Child's skull found in Opelika trailer park

 Opelika, Al.
Lee County Coroner Bill Harris reports that Opelika police received a call around 10:47 a.m. Saturday morning of a possible human skull that had been found.

Upon arrival at Brook Haven Trailer Park off of Hurst Street, officers located what is believed to be the partial skull of a child believed to be in the 5- to 7-year-old age range.

No other remains have been located at this time. The case remains under investigation by the Opelika Police Department and the Lee County Coroner’s office.

Anyone with information on the bones should call the Opelika Police Department Investigative Services Division at 334-705-5220, Opelika Communications at 334-705-5263, the Secret Witness Hotline at 334-745-8665 or the Lee County Coroner’s office at 334-737-3620.

Ala. senator: End pension of corrupt officials

MONTGOMERY, Al.
Roy Johnson kept getting his $132,000-a-year state pension after pleading guilty to taking bribes and kickbacks while serving as Alabama's community college chancellor.
Republican state Sen. Arthur Orr of Decatur says that's wrong. He will introduce legislation next month to stop the state-paid portion of a pension when a state employee or official is convicted of wrongdoing involving their public position. Orr says that would wipe out slightly more than half the pension in most cases. It would not affect the portion of the pension resulting from the official's or employee's own contributions to the pension program. Orr's bill would apply to future convictions. He says applying it retroactively would create legal problems.
Orr says he hopes the bill will make people think twice before giving in to public corruption.

Dothan-based Vantage Sourcing to add 200 jobs

DOTHAN, Al.

A Dothan-based customer service call center said Thursday it is adding 200 jobs to launch a new project for a client.

Vantage Sourcing, with locations in Dothan and Taylor, has  indicated that its project launch date will be in the middle of February and is currently in the initial stages of training some of the additional workers.

“We have already started training and will be conducting classes of 50 until we completely staff the project,” Redd said in a written release.

Redd said the additional employees would work at the Taylor location.

Gov. Robert Bentley applauded the job expansion.

“I am extremely pleased to see the continued growth of Vantage Sourcing,” Bentley said in a written release. “Our investment in infrastructure and training added with strong local support of the City of Taylor, Industrial Development Board of the City of Taylor, Houston County Commission, City of Dothan, and the Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce have created a positive partnership to grow business and increase employment opportunities in Southeast Alabama.”

Anyone interested in applying for the new jobs should visit vantagesourcing.com to complete an application. Applicants must have a high school diploma or G.E.D. and be able to type 30 words per minute. All applicants must successfully pass a background check and drug screen.

Vantage Sourcing was started in 2004, and expanded into Taylor in 2010. It handles inbound customer call services for one of the nation’s largest wireless carriers.

Vantage currently employs more than 400. The company received a Community Development Block Grant worth almost $250,000 in January of 2011 to provide more parking for its Taylor location on Highway 52 West.

“This project is the biggest one we have ever had in our history and with this added news, it just keeps getting bigger,” said Taylor Mayor Larry Whiddon. The Taylor Council recently designated Taylor a city, based on 2010 census numbers.

Court says former Ala. judge can't ever serve again

MONTGOMERY, Al.
Alabama's court for judges has approved an agreement that prohibits former Montgomery County Family Court Judge Patricia Warner from ever holding office as a judge again in the state.
Warner resigned from the bench last June shortly before the Alabama Judicial Inquiry Commission accused her of misconduct in several cases. She and the commission worked out an agreement to drop all but one case against her if she was banned permanently from being a judge in Alabama.
The Alabama Court of the Judiciary approved the agreement Friday.
Warner, a Democrat, was just six months into her second term when she resigned. When she left the court hearing Friday, she said the accusations against her were made up, but she wanted the case done.

Shelby County deputies arrest man on child pornography charges

COLUMBIANA, Al.
A 60-year-old Shelby County man has been charged with possession with intent to disseminate obscene matter containing visual depiction of persons under 17 years of age involved in obscene acts, the Shelby County Sheriff's Office said today.

Marvin Leigh Hancock

Marvin Leigh Hancock is also charged with two counts of production of obscene matter containing visual depiction of a person under 17 years of age involved in obscene acts and two counts of sexual abuse of a child less than 12 Years Old.
On Monday, investigators arrested Hancock on the possession-related charge after serving a search warrant at his residence near Calera, the sheriff's office said.
On Thursday, he was charged with the two counts of production of obscene matter and two counts of sexual abuse, court records show. The sheriff's office said it opened an investigation into Hancock following a complaint from a victim.
Hancock is in the Shelby County Jail on bonds totaling $500,000.
Sheriff Chris Curry thanked the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office for their assistance with the investigation.
"My heart goes out to the children and families who were victimized and I will do everything within my power to help the District Attorney prosecute this case," Curry said
The case is still under investigation, the sheriff's office said.

15-year-old dies after being hit by a car near at Huntsville's Columbia High School

HUNTSVILLE, Al.
Students and faculty at Huntsville's Columbia High School are mourning the death of a 15-year-old Columbia student Hunter Cantrell, who died after being hit by a car while riding his bike home from school Thursday.

