Deputies charge teen with felony assault on school administrator

Houston County, Al.

Houston County Sheriff’s deputies charged a teenager with felony assault on Rehobeth High School administrator.

Sheriff’s Capt. Jeff Carlisle, who serves as chief of operations, said deputies charged a teenager with felony second-degree assault. Carlisle said the assault happened Thursday, and the juvenile was taken to the Houston County Juvenile Diversion Center.

Tim Pitchford, the Houston County Schools superintendant, said a 17-year-old boy was suspended as a result of the assault, and has a pending expulsion hearing.

Pitchford said the assistant principal needed seven stitches to mend the wound he suffered to the back of his head during the assault. Pitchford said the assault happened in the school’s office Thursday. He said the assistant principal returned to work Friday.

Not guilty by reason of mental illness or defect plea fails,Todd convicted of murder in the 2008 shooting death of Veronica Elizabeth Martinez.

Opp, Al.
Despite talks of seeing UFOs, possessing a “cigarette smoking, whiskey drinking levitating cat” and having the ability to “teleport,” Harold Elton Todd was convicted Friday of murder in the 2008 shooting death of Veronica Elizabeth Martinez.
Todd, who was represented by Donna Crooks, had pleaded not guilty by reason of mental illness or defect; however, it took the eight-woman, four-man jury only 30 minutes to decide Todd intended to kill Martinez that March at the couple’s T.T. Clark Road home in Opp.
Throu-ghout the trial, Crooks never denied Todd was the shooter; instead, she classified him as an alcoholic who had no memory of the actual shooting.
Thursday’s testimony ended with details of how Todd simultaneously approached and fired a Carbine rifle at Martinez 10 times, including three times in the back, and how he confessed to the shooting no less than four law enforcement officers.
On Friday, Todd took the stand in his own defense and openly wept as he described his and Martinez’s 10-year relationship as one filled with companionship.
“She was the only woman who stayed with me for any length of time,” he said. “We were very fond of each other. (I) miss her terribly.”
He alternated between calling the shooting the “said tragedy” and “the unique thing,” while denying he had a drinking problem. He said he believed Martinez had poisoned his alcohol, which is why he had no memory of the shooting.
He said on that day, Martinez walked up behind him screaming and yelling, when, “two things happened simultaneously. One I had the clip in my right hand and the gun in my left. It was very easy to put them together. I don’t completely remember bringing them together in front of me.”
Todd said he then developed “grey, tunnel vision.”
“I could not see; I was blind,” he said. “The evidence is I shot her. The weapon was out, in my hand, so by process of elimination – I mean someone else could have been there, but that would be stretched pretty far – I have no explanation or reason to fire.
“I believe I was poisoned,” he said. “Somehow (Martinez) got it, and to the best of my knowledge, I was poisoned.”
However, previous testimony indicated otherwise.
In an effort to substantiate Todd’s claim of not reasonable by mental illness or defect, Crooks questioned him on whether or not he had ever seen a UFO; owned a cat that had “super powers” or if he believed he had the ability to teleport – to all of which he answered, “Yes.”
“You wouldn’t believe the different kinds of UFOs – not like little green men you know – that come right over Opp,” he said. “But they were more prevalent between 2006 and 2008. Various types, you know.”
When questioned about the animals, Todd admitted to owning two cats with “super powers.”
“One could talk, and Meatball – he smoked cigarettes, drank whiskey and levitated,” he said, just before demonstrating “Meatball’s” levitating ability.
When Crooks asked him if he had the ability to teleport, he said, “Yes, I do, but I cannot explain it. It’s not safe. I walked through a wall in Connecticut, and I don’t recommend it.”
He said he learned to teleport by reading books and likened the act to an out-of-body experience. With that, the defense rested its case.
Assistant Chief District Attorney Grace Jeter’s cross-examination was brief.
“Did you kill her?” Jeter asked. It was a question Todd refused to answer, and at one point, he became belligerent.
“That’s the courts job to decide,” he said. “I refuse to answer.”
“The truth is Mr. Todd, you were mad because she was screaming and you shot her,” Jeter said, to which he replied, “No.”
In closing arguments, Jeter said the “puzzle pieces” including Todd’s confessions, the crime scene, his actions after the shooting and the way he changed his story during testimony, were plenty of reasons to convict him of murder.
“Mr. Todd is selfish, egotistical and arrogant,” she said. “He described (Martinez) as the woman who stayed with him, but he shot and killed (her). He let her have it because she stayed one day too long.”
Crooks again argued Todd was drunk and never intended to murder Martinez, but the jury did not agree.
Judge A. “Lex” Short will sentence Todd on Nov. 10 at 9 a.m. He faces up to life in prison.

