Officer stabbed at the Mobile Metro Jail

Mobile, Al.

Officer Steven Green

On February 3, 2012 at 3:50 p.m. Mobile Police were notified that an officer had been stabbed while at the Mobile Metro Jail. The robbery suspect, Lawrence Wallace Jr, was able to assault the officer while at the jail and take the officer’s patrol car. The officer identified as Steven Green was transported to the University of South Alabama Medical Center where he later died.

The suspect, Lawrence Wallace Jr., escaped and abandoned the patrol car in the area of Daytona Drive and attempted to hide under a residence. A second officer identified as Mark Johnson was injured on Dayton Drive by a gunshot wound to his arm while in pursuit of Wallace. Johnson was treated and released from the hospital.

Lawrence Wallace Jr was pronounced dead on Daytona Drive from an apparent gunshot wound.

Lawrence Wallace Jr

Homicide Detectives and the Internal Affairs Unit will continue the investigation, if anyone has information about this incident, please call the Mobile Police Department at 208-7211, Crime stoppers at 208-7000, or text to Crime Stoppers at 274637 and include the keyword CRIME 411.

UPDATE: Mobile Police Officer stabbed to Death, another wounded

Mobile, Al.
36 year old Police Officer Steven Green was stabbed to death by a prisoner outside of the Mobile County Metro Jail at approximately 3:50 pm.

Officer Steven Green          Officer Mark Johnson

The subject,  24-year-old Lawrence Wallace Jr. had been arrested by an off duty police officer earlier in the day when he attempted to rob a dollar store. He had approached the store's checkout counter, demanded money, then lit the counter on fire after spraying it with lighter fluid. An off duty officer shopping in the store tackled him and took him into custody.

He was processed at the police station and was being transported to the county jail by Officer Green when he attacked and fatally stabbed Officer Green outside of the jail complex. The subject then stole the officer's service weapon and patrol car. Other officers pursued the suspect to a home off of Dauphin Island Parkway where he engaged them in a shootout, wounding Mark Johnson, along the way. Johnson was treated and released at the medical center, leaving with stitches on his arm, according to officials.Wallace eventually holed up at a house on Daytona Drive where he had a two-hour-long standoff with police. They traded gunfire with Wallace and launched canisters of tear gas in an effort to drive him out of hiding. One of the officers shot Wallace, and he died at the scene. The suspect suffered a fatal gunshot wound during the exchange of shots.

Officer Green had served with the Mobile Police Department for 20 months. He is survived by his wife and children. Funeral arrangements are listed below:
The wake will take place at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Radney Funeral Home.
The funeral is set for 11 a.m. Wednesday at the Sunlight Auditorium in Prichard. Burial will follow at Serenity Memorial Gardens.
All events are open to the public.


Donations to Officer Green's family may be made by check referencing Green’s family to:
Mobile Law Enforcement Foundation
2460 Government Street
Mobile, AL 36606

 A Facebook memorial page set up for officer Steven Green has drawn hundreds of comments offering support and sympathy for his family. The Facebook page was set up Friday night. It's not clear who did it. But it has received comments from people as far away as England and Canada, thanking Green for his sacrifice and offering condolences to his family.

The Officer Down Memorial Page web also has a Memorial page for Officer Green. To visit this page click the link :

Police K9 locates and apprehends burglary suspect

Dothan, Al.
David Jones, black male, 28 years of age, with no known address was arrested and charged with Third Degree Burglary with a $250,000 bond.
 

David Jones

On February 2, 2012 the Dothan Police Department responded to a residential burglary at a residence on Hampton Way. Police responded and used a police K9 to search the residence. Once inside, the police K9 located and apprehended the suspect who appeared to be making himself at home. Investigators say the burglar used a brick to break out the window and once inside, he changed into clothing from the home and began eating snacks and even smoking the home owners’ cigars. Investigators say the crime was unusual, but was a burglary none the less. The suspect was arrested and charged with third degree burglary.   

Third teen charged in Birmingham's quintuple homicides

Reginald Mims

BIRMINGHAM, Al.
A third teenager has been charged with five counts of capital murder in Sunday morning's quintuple homicide, Birmingham police said this afternoon.
Reginald Mims, 16, of Bessemer has been charged with five counts of capital murder in the slayings of Ronnie Render, 42, Charles ''C.J.'' Render, 21, Jonathan Sanchez, 23, Demetrius Sanford, 19, and Jeffrey Davis Jr., 23.
Mims was being held without bond at the Jefferson County Jail in the deaths. He is being held on $250,000 bond on an unrelated robbery charge.
Artavius Underwood, 16, and Rashad Stoves, 17, both of Birmingham, have both been charged in the slayings.
Stoves was a junior at Wenonah High School. Underwood attended Wenonah until August 2011.

