Talladega park closed after military ammunition shells found on property

A popular off road trails park in Talladega was closed Thursday evening after a logger found what appear to be  15 to 20 ammunition shells on the property.  Authorities say a logger was moving some fallen trees in the Top Trails Park when he  uncovered what could be live ammunition.   The former Coosa Ammunition Depot Annex used to sit in the area where the shells were found. The Army vacated the land years ago and turned it over to the city, where the Top Trails Park is now being developed.   After the shells were found state bomb techs rushed to the scene from Anniston, where they happened to be training Thursday. They determined the shells could be explosive, but definitely do not contain any chemical weapons.  A crew from Fort Benning, Ga., will come to the park today and either remove the shells or detonate them on site.  The shells are 22 to 24 inches long and officials are uncertain of their age but they could date back to world war 2. 

Etowah murder suspect will not face the death penalty

An Etowah County Circuit  ruled Thursday that the death penalty is off the table for a 53 year old Etowah county man accused of murdering his wife.  Judge Allen Millican  issued the ruling in the case of Roy Thomas “Tommy” Smith.   Smith is charged with capital murder for the death of his wife, 44 year old Carla Parton Smith. Her body was found Nov. 1, 2010, in the trunk of her car, which was parked in a gravel lot.   While the district attorneys office will not seek the death penalty, since this is a capital murder case, the jury still could have voted to give Tommy Smith the death penalty, should he be convicted and the trial move into a penalty phase Judge Millican said The jury will not be death-penalty certified at the trial.   Carla Smith, a nursing supervisor in Riverview Regional Medical Center's emergency department, did not show up for work on the morning of Nov. 1, 2010. Her body was found about 3:10 p.m. that day by ambulance personnel who recognized the car. A preliminary autopsy report showed she died from manual strangulation.

Etowah sheriff denies bingo machine request

Etowah County Sheriff Todd Entrekin has turned down a request to approve a permit for electronic bingo that CBS Supply says will use machines that are legal in Alabama.Entrekin’s decision came after CBS Supply, the developer of a proposed $200 million bingo development in the county, submitted a report from gaming testing firm, Gaming Laboratories International. The report said the Silver Line Systems machines, manufactured by Select Electronic Devices Inc., passed the standards governing legal bingo in Etowah County. Those standards include a six-point requirement set by the Alabama Supreme Court as to what constitutes legal bingo in the state.  In a press release, CBS Supply said Entrekin’s own expert said the machines comply with the law, and the sheriff “has a duty to permit CBS’s games and allow it to develop this huge economic development project for Etowah County.”

Anniston man arrested on burglary charges

A 49 year old Anniston man has been arrested on burglary charges after he was allegedly spotted leaving the home of his deceased grandmother in April.    Allen Pierce, was charged with third degree burglary.  When police arrived at the home, they found the window of a back door had been broken. Pierce, who had been walking on the corner of Canterbury Court and Canterbury Square, was stopped by an officer after Pierce’s uncle gave a description of the clothes worn by the man he saw leaving the home. Pierce told police he had lost his key to the house and had to break the window to get inside. Pierce was not arrested at the time of the incident because Pierce’s mother, an executor of the grandmother’s home, did not cooperate with police, despite having initially told officers her son was not allowed in the home  Pierce’s uncle decided to press charges and a warrant was issued for Pierce’s arrest on Wednesday. Pierce was already in the Calhoun County Jail on Monday on warrants for another charge of felony third-degree robbery.

Anniston man arrested on Assault charges

A 21 year old Anniston man has been arrested on second degree assault charges in connection with the April 26^th attack of an Anniston man.  According to the victim  Brian Kelley, got out of a white Ford Explorer and started cursing at him then accused the victim of stealing from him. The victim said Kelley then punched him four times in the face.a witness driving down Lenlock Lane saw a woman run across the road to pull Kelley off the victim. Kelley was released from the Anniston City Jail on a $5,000 bond..

Ft. Payne Burglary suspects lead police on three state chase

A police chase entered three states Thursday as it went through an area where Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia meet, eventually ending with the arrest of three suspects in the burglary of a Fort Payne pharmacy.  The suspects were eventually captured by the Tennessee Highway Patrol. Their names and charges were unavailable from Tennessee authorities but burglary and traffic charges will be filed in Fort Payne, according to Police Chief Randy Bynum.  The chase began Thursday morning after Fort Payne Police officers were called to  Kilgore Express Pharmacy on Greenhill Boulevard of burglary  in progress.  Officers arrived to find the front door damaged and pieces of store inventory on the floor. A passerby told officers that the vechile driven by the suspect was a black passenger car.  Fort Payne officers spotted the car on Interstate 59 North with the rear license plate obstructed. When they attempted to make a traffic stop, the driver refused to pull over.  A chase ensued and occupants began throwing items from the car as it traveled along the interstate. Georgia law enforcement officials joined the chase as the interstate crossed the state line and attempting to intercept the car.The car then exited I-59 onto I-24 westbound, where Tennessee Highway Patrol officers joined the pursuit.  When the car was eventually stopped on I-24, three suspects inside were arrested.