Barbour County High School principal arrested

A Barbour County principal who was arrested Sept. 24 is a former Opelika City Schools principal, the Opelika-Auburn News confirmed Friday.

Opelika City Schools’ spokeswoman Becky Brown confirmed that Clarence Magee Jr. was formerly a principal of Carver Primary School.

According to Opelika police reports, Magee was arrested at 12:16 a.m. Sept. 24 at Grown Folks Blues & More on Samford Avenue in Opelika on three charges of first-degree criminal mischief and one charge each of resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, attempting to flee and reckless endangerment, which are misdemeanors, Opelika Police Capt. Allan Elkins said.

Elkins said Magee was booked into the Lee County Detention Facility. According to Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones, Magee has since been released.

On the report, Magee lists his occupation as a principal with Barbour County Schools. The school system’s website lists him as principal of Barbour County High School.

When asked about the arrest, Barbour County Schools’ Superintendent Jimmie Fryer said, “We have no comment at this time.” OCS Superintendent Dr. Mark Neighbors also declined to comment about Magee’s arrest.

Magee and members of the Barbour County Schools’ Board of Education could not be reached for comment.

Earlier this year, Opelika City Schools’ Board of Education did not renew Magee’s contract as principal of Carver Primary School.

According to police reports, Magee had been asked to leave Grown Folks and refused. The report further states, “Magee then struggled with officers who had arrived at the scene, ran to his vehicle and attempted to leave the parking lot; while doing so, Magee ran into three of the police cars at the scene.”

No one was injured.

Magee was sober during the course of the incident and was driving a silver 2010 Jeep Patriot, according to the report. He is scheduled to appear in Opelika Municipal Court on Dec. 7.