The incident happened at about 3 p.m. on Farrow Road near the entrance to the high school in Cummings Research Park. A witness told police that the student, whose name has not been released, was riding his bike down the hill westbound and collided with a blue 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe that was eastbound, police said.

He was pronounced dead at Huntsville Hospital.

Superintendent Dr. Casey Wardynski said this morning that extra counselors will be on hand at the school today and in days to come as students and faculty deal with the loss of Cantrell, a 10th grader who lived about a mile away and often rode his bicycle to and from school.

Hunter Cantrell

 School officials and students lowered the flag to half-staff this morning, and classmates put up a Facebook page urging students to wear black today in his honor.

"Everybody is pretty much grief-stricken," Wardynski said.

He said school administrators and police officers assigned to the school will review safety procedures for bicycle riders and students that walk to the school. Police officers at the school and emergency personnel arrived within minutes of the accident, but Cantrell's injuries were too serious for him to be saved, Wardynski said.

"They did everything they could at the scene," he said.

Wardynski, who met with the deceased student's parents Thursday night, said the school will try to have as normal a day as possible under the circumstances.

"We're keeping the family in our prayers," Wardynski said.

Dothan firefighter arrested for methamphetamine

Clarence Griffith

Dothan, Al.
Clarence Griffith, white male, 42 years of age, of Darlington Circle and Elmo Boyd, black male, 39 years of age, of Rebecca Avenue were arrested and charged with Unlawful Possession of a Controlled Substance, First Degree Manufacturing and Possession of Precursor Chemicals with a $200,000 bond each.
 

Elmo Boyd

On January 26, 2011 the Dothan Police Department Narcotics Unit made two felony arrests following a recent investigation. Investigators began the investigation after they received information that methamphetamine was being kept and sold from a residence in the 300 block of Rebecca Avenue. Investigators learned one person of interest, Elmo Boyd, was currently employed by the City of Dothan as a firefighter. Although the member in question was off duty, the Fire Department command staff cooperated fully with investigators to bring this case to a speedy conclusion. Narcotic officers conducted an investigation after which they served a search warrant at the location. Upon entering the residence officers recovered items consistent with manufacturing methamphetamine to include precursor chemicals as well as finished product. Investigators charged two suspects with Unlawful Possession of a Controlled Substance, First Degree Manufacturing and Possession of Precursor Chemicals. 

 

On behalf of Dothan Police Department and Dothan Fire Department, Chiefs Benton and Williams would like to assure our community that we remain committed to the highest level of integrity of our members whether on duty or off.

Barbour Co. Sheriff Upshaw has confirmed the body found Tuesday is Willie Pugh

BARBOUR COUNTY, AL.

Willie Pugh

Barbour County Sheriff Leroy Upshaw has confirmed the body found Tuesday is the body of twenty-seven-year-old Willie Pugh who went missing nearly two weeks ago under suspicious circumstances. He was identified through dental records by the Alabama Department Of Forensic Sciences in Montgomery. An autopsy on Pugh did indicate he died as a result of foul play.
 Wednesday night the home of Willie Dickerson, a person of interest in this case, was intentionally set on fire and has been ruled arson, according to authorities. Upshaw said thanks to the quick response from the Elamville, Clio, Louisville and Ariton volunteer fire departments, they were able to knock the fire down and preserve evidence that was located inside the mobile home. An investigation into the murder continues. Dickerson is currently in the Houston County Jail on unrelated charges.
Lead investigator, Lt. David Morris, said that it was amazing to work hand in hand with so many officers in such a professional manner to preserve the crime scene and collect all of the evidence to strengthen the homicide case and help to identify the victim.
Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff's office at 334 -775 - 1103.

Lawyers denounce prosecution from post-BCS video

NEW ORLEANS, LA.
Lawyers for an Alabama man accused of committing sexual battery on an unconscious LSU fan after the BCS championship football game say it's mind-boggling that police and prosecutors would give substantial energy and attention to the matter.

Brian Downing

New Orleans attorneys Miles Swanson and Michael Kennedy said in a statement Thursday that charging 32-year-old Brian Downing with sexual battery "demeans the real and serious trauma of actual victims of sexual violence."
In a video that went vial on the Internet, Downing was shown exposing himself and simulating a sex act on an apparently unconscious man in an LSU-purple T-shirt after Alabama defeated the Tigers on Jan. 9.
Downing surrendered to New Orleans police and was booked with sexual battery and obscenity.
He is free on $10,000 bond.

Former volunteer firefighter charged with theft

LOACHAPOKA, AL.
A former volunteer firefighter has been charged with stealing from a Loachapoka fire station.

Alan Buzan

Alan Buzan, 41, was charged with theft and burglary.
He was already in custody when the charges were filed on an outstanding child support warrant.
The Lee County Sheriff's office says someone reported a four-wheeler and golf cart were stolen from fire station two.
The items were later found in Warm Springs, Georgia with evidence linking Buzan to the crime.

Ashford man arrested after traffic accident

Dothan, Al.
Carl Edmondson, white male, 47 years of age, of Ashford, Alabama was arrested and charged with First Degree Assault with a $30,000 bond.

