today at 9:30 a.m. before Circuit Court Judge Brian Howell. The defense will have the opportunity to present their case and call witnesses if they choose.

McIntosh police chief's son focus of excessive-force probe

MCINTOSH, Ala. (AP) -- Washington County authorities are investigating the McIntosh police chief's son after a WPMI television news crew caught him on video striking a man during a traffic stop.

The news crew, in Washington County for another story March 14, was in the middle of an interview when they heard sirens and turned their cameras on a police Jeep following a truck. The video shows the truck pulling over and Police Chief Michael Barnett's son, officer Blaine Barnett, jumping out of the Jeep and rushing toward the truck.

WPMI said that before the truck pulled to a stop, Barnett fired a Taser into the truck's window. The video shows him dragging out Ronald Reed and pushing him to the ground, then punching Reed in the head and slamming his face into the pavement.

Reed was charged with reckless driving and misdemeanor possession of marijuana.

His father, Oscar Reed, said his son was not treated properly and that he was seeking legal counsel.

"I just don't want any other parent to have to see that happen to their son," Reed said.

Chief Michael Barnett said Thursday afternoon that he'd give a statement once the district attorney's office completes its investigation, which may be as early as next week.

"We really want to get all the facts out there once the investigation is completed," Barnett said.

Blaine Barnett had been working for a tri-county task force, but officials told WPMI he had turned in his resignation the day before and was working for McIntosh police.

Washington County District Attorney Spencer Walker told the Press-Register the incident remains under investigation.

"That's something that we are going to have to look at when the board meets on Monday," Walker said.

He said the facts would be put before the grand jury in August if it's deemed that Barnett broke the law.

House passes bill to require minimum qualifications for judges

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) -- The Alabama House has passed a bill that sets minimum standards for serving as a judge in Alabama.

The bill by Rep. Paul DeMarco of Homewood would require that an individual work for 10 years as a licensed lawyer in Alabama or another state before serving on the Alabama Supreme Court, the Court of Civil Appeals or the Court of Criminal Appeals.

The bill would require that circuit judges have five years experience as a licensed attorney and that district judges have at least three years experience as a lawyer.

The bill passed the House 98-0 and now goes to the Senate for debate.

Currently the only requirement for serving as an appellate judge in Alabama is to be a licensed attorney and to live in the state.

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Man gets death for police officer's killing

From wire reports

03-27-2008

BESSEMER — A Bessemer judge has gone against a jury recommendation in sentencing Demetrius Avery Jackson Jr. to death for the fatal shooting of Fairfield police officer Mary Smith.

Circuit Judge Teresa Petelos on Wednesday also sentenced the 23-year-old Jackson to life in prison for the attempted murder of Officer Erick Burpo.

A jury in January convicted Jackson of capital murder in Smith's Oct. 23, 2006 death. That same jury recommended that Jackson be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Jackson showed no emotion as he stood before Petelos during sentencing.

Court allows Siegelman release from prison pending appeal

By Bob Johnson
Associated Press Writer

Updated 4:49 p.m.

MONTGOMERY — A federal appeals court approved the release of former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman on bond Thursday while he appeals his conviction in a corruption case.

The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the former governor had raised "substantial questions of fact and law" in challenging his conviction.

The once-popular Democrat began serving a sentence of more than seven years last June on his conviction on six bribery-related counts and one obstruction count. Siegelman, 62, has been serving the sentence at a federal prison in Oakdale, La.

"It's a sweet day. He's an innocent man and he's been in prison for nine months," said Siegelman's attorney, Vince Kilborn.

Kilborn said that he and other attorneys were working to have Siegelman released from the Louisiana prison as soon as they can deliver a certified copy of the court's order to prison officials. It was not immediately clear when that would occur.

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2 dead, 2 hurt in Ga. hospital shooting

COLUMBUS, Ga. (AP) -- Authorities say a man whose mother died at a west Georgia hospital shot and killed two people there hours later and wounded a third before police wounded him.

Columbus Police Chief Ricky Boren says a male nurse was among the dead in Thursday's shooting at Doctors Hospital. A secretary was in critical condition.

Boren says a plainclothes officer responding to a call of shots fired saw an armed man leaving the hospital and saw him shoot a bystander in the head. The suspect was wounded after he opened fire on police.