Friday's High School Scores

FRIDAY HIGH SCHOOL  FOOTBALL

Abbeville 59, Dale County 12
Addison 21, Hubbard 20
Albertville 31, Madison County 24
Alma Bryant 31, LeFlore 19
American Christian Academy 59, Thorsby 7
Andalusia 40, Hillcrest-Evergreen 6
Anniston 67, Locust Fork 0
Arab 35, Southside-Gadsden 20
Ardmore 47, Priceville 40
Arnold, Fla. 42, Lakeside School 0
Ashford 28, Alabama Christian Academy 7
Ashford Academy 43, Ellwood Christian Academy 0
Ashville 39, J.B. Pennington 12
Autauga Academy 42, Sparta Academy 7
Bayside Academy 35, Washington County 28
Beauregard 40, Munford 6
Benjamin Russell 28, Lee-Montgomery 10
Berry 66, South Lamar 8
Bibb County 26, Livingston 20
Billingsley 46, R.C. Hatch 14
Blount 47, Mary Montgomery 7
Bob Jones 37, Huntsville 15
Brantley 49, Pleasant Home 7
Briarwood Christian 48, Talladega 0
Brilliant 34, Meek 8
Brooks 48, Wilson 21
Buckhorn 35, Hazel Green 14
Calera 28, Holtville 13
Center Point 33, Sylacauga 10
Central-Florence 27, West Limestone 26
Central-Phenix City 55, Northview 15
Central-Tuscaloosa 18, Brookwood 13
Charles Henderson 47, Russell County 14
Chilton County 18, Selma 13
Clarke Prep 39, Southern Academy 14
Clay County 57, B.B. Comer 6
Clay-Chalkville 28, Gadsden 14
Cleburne County 42, Alexandria 28
Colbert Heights 40, Cherokee 6
Collinsville 26, Cedar Bluff 20
Coosa Christian 47, Jefferson Christian Academy 14
Coosa Valley Academy 41, Meadowview Christian 29
Crenshaw Christian Academy 36, Chambers Academy 13
Crossville 7, Butler 0
Cullman 53, Brewer 19
Dadeville 33, Lincoln 14
Daleville 41, Geneva 23
Daphne 42, Satsuma 0
Davidson 17, Theodore 7
Decatur 45, Grissom 7
Decatur Heritage 43, Woodville 24
Demopolis 42, Paul Bryant 20
Deshler 62, East Lawrence 28
Donoho 34, Appalachian 8
Douglas 28, DAR 18
East Limestone 34, Lee-Huntsville 13
Edgewood Academy 35, Restoration Academy 24
Elba 39, Highland Home 14
Elmore County 46, Childersburg 6
Etowah 22, Scottsboro 0
Evangel Christian Academy 35, Pickens Academy 21
Excel 22, Montgomery Academy 16
Fairfield 18, McAdory 14
Fairhope 49, Robertsdale 19
Falkville 6, Cold Springs 0
Fayette County 30, Good Hope 14
Flomaton 42, Cottage Hill 0
Florence 42, Sparkman 14
Foley 47, Baldwin County 7
Fort Payne 45, Boaz 6
Fruitdale 44, Marengo 35
Fultondale 54, Westminster Christian Academy 13
G.W. Long 41, Wicksburg 14
Gaston 46, Valley Head 12
Geneva County 9, Kinston 8
Glenwood 53, Macon-East 6
Gordo 27, Aliceville 6
Goshen 9, Calhoun 0
Greene County 54, Dallas County 28
Greensboro 31, Hale County 14
Greenville 35, Wilcox Central 0
Gulf Shores 37, Citronelle 24
Guntersville 35, Fairview 19
Hackleburg 41, Tharptown 12
Hamilton 40, Holly Pond 6
Hanceville 42, Cordova 8
Handley 29, Marbury 14
Hartselle 44, West Point 10
Hewitt-Trussville 37, Huffman 25
Hillcrest 40, Carver-Birmingham 20
Hokes Bluff 31, White Plains 0
Hooper Academy 35, Kingwood Christian 13
Hoover 61, Pelham 6
Houston Academy 38, Cottonwood 14
Houston County 50, Ariton 14
Hueytown 54, Parker 8
Ider 31, Section 6
Isabella 56, Central-Hayneville 12
Jackson 47, B.C. Rain 14
Jackson Academy 48, Cornerstone Christian 6
Jeff Davis 26, Stanhope Elmore 14
Jemison 55, Southside-Selma 6
Keith 41, Sunshine 0
LaFayette 20, Lanett 6
Lauderdale County 28, Clements 0
Lee-Scott Academy 56, Lyman Ward 13
Leeds 52, Central Coosa 6
Lexington 50, Phil Campbell 21
Linden 42, McIntosh 0
Lineville 35, Woodland 14
Lowndes Academy 46, Abbeville Christian Academy 32
Luverne 21, Slocomb 0
Lynn 42, Hubbertville 13
Madison Academy 35, Sylvania 6
Marion County 35, Parrish 13
McGill-Toolen 52, Williamson 20
McKenzie 38, Georgiana 8
Midfield 33, Tarrant 0
Millry 34, J.U. Blacksher 14
Mobile Christian 20, Leroy 14
Monroe Academy 45, Fort Dale Academy 7
Morgan Academy 43, East Memorial Christian Academy 14
Mortimer Jordan 42, Curry 14
Mountain Brook 35, Spain Park 7
Murphy 14, Baker 7
Muscle Shoals 24, Athens 0
New Hope 42, Randolph School 10
North Jackson 34, Cherokee County 7
North Sand Mountain 39, Westbrook Christian 7
Northridge 42, Gardendale 28
Oak Grove 31, Haleyville 17
Oak Mountain 33, Thompson 10
Oneonta 35, St. Clair County 7
Opelika 21, Dothan 7
Opp 28, Pike County 6
Oxford 34, Pell City 13
Patrician Academy 56, Marengo Academy 22
Phillips-Bear Creek 74, Vina 48
Pickens County 54, Autaugaville 14
Piedmont 31, Weaver 0
Pike Liberal Arts 23, Prattville Christian Academy 6
Pinson Valley 35, Chelsea 28
Pisgah 24, Brindlee Mountain 0
Pleasant Valley 21, Ohatchee 19
Prattville 63, Sidney Lanier 24
Providence Christian 19, Barbour County 18
Ragland 54, Akron 21
Randolph County 29, Ranburne 19
Red Bay 23, Hatton 14
Reeltown 35, Horseshoe Bend 0
Rehobeth 34, B.T. Washington 26
Rogers 41, Colbert County 6
Saks 24, Glencoe 14
Samson 31, Red Level 0
Sand Rock 47, Victory Chr. 6
Sardis 38, Plainview 7
Shades Mountain Christian 41, Holy Spirit 19
Sheffield 28, Elkmont 7
Shelby County 44, Moody 14
Shoals Christian 54, Waterloo 20
Sipsey Valley 30, Northside 18
Smiths Station 34, Enterprise 28, OT
Southern Choctaw 35, Choctaw County 3
Spanish Fort 35, Faith Academy 12
Spring Garden 17, Gaylesville 0
Springville 35, Jacksonville 21
St. James 40, Headland 8
St. Jude 63, Wadley 0
St. Paul's 10, Vigor 8
Straughn 40, Bullock County 12
Sumter Academy 10, Wilcox Academy 7
Susan Moore 41, Oakman 14
Sweet Water 49, A.L. Johnson 0
T.R. Miller 14, Clarke County 6
Tabernacle Christian School 32, Evangel Christian School 14
Talladega County Central 37, Notasulga 28
Tallassee 35, Carroll-Ozark 34
Tanner 54, Sumiton Christian 7
Thomasville 38, Escambia County 15
Trinity Presbyterian 24, Catholic-Montgomery 3
Tuscaloosa County 27, Bessemer City 7
UMS-Wright 52, Saraland 14
Valley 17, Eufaula 13
Vestavia Hills 17, Homewood 14
Vincent 43, Francis Marion 0
Vinemont 37, Carbon Hill 14
W.S. Neal 56, Monroe County 14
Walker 46, Hayden 6
Walter Wellborn 55, Beulah 14
Wenonah 25, John Carroll Catholic 0
West Blocton 46, Holt 27
West End-Walnut Grove 12, Cleveland 6
West Morgan 53, Danville 13
Wetumpka 33, Carver-Montgomery 32
Winfield 35, Winston County 20
Winterboro 32, Loachapoka 12
Zion Chapel 19, New Brockton 14

Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals orders new trial for ex-pastor in wife's 2005 slaying

MONTGOMERY, Al.
A majority on an Alabama state appeals court ordered a new trial today for a former Vincent pastor now serving a life sentence after his 2009 conviction of murdering his wife and on a forgery related charge in Shelby County.

Timothy Dane Tillman

The Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals, in a 3-2 vote, ordered a new trial for Timothy Dane Tillman in the Oct. 26, 2005, shotgun death of his wife, Janet Lorita Tillman, 40.
In Tillman's trial, Shelby County prosecutors presented evidence that he led a double life when he killed his wife, serving as pastor of the Vincent Revival Center, and pretending to be a Navy officer while dating a woman on the West Coast who he later married.
Tillman, 47, was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole on the intentional murder conviction, and 10 years for his conviction on possessing a forged instrument, a deposit of a loan solicitation check sent to Janet Tillman three months after she was killed.
Prosecutors contended the two criminal allegations were related and showed a common plan or scheme. But the appeals court majority sided with Tillman, who argued the two cases were not connected and consolidation of the two was improperly prejudicial to the defendant.
Judge Sam Welch wrote the majority opinion, and was joined by Judge Beth Kellum and retired Judge Houston Gorman, who was sitting specially in the case after Judge Michael Joiner recused himself.
Judge Liles Burk wrote a dissenting opinion saying the two cases were properly consolidated by the trial judge. Judge Mary Windom joined the dissent.
Tillman current is held at the Fountain Correctional Center near Atmore.

Mobile coalition wants Alabama scrap-metal reform to cut down copper theft

Sen. Ben Brooks, R-Mobile

MOBILE, Al.
In order to curtail copper theft, which officials say is out of control across the state, a tough new bill that would tightly restrict the purchase of scrap metal in Alabama has been drafted.
The coalition behind the bill includes government, law enforcement and business leaders, but passing the legislation intact could be a battle. The recycling industry lobby has scuttled a similar effort in the past.
The bill, sponsored by Sen. Ben Brooks, R-Mobile, would require scrap buyers to:

• Pay for all purchases, regardless of value, with a check.

• Submit an electronic record of the purchase, including the seller's verified identity, to law enforcement within 24 hours.

• Hold scrap copper for three business days after purchase.

• Obtain proof of ownership of certain metal objects, such as grave markers, vases and manhole covers, prior to buying them.

The bill also would increase penalties, making certain violations felony offenses.
Officials announced the bill during a news conference Thursday afternoon at the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce.
Mobile Mayor Sam Jones, at the urging of the Police Department, attempted this summer to pass a municipal ordinance with many of the same provisions.
That move met with swift resistance from recyclers, who said that it would threaten their business.
Jones abandoned the local measure when it was discovered that it might conflict with an existing state law that requires recyclers to pay by check on purchases over $100 and forbids municipalities from crafting their own regulations.
When that initiative failed, Jones joined Brooks and Mobile County Sheriff Sam Cochran, who were already working on a bill.
Brooks introduced a bill during the last legislative session that contained many of the same provisions as the one currently being offered, Cochran said. That bill never got off the ground, though, as the recycling lobby moved against it, he said.
The industry also successfully loosened restrictions on automotive recycling over the protests of law enforcement, who said it would contribute to car theft.
Beth Marietta Lyons, who lobbies for both the city and the county, said the current effort has so much support that it will be hard to defeat.
Since the last legislative session, she said, brazen copper thefts have stoked significant public outrage across the state.
The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries Inc., a national lobby group, said that 47 states, including Alabama, have laws targeting metal theft. A spokesman for the group declined to say how Alabama's proposed legislation compares nationally.