Whooping Cranes decide they'd rather stay in Alabama

In Alabama, we always say that if we could just get people to come and visit, they'd see how nice it is here and want to stay.
That's how nine juvenile endangered whooping cranes apparently felt.
After more than a month in the state, the birds, whose human-led first migration got grounded in North Alabama for more than a month, have indicated a strong preference for staying in Sweet Home Alabama. Though they had been imprinted to follow ultralights gliders piloted by people dressed in whooping crane costumes, these cranes refused to continue their planned trek to Florida.
So their human handlers with the non-profit Operation Migration are trucking them from their current location in Winston County to Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge in Decatur, where seven wild whooping cranes are already wintering as well as 11,000 sandhill cranes.
This year's migration was stopped in Alabama while the operation worked through a regulatory issue with the Federal Aviation Administration. Once they were able to fly legally, the weather didn't cooperate.
When it finally did, the birds didn't seem very interested in following the ultra-light, "It was a bit of a fiasco," said Liz Condie, Operation Migration spokeswoman.
One day they only got 5 miles. Another day ended in a multi-hour "crane rodeo," as the ultralight kept trying to coax the birds into formation and rounding them up when they broke away. Condie said any number of factors could have changed the cranes' behavior from the long delay, to the unusually warm winter weather.

Man charged with breaking into grandfather's Lacey's Spring used car business

DECATUR, Al.
A man was arrested by Morgan County sheriff's deputies for breaking into a building at his grandfather's Lacey's Spring used car dealership, a Morgan County sheriff's news release said.

Chad Brown

Chad Brown, 22, home town unavailable, was arrested Tuesday on a charge of third-degree burglary and is in Morgan County Jail with bond set at $2,500, the news release said.
Deputies were called to Custom Auto Sales on Alabama 36 in Lacey's Spring late Tuesday because of a disturbance. They found Derrell Brown, owner of the car lot, upset and in an altercation with his grandson, Chad Brown, after realizing that Chad Brown had broken into the business earlier that day, the release said.
Deputies said Chad Brown stole several aluminum wheels, copper wire and other automobile parts, which he took to a scrap metal recycling business in Hartselle.
The disturbance began when Chad Brown tried to return the rims and give the money from the scrap metal sale to his grandfather, the news release said.

Kohl's Cares Scholarship Program is taking applications through March 15

 Menomonee Falls, Wis.
The Kohl's Department Stores, based in Menomonee Falls, Wis., is honoring more than 2,200 youth volunteers who have made a positive impact in their community through its annual Kohl's Cares Scholarship Program.
Applications are being accepted through March 15 for ages 6-18. Prizes will range from $50 Kohl's gift cards to $10,000 in scholarship money.
Two nominees from each of the more than 1,100 Kohl's stores throughout the nation will win a $50 Kohl's gift card and more than 200 will be awarded regional scholarships worth $1,000 each for post-secondary education. Ten national winners will be awarded $10,000 each in college scholarships. The prizes total more than $420,000.
"Through the Kohl's Cares Scholarship Program, Kohl's recognizes young volunteers who dedicate their time, energy and passion to helping others and bettering the communities we live in," Kohl's Executive vice-president and chief marketing officer Julie Gardner said in a news release. "During a time of economic uncertainty and high tuition costs, it's important to support extraordinary kids by investing in their future. "
Anyone age 21 or over may nominate a youth volunteer at www.kohlskids.com. A list of past winners is also available on the site.
Since the program began in 2001, Kohl's has given more than $3 million in prizes and scholarships to over 15,000 students.
One of last year's national winners, Sarah Kladar, 12, of Hayden, Idaho, raised nearly $50,000 by selling approximately 5,000 dish towels. The money was donated to families struggling financially with surgery-related expenses not covered by insurance.
Mary Meg Brewer of Oneonta was a regional winner last year while Megan Smith of Hartselle was one of 21 Alabama store winners. Mary Meg volunteered her time and financial support to help create a friendly and comforting environment in the children's witness room at a local juvenile services court building for children testifying in child abuse cases.
For more information on Kohl's, visit www.Kohls.com.

Alabama senator calls teacher pay raises unbiblical, defends raise for legislators

DEKALB COUNTY, Al.
Giving Alabama teachers a big pay raise could go against the Bible, state Sen. Shadrack McGill (R-Woodville) said recently at a prayer breakfast in north Alabama.

Sen. Shadrack McGill (R-Woodville)

But McGill supports the 62 percent pay increase the legislature gave itself in 2007 because it means lawmakers are now less susceptible to taking bribes. 

Regarding teacher pay, McGill said: "It's a Biblical principle. If you double a teacher's pay scale, you'll attract people who aren't called to teach. To go in and raise someone's child for eight hours a day, or many people's children for eight hours a day, requires a calling.  It better be a calling in your life. I know I wouldn't want to do it, OK?"

Second suspect charged in Birmingham mass slaying

BIRMINGHAM, Al.
A second suspect has been charged in connection with the shooting deaths of five men in an Ensley Highlands home Sunday morning.

Artavius Underwood

Birmingham police announced last night that Artavius Underwood, 16, of Birmingham has been charged with five counts of capital murder in the case.
Underwood is being held without bond in the slayings and on $250,000 bond in an unrelated robbery case.
On Tuesday night, police announced that Rashad Stoves, 17, of Birmingham had been charged with five counts of capital murder in the weekend massacre.
The two are accused of fatally shooting Ronnie Render, 42, Charles Render, 21, Jonathan Sanchez, 23, Demetrius Sanford, 19 and Jeffrey Davis Jr., 23.
Underwood's mother, Ramona Underwood, said she was sorry for the victims' families, but she doesn't believe her son was involved in the slayings.