Authorities say the shooter's mother died of natural causes.

Anniston woman robbed in her garage

By Nick CenegyStaff Writer
03-26-2008
A 42-year-old Anniston woman was accosted by a man after she pulled into her garage Monday evening.
According to police reports, the resident of 800 Kirkwood Ave. pulled into her garage just before 10 p.m. and was getting out of a car when a man approached her.
The man — described as about 5 feet 10 inches tall weighing about 180 pounds — covered the woman's mouth with a gloved hand when she started to scream, said investigators.
He reportedly told her he was robbing her and took a leather folder containing classical sheet music, said police.
The man then fled on foot. There were no injuries reported in the incident.
No arrests had been made in the case Tuesday afternoon.

Murder trial of Anniston man continues

By Nick Cenegy
Staff Writer
03-26-2008
Testimony continued Tuesday in the trial of a 29-year-old Anniston man accused of shooting another man at Norwood Homes on Nov. 9, 2006.
The state began laying out their case against Carlton Reashard Lane alleging that he was responsible for the single gunshot wound to the chest that killed Christopher Toson, 29, of McClellan Boulevard.
A crime scene investigator who examined the scene and a forensic pathologist who autopsied Toson testified about their findings in addition to testimony from a woman who was shot in the neck by an errant bullet during the incident.
Police arrested Lane shortly after the shooting and charged him with murder.
Lane's co-defendant Keyonte Reine Chick fled the area after bonding out of jail but was later captured by U.S. Marshals in Ohio and extradited.
State's testimony is scheduled to continue 9 a.m. today.

Ads criticized for lack of treatment information

By Nick Cenegy
Staff Writer
03-26-2008
The Alabama District Attorney's Association recently spent about $1 million on an advertising campaign designed as a fresh tack in the struggle against methamphetamine abuse.
The Zerometh campaign includes three horror-film-esqe TV commercials, a set of print ads, billboards and a Web site intended to shock viewers with the realities of the drug.
While organizers say the public response has been positive, some experts in health research say the ads overlook a key element.
When using fear to motivate change, said Connie Kohler, associate professor of health behavior at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the audience has to be told what to do.
"You can scare a person a lot as long as in the same message you tell them how to cope with it," she said.
According to Kohler ads that tell audiences to "Just say no," or "Don't start using meth" are not really a feasible solution.
She said the Zerometh campaign assumes that the ads will drive people to Web sites seeking more information, and that is asking a lot.
Jimmy Harp, district attorney for Etowah County and the point man for Zerometh said the main goal of the first wave in the campaign, aimed at 12- to 18-year-olds, is to show that meth is bad.
As the ads continue to evolve, the message can be tailored to a variety of groups, he said.
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Police now can write tickets at McClellan subdivision

By Megan Nichols
Staff Writer
03-26-2008
Anniston police officers can now write tickets for traffic violations at a McClellan subdivision where they previously could not.
The Anniston City Council voted at its Tuesday night meeting to accept roads at The Homes at Summerall and to place city speed limits and stop signs at the subdivision.
The issue: The city and the Joint Powers Authority at McClellan realized in January that Anniston police officers could not write tickets for traffic violations on many McClellan roads. Alabama law does not allow city officers to ticket on roads not accepted by the city. The city did not accept roads that were not up to its code.
History: The issue arose when Summerall residents complained to the JPA about people speeding through their neighborhood. Developer Mark Keller had placed $150,000 in escrow with the JPA for road development once all the homes at the subdivision were completed. The city concluded that if that money was placed in an escrow account that it could access, the roads could be accepted.
The resolution: Keller moved the escrow account to Noble Bank & Trust and the Anniston City Council accepted the roads.

Alabama DPS adds search-and-rescue chopper to fleet

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) -- Alabama state troopers have added a new search-and-rescue helicopter to their aerial fleet.
Public Safety Director J. Christopher Murphy unveiled the Bell 407 helicopter, which seats six to fly tactical teams and can handle a 180-gallon "Bambi bucket" to carry water to fight forest fires. The aircraft, which can fly at 150 mph, also can deliver supplies and has a hoist to lift people. It's equipped with night vision and other equipment to aid in locating people.
At the unveiling Tuesday, Murphy said the chopper's greater speed and versatility will expand trooper emergency air and rescue capabilities.
He said the helicopter was purchased with a $3 million grant from the Justice Department.
There are eight pilots, plus mechanics and other personnel assigned to the trooper aviation unit. The pilots fly an average of 3,500 hours a year and members are on call 24 hours a day.
DPS said its five fixed-wing planes and eight helicopters are based in Cullman, Montgomery and Fairhope.
Murphy said the worth of helicopters was shown following disasters such as the tornadoes that struck Prattville and Enterprise.