Spokesman for recycling association declined comment

Graham Champion, who lobbies for the Alabama Recycling Association and spoke loudly against Jones' local ordinance, declined to comment on the specific provisions in Brooks' proposed legislation.
He said the association is working with business leaders in north Alabama to craft their own reform bill. "Once we have ours ready to go, we look forward to sitting down with Senator Brooks and seeing how they are similar and how they are different and how we can reconcile the two pieces of legislation."
Brooks said he's open to suggestions, but he also said he would not allow his bill to be watered down.
"This train is on the tracks," he said. "I plan to get this bill passed."
Brooks, who is co-chairman of the Judiciary Committee, where the bill will first be discussed, said he plans to use his position to make sure the bill at least makes it onto the Senate floor.
Cochran has already met with Champion and others about the bill. The sheriff said the debate is likely to turn on the requirement to pay for all transactions with a check, which the recyclers vehemently oppose.
Mobile Police Deputy Chief James Barber, who has been pushing for reform of scrap-metal recycling rules, said the check requirement is one of the most important parts of the proposed legislation.
Copper thieves tend to be drug addicts looking for a quick score to satisfy their habit, he said. As the law stands now, thieves can steel copper, sell it and buy drugs with the proceeds all in the same day.
"It's the one type of crime where you can get paid for the crime and have them destroy the evidence for you all in the same day," he said.
If you take away the quick fix, the incentive to steal copper will go with it, Barber said.

30 assault charges now in Montgomery Oak Park shooting against 5 suspects

MONTGOMERY, Al.
The Montgomery Police Department has filed 30 assault charges against five suspects in its ongoing investigation into the Sept. 24 shooting in Oak Park that left five adults and three children injured.

Quintell Tarrance

Those charged with assault include four Montgomery men arrested earlier this week in connection with the shooting, along with an additional suspect.
Police arrested the fifth suspect, Quintell Tarrance, 20, Thursday night at his residence. Tarrance was charged with three counts of first-degree assault and three counts of second-degree assault.
He was taken to the Montgomery County Detention Facility, where he was being held under bonds totaling $135,000.
MPD also served warrants charging Samdriquez Hall, 19, Marvin Gaston, 19, Otis R. Jones, 21, and Thaddeuss D. Jones, 23, with assault. Each was charged with three counts of first-degree assault and three counts of second-degree assault. Police served the warrants at the Montgomery County Detention Facility, where all four have been held since Montgomery police charged them on Sept. 27 with conspiracy to commit murder in connection with the shooting.

Clockwise from top left: Marvin Nikia Gaston, Sandriquez Kadarious Hall, Thedeuss Darnell Jones, Otis Rashad Jones

Bonds for Otis Jones and Thaddeuss Jones have been set at a total of $385,000 each. Montgomery County Circuit Judge William Shashy revoked bond for Hall and Gaston on a motion filed by the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office.
The Montgomery Police Department’s investigation into the shooting is continuing.

Newborn positive for drugs; mother charged

Florence, Al.
The mother of a month-old infant has been arrested after her child tested positive for drugs when she was born, authorities said Thursday.
Natalie Sisson Bowers Rochester, 25, 2929 Lauderdale 9, Florence, is charged with chemical endangerment of exposing a child to a chemical substance, police said.
Reports indicate the child was born Aug. 26 at Eliza Coffee Memorial Hospital in Florence.

Rochester

The baby tested positive for amphetamines and opiates, authorities said. The drugs are stimulants.
Police said Rochester tested positive for the same drugs when she was admitted to the hospital to deliver the baby.
Investigators said the Lauderdale County Department of Human Resources was first notified of the child’s test, followed by the Florence police.
Florence police detective Keith Johnson said an investigation was conducted with assistance from DHR officials.
He said arrest warrants were issued for Rochester on Monday.
“She was notified of the warrant and agreed to turn herself in, but that didn’t happen,” Johnson said. “For three days, she told us she was coming in. When she didn’t, we turned the arrest warrant over to the U.S. Marshals Task Force.”
Johnson said U.S. Marshals picked up Rochester on Wednesday night.
Authorities said the baby is in the custody of her father and doing well.
Rochester was taken to the Lauderdale County Detention Center, where she was released after posting a $5,000 bail.

