Tuesday, December 8, 2015

12-9-15 NEWS

12-9-15
Murder victims identified
Lincoln police have identified two murder victims in a Saturday night shooting at a mobile home park.  In a news release from Chief Darren Britton  Tuesday, the two victims were identified as Eustacio Alonso Castillo and Oscar Humberto Aguilar. Police said the two men were shot to death as they were returning home from work Saturday night to their trailer at the Blue Eye Mobile Home Park just off U.S. Highway 78.  Britton said the two were shot before they could even get out of their car. Police declined to release any further information about the case, including whether or not they think this was a random act or if they believe the two men knew their assailant or were otherwise targeted.  Lincoln Police want anyone who may have any information in the case to contact the investigative division at (205) 763-4063.



12-9-15
Etowah burglary arrests
A man and a woman are facing felony burglary and theft charges in Etowah County.  39 year old Jeremy Allen Murray,  of Rainbow City, and 27 year old  Brandy Michelle Duncan, of Attalla, were arrested and are each charged with one felony count of third-degree burglary and one felony count of first-degree theft of property.  Both were booked into the Etowah County Detention Center. Duncan remains detained on a $7,500 bond but Murray was released on a $7,500 bond.  The two are accused of breaking into a residence on Bachelor Chapel Road on Nov. 29.  Deputies say Hokes Bluff Lieutenant Richard Garmon noticed their blue vehicle parked beside the residence while he was patrolling the road.  Garmon turned around to check the residence as the vehicle left the driveway. He performed a traffic stop and called investigators to the scene.  Investigators found items in the back seat that had been taken from the residence.  Both suspects told investigators they did not know whose home they had just left and that they took the items from the yard.  Officials returned the stolen property to the owner and the home owner asked for extra patrol in the area due to several recent thefts.




12-9-15
Talladega election suit
While the winners in this years Talladega city elections have already been sworn and seated, it would appear that Talladega’s 2015 municipal elections are not quite over.
Retired Talladega fire Chief K.D. Dickerson ran for the City Council seat for Ward 2 against incumbent Jarvis Elston. Elston was re-elected.  Dickerson has filed a suit alleging misconduct and violations by Elston and people working for Elston’s campaign. Represented by attorney Rod Giddens, Elston filed a motion laying out why the case should be dismissed. Circuit Judge Julian King held a hearing Monday on the motion to dismiss but said he would reschedule it without ruling to allow Elston to file an affidavit saying he had not been served by Dickerson with the proper paperwork.  King also told Dickerson, who is representing himself, “election contests are terribly complicated in Alabama, and he has to make sure that everyone strictly adheres to the mandates set by the Legislature.
As in several other close elections in Ward 2, the primary issue comes down to complaints regarding absentee ballots, particularly in the Knoxville Homes and Curry Court public housing projects. Dickerson provides specific allegations from four people and lists the names and addresses of several others.
Elston not only denies any wrongdoing, but in the motion to dismiss, also points out that if all of the absentee ballots cast in the election were to be thrown out, Dickerson still would have lost. The motion to dismiss also says the laws governing election contests were not followed properly, which is what prompted King to reschedule the hearing.


12-9-15
Waitress injured
A waitress at Albertville’s El Sol King Pollo restaurant was airlifted to UAB after one vehicle hit another vehicle and knocked it into the front dining room Tuesday morning,.  According to police,  a vehicle was backing out of a parking space in front of the restaurant about 10:30 a.m. Tuesday when another vehicle, traveling east on Main Street, hit it from behind and the impact sent the vehicle crashing into the dining room.  A waitress and both drivers sustained injuries, with the waitress receiving the worst of the crash.



12-9-15
Etowah burglary arrest
An Attalla man has been arrested and charged in connection to a recent burglary in Etowah County.
52 year old Barry Lane Conner,  of Attalla, was charged with one felony count of third-degree burglary and one felony count of second-degree theft of property.
Conner allegedly broke into a residence on Mountainview Road in Attalla, on two separate occasions. Conner admitted to stealing a 9mm, Ruger handgun during the first burglary. The weapon was recovered and returned to the owner.  His second attempt to burglarize the residence was unsuccessful when the homeowner called 911 and Conner fled on foot. He was taken into custody a short distance from the home by Sardis police officers.  Personal identification from Conner’s wallet was found at the scene of the burglary.  Conner was booked into the Etowah County Detention Center and later released on $5,000 bond.