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Suspect arrested in slaying of Alabama A&M graduate

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) -- A suspect has been arrested and charged with capital murder in the slaying of an Alabama A&M University graduate, and a second suspect is being sought.
Police said Levon Montriul Brooks, 29, of Huntsville was being held without bond after his arrest Tuesday in the killing of Brandon Glover, 22, of Tuskegee, who was found shot to death in his pickup truck on March 18.
Wendell Johnson, a Huntsville police spokesman, said two men were apparently in the truck with Glover when the shots were fired, but he declined to identify the other suspect.
Glover, a December graduate, had planned to move to Minnesota shortly after graduation to begin his first job. No motive has been given in his killing.
Johnson didn't know if Brooks had a lawyer Wednesday.
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Information from: The Huntsville Times, http://www.al.com/hsvtimes/hsv.html

Police: Birmingham man attempts to drown wife in hospital bathtub

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) -- Authorities have charged a Birmingham man with attempted murder after he was accused of attempting to drown his wife in a hospital bathtub.
Homewood Police said Derick Anthony Berry, 52, was arrested March 14 after nurses heard the woman scream and came to her assistance.
Berry remained in the Jefferson County Jail under a $60,000 bond Wednesday. He is due to make his court appearance before District Judge Shelton Watkins on April 3. Attempts to reach his lawyer, Hiram Dodd Jr,. were not immediately successful Wednesday.
Police Sgt. Kent Baker said the incident happened about 3 a.m. at Brookwood Medical Center, where Berry's wife was a patient.
Baker said the victim awoke in her room and heard the sound of running water. When she asked Berry why he was filling the bathtub, he told her he was going to drown her, according to police.
Baker said that when Berry tried to force the woman into the tub and under the water, she screamed, and nurses were able to stop him and call police.
"They called for help and were able to hold him back, while another hospital employee called us," Baker told The Birmingham News. He said the motive is unclear.
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Information from: The Birmingham News

Individual robbed at Oxford apartment

By Nick Cenegy
Staff Writer

03-25-2008

Oxford police continued Monday to investigate the robbery last week of a 23-year-old resident of Somerset Apartments.

Police said the victim was walking from the parking lot to his apartment door just before 1 a.m. Thursday when a man wearing a white hooded sweatshirt approached and asked for a light.

The resident replied that he didn't have one and continued walking.

The man in the sweatshirt followed him, pulled out a handgun and said, "You know you owe me money," according to police reports.

Investigators said the resident took out his wallet and showed the thief that he only had a few dollars.

The thief took the wallet, checked the victim's front pockets, then grabbed his cell phone and threw it at him and fled with the cash in the direction of a dark-colored Ford Expedition, investigators said.

Police had made no arrests in connection with the incident as of Monday. The resident refused medical treatment on scene.

Anniston woman reports January rape

By Nick Cenegy
Staff Writer

03-25-2008

A 20-year-old Anniston woman told police Friday that she was raped earlier this year in the parking lot of Family Dollar near the 1700 block of Quintard Avenue.

The woman said that on Jan. 25 she was talking to three men — one of whom she knew — around 8 p.m. in the parking lot, when one of the men pushed her into a black Lincoln Navigator, Anniston police reported.

Once inside the vehicle, the man forced her to have sex with him, investigators said she reported.

The other men reportedly did nothing to prevent the rape initially, but later stopped the man, police said.

The 20-year-old did not know the name of her attacker but could name one of the other men, police said.

The woman reportedly did not suffer any additional injuries. No arrests had been made in connection with the incident as of Monday.

Bynum man assaulted outside hospital

By Nick Cenegy
Staff Writer

03-25-2008

A 63-year-old Bynum resident told police he was assaulted Easter Sunday as he walked out of Stringfellow Hospital.