Hispanic students vanish from Alabama schools

BIRMINGHAM, Al. 
Hispanic students have started vanishing from Alabama public schools in the wake of a court ruling that upheld the state's tough new law cracking down on illegal immigration.
Education officials say scores of immigrant families have withdrawn their children from classes or kept them home this week, afraid that sending the kids to school would draw attention from authorities.
There are no precise statewide numbers. But several districts with large immigrant enrollments — from small towns to large urban districts — reported a sudden exodus of children of Hispanic parents, some of whom told officials they planned to leave the state to avoid trouble with the law, which requires schools to check students' immigration status.
The anxiety has become so intense that the superintendent in one of the state's largest cities, Huntsville, went on a Spanish-language television show Thursday to try to calm widespread worries.
"In the case of this law, our students do not have anything to fear," Casey Wardynski said in halting Spanish. He urged families to send students to class and explained that the state is only trying to compile statistics.
Police, he insisted, were not getting involved in schools.
Victor Palafox graduated from a high school in suburban Birmingham last year and has lived in the United States without documentation since age 6, when his parents brought him and his brother here from Mexico.
"Younger students are watching their lives taken from their hands," said Palafox, whose family is staying put.
In Montgomery County, more than 200 Hispanic students were absent the morning after the judge's Wednesday ruling. A handful withdrew.
In tiny Albertville, 35 students withdrew in one day. And about 20 students in Shelby County, in suburban Birmingham, either withdrew or told teachers they were leaving.
Local and state officials are pleading with immigrant families to keep their children enrolled. The law does not ban anyone from school, they say, and neither students nor parents will be arrested for trying to get an education.
But many Spanish-speaking families aren't waiting around to see what happens.
A school worker in Albertville — a community with a large poultry industry that employs many Hispanic workers — said Friday that many families might leave town over the weekend for other states. About 22 percent of the community's 4,200 students are Hispanic.
"I met a Hispanic mother in the hallway at our community learning center this morning, where enrollment and withdrawal happens. She looked at me with tears in her eyes. I asked, 'Are you leaving?' She said 'Yes,' and hugged me, crying," said the worker, who spoke on condition of anonymity because she was not an authorized spokeswoman.
In Russellville, which has one of the largest immigrant populations in the state because of its poultry plants, overall school attendance was down more than 2 percent after the ruling, and the rate was higher among Hispanic students.
There's "no firm data yet, but several students have related to their teachers that they may be moving soon," said George Harper, who works in the central office.
Schools in Baldwin County, a heavily agricultural and tourist area near the Gulf Coast, and in Decatur in the Tennessee Valley also reported sudden decreases in Hispanic attendance.
The law does not require proof of citizenship to enroll, and it does not apply to any students who were enrolled before Sept. 1. While most students are not affected, school systems are supposed to begin checking the status of first-time enrollees now.
The Obama administration filed court documents Friday announcing its plans to appeal the ruling that upheld the law.
The state has distributed to schools sample letters that can be sent to parents of new students informing them of the law's requirements for either citizenship documents or sworn statements by parents.
In an attempt to ease suspicions that the law may lead to arrests, the letter tells parents immigration information will be used only to gather statistics.
"Rest assured," the letter states, "that it will not be a problem if you are unable or unwilling to provide either of the documents."

Henderson Murder Trial: State rests after two days

Opelika, Al. Testimony resumed Friday in the capital murder trial of a Georgia man accused of killing a Lee County sheriff's deputy during a 2009 traffic stop.
Gregory Lance Henderson, 39, of Columbus, Ga., is charged with capital murder for allegedly running over Lee County sheriff’s deputy James Anderson during a traffic stop in Smiths Station on Sept. 24, 2009.

Bonham

The state, led by Lee County District Attorney Robbie Treese, alleges Henderson deliberately ran over the deputy as he attempted to flee from the traffic stop, while the defense, led by attorney Jeremy Armstrong, says the deputy’s death was an accident and their client did not intend to kill Anderson.

UPDATE: 10:25 a.m.
During the second day of testimony, Lee County sheriff’s investigator Dan Scivicque, then a deputy, said he was working in Smiths Station on Sept. 24, 2009 when he heard Bonham’s radio call that Anderson was stuck under a vehicle.
Bonham testified Thursday she and Anderson had pulled Henderson over because the tag on his white 1991 Honda Civic was registered to another vehicle. Anderson exited the patrol car with his gun drawn as Henderson tried to drive away from the traffic stop. Henderson ran over the deputy as he attempted to flee, she said.
Scivicque said he sped to the scene, arriving to find volunteer firefighter Clint Knox and Bonham trying free Anderson.
After seeing Anderson under the vehicle, Scivicque said he retrieved a car jack from his patrol car to lift the white Honda resting on top of the deputy.
“I was able to life the car several inches, but it wasn’t enough space to pull him out,” he said. “ … I didn’t see any movement from him.”
The deputies and the firefighter continued to try to free Anderson.
“We were pulling so hard, Clint actually pulled part of his duty belt off,” Scivicque said.
Scivicque said he helped layout a landing zone for the Life Saver helicopter. Bonham, he said, took his patrol car to try to flag down a passing wrecker.
Scivicque said he learned from the pilot Anderson could not be transported by helicopter because paramedics could not perform chest compressions during flight. Consequently, the investigator said Anderson was transported by ambulance.
Friendship Volunteer Fire Department first responder Ronald Menz said Anderson didn’t have any vital signs during the attempts to save him after he was pulled from under the car with the assistance of a wrecker, which lifted the Honda enough to pull him free.
Anderson was taken to the Columbus Regional Medical Center in Columbus, Ga., where he was pronounced dead.