 On January 18, 2012 the Dothan Police Department responded to a vehicle collision with injuries on Bethlehem Road. Traffic Investigators say the collision occurred as a result of an impaired driver pulling into the path of an oncoming vehicle. The victim was treated for multiple injuries at a local hospital. The suspect was also taken to a local hospital for treatment where investigators obtained a subpoena for medical records of his blood alcohol level. Traffic Investigators say they received the test results on January 25, 2012 which confirmed the suspect was impaired by alcohol at the time of the collision. Upon receipt of this information, investigators signed and executed a warrant taking the suspect into custody for felony assault.

Three wounded, bullet in apartment wall after parking lot shoot-out

HUNTSVILLE, Al.
An apparent shoot out in the parking lot of a west Huntsville apartment complex Wednesday afternoon left three men with gunshot wounds and a stray bullet in an apartment wall, police from the west precinct said.

Huntsville police officers talk to two people while searching a gray Lexus sport utility vehicle with holes after a shoot out. See bullet hole under handle.

Roderick Turner, 18, was arrested on two charges of first-degree assault in the shooting of two men in the parking lot at 6305 Rime Village Drive, police said. Turner was also shot during the apparent gun battle that happened at about 2:25 p.m.wed.afternoon, police said. No one has been charged with shooting Turner.
The shooting started after an argument in the parking lot, police said.
Police reports said each victim was driven to Huntsville Hospital with a friend and that none had life-threatening injuries.
A woman who lives in an apartment said a bullet came through the a front window while she and her husband were inside, police said. The bullet lodged in an interior wall. The woman and man were not injured. No one has been charged for the shooting into an occupied dwelling.

Elba man struck by lightening

Elba, Al.
A 19-year-old Elba man who was struck by lightening on Monday is reported to be in good condition and regaining mobility.
Ashton Davis was washing his truck at a Hickman Avenue car wash in Elba when an intense thunderstorm blew into town. With the water hose in his hand and two minutes left on the timer, he thought it was safe to finish.
Tuesday, he said he remembered a loud pop, saw a ball of fire, and the next thing he remembered was being thrown against the wall of the car wash. He managed to crawl to his truck and dial 911.
He was treated at Elba General Hospital and transferred to Southeast Alabama Medical Center. Initially, he had limited mobility in his left arm and leg, with no feeling. Tuesday, the feeling was returning, but his limbs were still weak. The only visible sign of the near-tragedy was a slight burn on this thumb.

South Park Avenue man arrested and charged with Third Degree Robbery

Dothan, Al.
Vincent Jamar McMiller, black male, 22 years of age, of South Park Avenue was arrested and charged with Third Degree Robbery with a $15,000 bond. 
 

On January 24, 2012 the Dothan Police Department responded to a robbery of a person in the 300 block of East Lafayette Street. Upon arrival, the victim told police he was walking to his mailbox when a vehicle stopped on the roadway in front of his home. He said the driver approached and assaulted him knocking him to the ground. While on the ground, the suspect removed cash from the victims’ pocket then returned to his vehicle. Investigators have been working with the victim to identify the suspect who has now been arrested and charged with robbery.

UPDATE: Dothan Police: FREE CHILD SAFETY SEAT CLINIC

FREE CHILD SAFETY SEAT CLINIC

Thursday, January 26, 2012

2:00-4:00 PM
 Due to incoming weather the car seat clinic scheduled for today has been moved to the 3^rd floor parking deck at Women’s Medical Center.

Location: Our New Baby

3119 Ross Clark Circle (Beside Big Lots)

Dothan, Al.

Are YOU Using It Right?

More than one-half of all the child car safety seats in use today are installed and/or used incorrectly without parents realizing it.

Make sure your child safety seat

is installed and being used correctly

Sponsored by:

Dothan Police Department,

Our New Baby

This service is provided FREE OF CHARGE

All seats will be inspected by members of the Dothan Police Department trained & certified by the

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Child Passenger Safety.

For questions contact Tonja Shelley at 334-615-3617

CLINIC WILL BE RESCHEDULED IF INCLEMENT WEATHER

WANTED: Dothan Police looking for Jewelry thief

 Dothan, Al.
  Johnny Jerome Hill, black male, 30 years of age, of Kinsey Road is WANTED for Second Degree Theft of Property.

Johnny Jerome Hill

The Dothan Police Department is seeking the help of our community in locating a man wanted for felony theft. On January 24, 2012 investigators signed a warrant for the arrest of Johnny Jerome Hill following a recent investigation. Police say Hill recently entered a local business where he stole a gold chain link necklace from the business owner. Police are asking anyone with information about the case or whereabouts of the suspect to call the Dothan Police Department or CrimeStoppers 334-793-7000.

Rocky Branch Road burglar arrested

Dothan, Al.
Darius Trawick, black male, 19 years of age, of Rocky Branch Road was arrested and charged with Third Degree Burglary with a $2,500 bond.
 

Darius Trawick

On January 24, 2012 the Dothan Police Department made a felony arrest following a recent burglary investigation. Police responded to the 2200 block of Rocky Branch Road where the victim reported the residential burglary on December 4, 2011. Police say they have now identified and arrested the suspect, Darius Trawick.