According to Anniston police reports, the man was leaving the hospital around 11 a.m. when he was approached by a young man he didn't know, estimated to be in his 20s, who struck him in the back of the head with a length of metal pipe.

The assailant reportedly told him, "I owed you that," and left, walking southbound, investigators said.

The victim turned around and sought treatment at Stringfellow, police said. Investigators did not know whether he had initially been at the hospital for treatment or to visit someone.

No arrests had been made in connection with the incident as of Monday.

Car fire on West 13th Street believed set

By Nick Cenegy
Staff Writer

03-25-2008

A 52-year-old resident of the 1000 block of West 13th Street in Anniston woke up to find his car on fire Friday morning.

The man told police he heard an explosion outside his home around 3 a.m., according to Anniston police investigators.

When he went outside, he found his black 1995 Honda Accord ablaze, police said.

The resident told police he believes the fire was set intentionally by people with whom he has had disputes in the past.

Police are investigating the incident as possible criminal mischief. No injuries were reported in the incident.

Superior Auto reports $114,000 stolen

By Nick Cenegy
Staff Writer

03-25-2008

A local car dealership has reported to Anniston police that it has uncovered the gradual theft of more than $114,000 from the company over the past several years.

Management of Superior Automotive, 110 South Quintard Ave. in Anniston, told police the money likely was embezzled by an employee.

Employees reported the theft earlier this month, and after checking records back to 2004 the company found that the missing funds had been taken a little at a time, said Anniston police investigators.

Police have a suspect, but are waiting for the district attorney's office to determine the specifics of the warrant.

No arrests had been made related to the case as of Monday afternoon.

Man gets life without parole in rape, killing of UAB student

BESSEMER, Ala. (AP) -- A judge followed a jury's recommendation and sentenced Justin White to life without parole for the rape and strangulation of a student at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Circuit Judge Mac Parsons imposed the sentence Monday in the killing of Sirrea Black.

A Jefferson County jury convicted White of capital murder in February and voted 8-4 to recommend life in prison without parole rather than a death sentence.

Prosecutors and the victim's family asked the judge to override the jury's recommendation and impose a death sentence.

"I've always felt that he took her life so he should have to give up his," said Joseph Black, the victim's father.

Assistant District Attorney Lane Tolbert said it took Black five minutes to die after White choked her with his hands, then used the belt from her jeans to "finish her off" as he told police.

Tolbert said White then stuffed Black in the trunk of her car and drove her to Bessemer, where "he showed her off like a trophy to the local drug dealers. If they strap him to a gurney and give him what he deserves, he'll pass more peacefully than she did."

White apologized for his crime.

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Jail supervisor dismissed for firing Taser at co-worker

BREWTON, Ala. (AP) -- An argument between co-workers at the Escambia County Jail led to the firing of a jail supervisor. Sheriff Grover Smith said John Moncrease was dismissed for firing a Taser at 29-year-old Sudan Nelson, striking him in the leg.

According to a press release from Chief Deputy John Gleaton, the incident happened March 19th and Moncrease was fired the next day.

Smith said the argument stemmed from a weeks-long dispute over compact discs that Nelson brought to work. He said Moncrease, who was charged with 3rd-degree assault, apparently was upset that Nelson failed to respond to his questions about the CDs.

Nelson was treated and released from a local hospital.

Tasers are electrical stun guns that shoot volts of electricity through a person's body. They are used to immobilize suspects.

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Information From: Press-Register

Lincoln couple donates $600 to water rescue; purchase of Dodge Chargers for police approved

By Todd South
Staff Writer

03-25-2008

LINCOLN — Julian and Judy Holmes of Lincoln donated $600 to the city's water rescue team Monday night.

The couple lost their daughter, Julie Anne Holmes, in a drowning accident in 1978. Judy Holmes said it took volunteer rescue groups at Lake Martin 13 days to find their daughter.

After the incident, the couple established a trust fund to help rescue agencies.

The Lincoln Water Rescue team has operated since 1995. Capt. Larry Seals said the team would use the funds for training and equipment.

In other business the council:

• Approved the purchase of six Dodge Chargers and equipment for the Police Department for $163,968.

Police Chief Travis McGrady said the vehicles would replace 2001, 2003 and 2005 vehicles all with more than 70,000 miles a piece.