UPDATE 11:36 a.m. A forensic pathologist who worked at the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences in 2009 and examined Anderson’s body testified the deputy died of traumatic asphyxia from being trapped under the car driven by Henderson. Traumatic asphyxia happens when a person’s chest is squeezed by a great weight or force and the individual is unable to breath, Dr. John Daniels said.
“He could not breath, he could not bring in oxygen; because of that, he died,” Daniels said.

Under cross examination by Armstrong, Daniels said Anderson did not die from blunt-force trauma. Daniels also dismissed vomit as a contributor to the asphyxia. Anderson reportedly vomited while he was trapped under the Honda.

Anderson suffered multiple fractures, hemorrhages, internal bleeding, abrasions on his legs and abdomen and burns, Daniels said.

“It is an exhaustive list,” said Daniels as he looked over his autopsy on Anderson.

UPDATE 2:45 p.m.
Jeff Nelson, a crash scene investigator with the Alabama Bureau of Investigation, was the first witness called by the state after the lunch recess. Nelson said he arrived on the scene at about 2 p.m. on the afternoon of Anderson’s death.
Nelson testified about acceleration marks from Henderson’s vehicle and drag marks left by Anderson’s body in the yard where the deputies pulled over Henderson.
Nelson also documented debris from Henderson’s car and Anderson’s gun belt.
The court took a short recess during Nelson’s testimony when Anderson’s widow stepped out of the courtroom as the investigator began to describe drag marks, approximately 3 feet long, in the lawn left by Anderson’s body.
Nelson also documented a hole dug by one of the tires on Henderson’s car as it tried to accelerate.
Nelson testified he examined the Honda after the incident and found the brakes and accelerator functioned normally. Nelson testified there appeared to be spots of burned plastic and impressions of fabric on the car’s muffler in addition to scrapes.
Nelson displayed Anderson’s gun belt and the tattered and stained remains of his uniform, cut away by paramedics working to save his life.
Under cross examination by Armstrong, Nelson said there were no markings indicating a point of impact on the vehicle.
“The only marks I found were on the undercarriage which appeared to go from the front to the rear,” Nelson said.
Nelson said it appears the front of the car was the area of impact.
Nelson said he used marks on road way, the position of the vehicle and the position of the body to determined Anderson was run over by the car moving forward. Whether Henderson struck Anderson in reverse or driving forward has been a frequent topic of cross examination by Armstrong. The officers investigating the case and Bonham, then Anderson’s partner, say the deputy was run over by Henderson as he drove forward; however, a preliminary scene report for the state forensics lab says Anderson was struck while the car was reversing.

UPDATE 3:30 P.M.
The state rested at 3:18 p.m. after two days of testimony by deputies, investigators with the Alabama Bureau of Investigation and a forensic pathologist. Armstrong made a motion for acquittal, arguing the state had failed to show it was Henderson’s intent to kill the deputy with the car and that testimony from the a former state forensic pathologist showed Anderson death, the result of traumatic asphyxia, not blunt force trauma, was an indirect result of being struck by the car.
“It was collateral consequence of being struck,” Armstrong said.
Lee County Circuit Court Judge Jacob A. Walker III denied the motion, and scheduled the trial to resume Monday morning at 9 a.m.
Johnny Wade Cook, who lives at the residence on Lee Road 240 where deputies tried to stop Henderson, was the last witness of the day.
Cook said he was preparing for work when Henderson’s white Honda Civic and  the deputies’ patrol car pulled into his yard.
Henderson’s car stopped briefly in front of the home’s living room before reversing to change directions, Cook said.
Cook said Anderson exited the patrol vehicle and moved parallel to Henderson’s path. Cook said he did not see the car strike Anderson, but saw the Honda soon after through his dining room window.
“The white car was stuck,” he said.  “The tires were spinning like he was trying to get unstuck. They spun one direction, then he obviously put it in the other direction, but all they did was dig into the ground.”
At that point, investigator Katie Bonham was ordering Henderson to stop the car, he said.
“She was telling the car to stop, but it didn’t stop, so she fired a shot, and it still didn’t stop so she fire again,” Cook said.
Bonham testified Thursday she shot into the car twice, striking the frame near Henderson’s head and the front side panel of the car above the wheel well.
Cook said Henderson gave up after the second shot, and Bonham subdued him.
“I remember thinking why has it not stopped after she had fired,” he said.
Cook said her heard fragments of the conversation between Bonham and Henderson, including a statement by the defendant they needed to help Anderson.
“I didn’t hear anything crystal clear,” he said.
Cook testified he asked if he needed to call 911. Bonham said help was on the way, but she needed help for her partner, Cook said.
 “When I looked toward the white car, I could see the officer’s hand and foot sticking out from under the car,” Cook said.
Cook said he ran to the Honda.
“Something was running out of his mouth. The engine was still running …” Cook said.
Cook said he ran around the car to shut off the engine.
Cook said he retrieved a jack from his truck, but was unable to get it under the low ground clearance of the Honda.
By the time he returned with a second jack from his son’s house nearby, Cook said first responders and more deputies had arrived.
“I knew they were better equipped to help him than me so I stayed out of the way,” he said.