"I want to say I'm sorry for their loss," she said tonight. "He said he didn't do it. I believe him."

Bessemer woman charged after falsely claiming hostage situation

JEFFERSON COUNTY, Al.
A 62-year-old Bessemer woman has been arrested for falsely reporting a hostage situation involving her estranged husband.

Frankie Cashion

Jefferson County sheriff's deputies on Wednesday received a call from the woman, Frankie Cashion, about a possible hostage situation at Western Steel in the 3300 block of Davey Allison Boulevard near Hueytown.
She told lawmen that her husband had made threats against her life and had violated a restraining order. She went on to say that he was inside a business holding employees at gunpoint with a sawed-off shotgun, said Chief Deputy Randy Christian.
Deputies flocked to the scene with emergency lights and sirens.
When they arrived, Christian said, they found Cashion sitting in the parking lot of the business. Deputies went inside and found everything to be normal.
Employees were working and there was no hostage situation. The woman's husband was not even there, and had not been there when she arrived.
Cashion later told deputies she made it up to prompt a swift response because she was afraid there might be violence. Christian said investigators believe Cashion is in a struggle for her husband's business, and this may have been an attempt to strengthen her position.
Cashion was charged with falsley reporting an incident and obstructing governmental operations. She was released from the county jail after posting $1,000 bond.

Baldwin animal cruelty investigation uncovers mass graves

 

                    Roberta Dueitt, left, and her daughter, Sharon Dueitt

SUMMERDALE, Al.
Summerdale police working on the extreme animal cruelty case discovered last week said they uncovered two dozen animals buried in mass graves today and suspect there may be many more.
"We could keep digging and finding more forever," said Summerdale Police Chief Eddie Ingram. "We have stopped because we found enough evidence to corroborate what witnesses told us."
Roberta Dueitt, 63, of Summerdale and her daughter, Sharon Nicole Dueitt of Robertsdale, face 20 felony charges and potentially hundreds of misdemeanor animal cruelty charges in the case. The felonies could carry up to five years each in prison upon conviction.
Baldwin County Humane Society board members announced today that the women have signed over ownership of the animals to their organization. Society leaders said they would be looking for owners who had sheltered their pets with the Dueitts.
Animals continue to undergo veterinary treatment and will eventually be available for adoption. Donations can be made to the Baldwin County Humane Society by calling 251-928-4585, or online at www.baldwinhumane.org.
Ingram said several of the buried animals were found in mass graves, indicating they likely died around the same time. He said officers first considered reports that the women operating the shelter were mentally challenged, but ruled that out.
"I think they are hoarders, definitely," Ingram said. "But they knew right from wrong, and they were capable of operating a business. They were responsible for their actions."
Ingram said the women "called this a nonprofit, but we have had several witnesses come forward saying they were selling the dogs that were marketable, but neglecting others that were not."
Ingram said the operation "obviously got out of control, but they could have called police or the Humane Society for help. We have had more than 1,000 people call us or come here to help or offer money from around the world. It didn't have to get to this point."
Ingram said officials had contacted the Dueitts' attorney, asking that the women turn themselves in.
The case shocked the area last week when investigators found hundreds of dogs, cats and other species at a nonprofit shelter called "Purple Hearted Puppies" on Baldwin County 36 and at Sharon Dueitts' residence in Robertsdale. Officers found dozens of animals dead or dying. Each woman was initially charged with 20 misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty.
"Potentially, you’re looking at hundreds more charges, one for each animal as the investigation unfolds," Summerdale police Officer Trent Dennis said.
Officials said additional state charges should be filed by Friday.
Ingram said Wednesday that witnesses living near Purple Hearted Puppies told investigators that the facility had been abandoned and no one had been at the site for more than a week before officers arrived.
Police were called after a resident reported seeing the carcass of a cat on the grounds and no people tending to the animals, police said earlier. Officers found dead dogs in several kennels and some carcasses had been eaten by the other starving animals in the same pens, Ingram said.

Two charged with Possession or Marijuana and Chemical Endangerment of a Child

 Dothan, Al.

Candace Nicole Faulk

Candace Nicole Faulk, black female, 26 years of age and Teria Shankel Kincey, black female, 28 years of age, both of Westgate Parkway were arrested and charged with Possession or Marijuana and Chemical Endangerment of a Child with bond being established later today for each. 
 

Teria Shankel Kincey

On February 1, 2012 the Dothan Police Department Narcotics Unit served a search warrant at an apartment in the 2200 block of Westgate Parkway as a part of an ongoing investigation. Upon entering the apartment, officers found it occupied by Teria Kincey, Candace Faulk and two children. Officers immediately noticed the strong odor of marijuana and later collected three bags of marijuana along with several partially smoked hand-rolled blunts containing marijuana. Both Kincey and Faulk were charged with Possession or Marijuana and Chemical Endangerment of a Child.