Motorcycle-truck crash kills Prattville man

CLANTON, Ala. (AP) -- A motorcyle-truck crash on Interstate 65 near Clanton left a Prattville man dead. Clanton Police Chief James Henderson said 36-year-old Michael Allen Oliver died early this morning at UAB Hospital. He said a motorcycle Oliver was riding collided with a tractor-trailer yesterday (Sunday), at about 12:40 p.m. The wreck occurred at the exit 205 ramp that merges into I-65.

The truck driver, 34-year-old Christopher Lee Prince of Mount Pleasant, Tennessee, was not injured. The crash remains under investigation.

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Information From: The Clanton Advertiser

Lineville assistant principal dies in accident

By Dan Whisenhunt
Staff Writer

Updated 2:34 p.m.

Gerry Elliot

School administrators confirmed Monday that Gerry Elliot, assistant principal of both Lineville High and Elementary schools died Saturday after a hunting accident.

Elliot, 39, was an agricultural science teacher with Clay County schools for about 12 years before he was promoted, Superintendent Ben Griffin said. Griffin said based on reports he’s heard, Elliot was hunting Saturday morning when the accident happened.

The cause of the accident is still under investigation, according to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office. School officials said grief counselors are on hand today and Griffin said the schools will dismiss early Tuesday for the funeral.

Services are set for 2 p.m. Tuesday at Mellow Valley Baptist Church. The family will receive friends beginning at 4 p.m. today at the church. Benefield Funeral Home in Lineville is in charge of arrangements.

Ala. inmates with HIV barred from work

By DESIREE HUNTER
Associated Press Writer

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) -- Prison inmate Kathryn Canty seems like a prime candidate for work release: good behavior, less than three years left to serve, and an accounting degree along with vocational training.

But she also has HIV.

And inmate advocates say Alabama is the only state that bars prisoners with the AIDS virus from participating in work release.

"I'm a worker," said Canty, who finishes her 4 1/2-year sentence for forgery and theft next month. "Work release would have been a great help for me to catch up with technology as well as saving money to get back on my feet."

Full Story

Alabama mayor charged in stabbing of man at Florida motel

Associated Press

Updated 3:08 p.m.

SAMSON — A south Alabama mayor will remain in office as he awaits trial in Florida on charges of beating and stabbing a man he allegedly found with his wife at a Panhandle motel, an aide said Monday.

Clay King, in his third term as mayor of Samson, was accused of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon in an attack on Stephen Hunter Oates, 44, of Chancellor, Ala., police Lt. Bill Chapman of DeFuniak Springs, Fla., said.

Free on bond, King, 43, did not return a message left at his city office, but a City Hall worker said King remained mayor as allowed by Alabama law.

"The mayor is still the mayor," said Hazel McGowan, the city clerk.

An attorney for King also did not return messages seeking comment.

Oates was initially listed in critical condition, and he remained hospitalized following surgery. His current condition was not immediately available.

Full Story

Man killed in I-20 accident identified

From staff reports

03-23-2008

The man who died Wednesday after a four-vehicle crash on Interstate 20 near Oxford has been identified by the Jacksonville State Trooper post.

James Andrew Cagle, 64, of Lithia Springs, Ga., the driver of a Chevrolet pickup, was transported to University Hospitals at Birmingham and later died.

Six passengers in a Ford Excursion were sent to Regional Medical Center, where they were treated and released the same day, according to the hospital.

Oxford Fire Chief Gary Sparks told The Star on Wednesday that a Honda, the pickup, the Excursion and a tractor trailer all were involved in the accident.

Judge orders stabbing suspect held on $25,000 bond

OZARK, Ala. (AP) -- Authorities say a 27-year-old Dale County man was ordered held on a $25,000 bond. A district judge on Friday set the bond for Jeremy Lee Rose for the March 16th murder of 46-year-old Calvin Baker.

Daleville police said evidence indicated the victim was stabbed in a knife fight at Rose's residence on County Road 31. Baker died in front of the Daleville Police Department, where he had sought help.

Judge Stanley Garner said he set the high bond because Rose was on probation for a prior assault case in the county. Rose also has at least three prior felony charges out of Lauderdale County and Tennessee.

A defense attorney contends his client acted in self-defense.