Iberia Bank on Whitesburg Drive in Huntsville robbed late this morning

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama
The Iberia Bank at 2123 Whitesburg Drive was robbed late this morning, police said.
Police sent a notice out at 11:05 a.m. that the bank had been robbed and investigators had been notified.
Three patrol cars are on the scene at the bank, which is between Longwood Avenue and Franklin Street in the medical district, and an officer on the scene said a K-9 unit is tracking a male suspect who fled on foot.
A patrol car was seen cruising through the residential neighborhood near the bank.
Updated at 11:35 p.m. to reflect suspect being tracked by K-9. 

Man surrenders in early-morning fatal stabbing of his brother (Up-Dated)

BIRMINGHAM, Al.

Thomas Winborn

Up-Date
Police say Thomas Winborn, 25, killed his 23-year-old brother named Tommy Winborn during a domestic altercation.
Thomas Winborn has been charged with his brother's murder and is in custody of the Jefferson County jail. His bond is set at $60,000.
Original Story :
A man is in custody and undergoing questioning in the early-morning slaying of his brother in the Kingston community.
The suspect turned himself in to Birmingham police headquarters today, said homicide Sgt. Scott Thurmond. He will be held in the city jail pending formal arrest warrants.
South Precinct officers were called to 4418 Ninth Ave. North at 1:15 a.m. on a report of a stabbing. They found Tommie Winborn, 23, on the front porch of the apartment he shared with his mother. He had been stabbed.
Winborn was taken to UAB Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Police spokesman Sgt. Johnny Williams Jr. said the victim had had a fight with his brother shortly before he was stabbed.
Kingston resident Danielle Embry, 30, said he is a close friend of both the victim and the suspect. "They are like brothers to me," Embry said today.
Embry said the fight between the brothers started when the suspect was disrespectful to his mother, which made Winborn angry. That's when Winborn was stabbed in the neck with a knife, Embry said.
"I don't how it got to the point it did," Embry said. "It's kinda shocked me, and tore me up."

Alabama's 2011 budgets end balanced

MONTGOMERY, Ala.
Top officials in Gov. Robert Bentley's administration say the state's two budgets are ending the fiscal year without any more across-the-board cuts.
State Finance Director Marquita Davis and Chief of Staff David Perry said that was achieved by getting $25 million from Alabama's abandoned property program to pay for unexpected costs from the April tornadoes.
The state is ending its fiscal year Friday. The governor had to cut the General Fund budget 15 percent and the education budget 3 percent in February due to less-than-expected tax collections. Davis said she was pleased to get through the fiscal year without more cuts.
Davis said it's too early to tell whether cuts will be needed in the budgets for the new fiscal year starting Saturday.

Dothan woman creating a roadway hazard by riding a bicycle on the road with no lights or reflective gear arrested

Felicia Franklin, black female, 32 years of age, of Doris Lane was arrested and charged with Unlawful Possession of a Controlled substance with bond being established later today.

Felicia Franklin

Early this morning a Dothan Police Officer made contact with a woman creating a roadway hazard by riding a bicycle on the road with no lights or reflective gear. As the officer approached the woman, he observed her throw a cup from her hand and drop the bicycle. The officer did not recover the cup but believed it may have contained alcohol as the suspect was highly intoxicated. After dropping the bicycle, the suspect then walked toward the patrol vehicle and threw something away from the car. The officer detained the suspect and recovered the object, a clear plastic bag containing cocaine. Narcotics Investigators responded to seize the evidence and arrested Felicia Franklin on narcotics charges.

Dothan pair were arrested and charged with First Degree Robbery

Dothan, Al.

Rashad Griffin and Rodney Griffin, black males, both 19 years of age, of Valley Forge Road were arrested and charged with First Degree Robbery with bond being established later today.

Rodney Griffin

Rashad Griffin

On September 29, 2011 the Dothan Police Department responded to a robbery of a person in the 800 block of Meridian Street just after 9:00 p.m. Investigators were called to the scene where they learned two suspects approached and assaulted the victim intending to rob him. Investigators say the victim was transported to a local hospital where he received treatment for moderate injuries received during the robbery. Within a short period of time, night shift patrolmen located and arrested both suspects. The case will now be closed following the arrests.