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Information From: The Dothan Eagle

Morgan County man dies in early morning house fire

FALKVILLE, Ala. (AP) -- Authorities in Morgan County say a 34-year-old man died when his residence went up in flames early Monday. The blaze erupted at about 6 a.m. at a house on Powell Chapel Road, just outside Falkville. Volunteer firefighters from Vinemont and Falkville helped to put out the fire. The state Fire Marshal's office will determine how it started. Authorities said a preliminary investigation indicated the man, whose name was withheld, was working in his garage throughout the night when a mail carrier spotted flames around 5:45 a.m.

Its unclear if there were other injuries.

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Information from: Tory Dunnan & William Szczpanski/WAFF-TV, http://www.waff.com/

Two shot in Ensley community, one dies

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) -- A homicide and the shooting of a teenager early Monday in the Ensley community is under investigation. Birmingham Police said in a statement, officers responded to the 2300 block of Avenue G just after midnight where they found 41-year-old Travis Thompson of Birmingham mortally wounded. He died a short time later.

Police said moments later, a 16-year-old gunshot victim was discovered in the 2400 block of Avenue F. The male, whose name was withheld, was taken to University Hospital. The teenager's condition was not immediately available.

Thompson's murder was the city's 20th of the year.

Its unclear if the shooting are related. No arrests were made.

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Information from: Sharifa Wip/WBRC-TV, http://www.wbrc.com/index1.shtml

Mayor stripped of hiring powers

By Andy Johns
Staff Writer

03-21-2008

The Wadley Town Council voted Thursday to remove the mayor's powers to hire and fire city employees.

Five council members voted for the resolution, which cuts the mayor out of the hiring process. Mayor Bruce Albright, who is a member of the council, cast the only dissenting vote.

"It's just an embarrassment that we can't get along," the mayor said.

Councilman Michael James said he expects the mayor to fight the resolution, but declined to comment further.

The resolution comes as the latest stage of an ongoing feud between the mayor and council.

According to the mayor, investigators from the office of Alabama's attorney general were in Wadley this week, probing council members about alleged secret meetings.

Albright's wife, Tara, who speaks for the mayor, said he sent a letter to the attorney general on March 7 stating that the council had been illegally meeting without him.

The mayor contends he was not notified of meetings on Feb. 25, Feb. 28, and March 4.

He said he has driven by town hall to find all of the council members' cars parked there and has gone inside to find them meeting.

Full Story

Airplane found 26 years after crash

Associated Press

03-23-2008

MOBILE — Wreckage of a single-engine Beechcraft Sierra that crashed into Big Creek Lake 26 years ago has been recovered and turned over to federal investigators.

The pilot, Richard Doug Flint, 43, was killed in the crash March 15, 1982. His body was found a few days later, but the plane was never located until a fisherman using a sonar detection device recently discovered the wreckage.

It was in the muddy depths near the lake's boat ramp.

Mobile County sheriff's spokeswoman Kate Johnson said the wreckage was turned over to the National Transportation Safety Board on Saturday.

The plane will be kept in the area where Howells Ferry Road meets the lake until Monday, when authorities will determine where to move it.

Remains found at landfill identified

Associated Press

03-23-2008

BIRMINGHAM — Police on Saturday identified human remains recovered at a Birmingham landfill as missing public works employee Patricia Willis.

Willis, 42, who worked as a truck driver at the Eastern Area Landfill, has been missing since midday Tuesday. Partial human remains were recovered Wednesday evening, but the search continued. Authorities called off the search Friday night after finding more remains, police said.

Authorities said one theory is that Willis might have fallen into the landfill or been accidentally pushed in by a loader.

Victims of I-459 wreck identified

Associated Press

03-23-2008

BIRMINGHAM — State troopers have released the names of the four teens killed in a collision involving a FedEx Freight tractor-trailer and a Pontiac convertible on Interstate 459 in Birmingham.

The convertible driver was Zachary Livingston, 18, of Birmingham. The three passengers included Joel Swinford, 18, of Irondale, and sisters Stephanie Baker, 17, and Lindsey Baker, 14, both of Birmingham.

The impact pushed the convertible across the interstate and into the median barrier about 11 a.m. Friday. Trooper Sgt. Eddie Dodgen says the car was backing down the interstate.

FedEx driver Corris L. Shannon, 37, of Conley, Ga. was unhurt.