12-9-15
Credit card fraud arrest
A Piedmont man has been arrested and charged in connection to fraudulent use of a credit card.  37 year old Christopher Lee Sims,  of Piedmont, is charged with one felony count of fraudulent use of a credit/debit card.  A video camera inside a convenience store recorded Sims using the card. The victim provided investigators with a copy of the credit card statement that showed the amount charged to the card, $456.98.  Sims was booked into the Etowah County Detention Center and later released on $2,500 bond.










12-9-15
Albertville stabbing
A 23-year-old Albertville man is in critical condition at Huntsville Hospital after being stabbed Monday afternoon.  Albertville police said an argument at a residence on Fleming Drive led to the young man being stabbed in the chest by a male acquaintance. The victim was airlifted to Huntsville for treatment of a punctured lung.  24 year old Ernest Desourcces, of Albertville, was taken into custody Tuesday morning and has been charged with attempted murder.


12-9-15
Anniston council approves incentives for Kmart developer
The Anniston city council has approved a $3 million tax incentive plan to help a developer bring new retail activity into a closed department store building in the city.
Under the plan, the city will rebate up to $3 million in sales taxes over a 10-year period to Mississippi-based Second Street Plaza, which plans to repurpose the former Kmart on McClellan Boulevard. The developer will use the rebate to cover part of the approximately $6 million cost of renovating the 42-year-old building.
During the first five years of the plan, the city will retain 25 percent of the sales taxes collected from the retailers in the building and the developer will keep the rest. The city will keep 50 percent of the tax money collected over the following five years.

City officials announced last month Second Street Plaza’s intentions to buy the Kmart building, and put in new tenants. The developer has had success repurposing other former department stores in recent years across the state, including in Pell City. Second Street is expected to close on the building’s purchase and have new retailers in place next year.

Monday, November 23, 2015

Toles murder retrial


Kevin Adrea Towles

A retired state medical examiner testified Friday in the second day of testimony in the capital murder retrial of Andre Towles
that Geonte Glass died of complications from untreated blunt force trauma injuries, some caused by beatings with a belt and with a wooden stick,.
Emily Ward told jurors the 5-year-old’s injuries did not all occur at the same time, and open injuries to the boy’s backside and one leg occurred from repeated blows to the same part of his body that eventually knocked off the first layer of skin.
Some of the injuries caused significant blood loss deep within the tissues of the boy’s buttocks and leg, and internal examination Ward performed of the body found bleeding around the boy’s spinal cord. She testified that “Tremendous force” would have been needed to inflict those injuries.
Ward said the boy would have suffered “spinal shock” and been unable to walk after such an injury. With treatment, it was possible he could have recovered.  Under cross-examination by defense attorney Dani Bone, Ward said she could not determine exactly how long before the boy’s death the injuries occurred. She said some were in various stages of healing.  Ward told jurors that Geontae could have survived the injuries had they been treated. Bone repeatedly asked if Glass could have survived had “someone, let’s say, his mother,” provided nutrition and hydration and proper treatment.
Ward said medical attention would have been needed for the child to survive.  Toles retrial continues today.

Rehab escapee captured in Oxford



A Lincoln woman who fled from a court ordered drug rehabilitation program has been recaptured, according to Talladega police.
25 year old Cassie Marie Langston, was reportedly seen at the Motel 6 in Oxford by someone who called Talladega’s anonymous tip line.
Oxford Police were contacted, and they followed up and actually located her .
Langston was taken into custody in Oxford and sent back to the Talladega County Metro Jail.
Langston had been charged with escape in the third degree and is being held on a $10,000 bond. This is separate from the $100,000 bond for chemical endangerment of a child.
Langston allegedly gave birth to a child that tested positive for methamphetamine in April. She was arrested by Talladega police in July after leading police on a foot chase.
As a condition of her bond on the chemical endangerment charge, Langston was ordered to attend the Daybreak drug rehabilitation program in Munford. Investigators said she told the staff at Daybreak she was transferring to Seven Springs Ministries in Oxford, then fled from that facility as well.
Langston was not facing any additional charges other than the escape and chemical endangerment.

Talladega burglary arrest



A 32 year old Talladega man is being held on a $10,000 bond after being charged with a burglary that took place in August.
Bryan Adam Smith, was arrested by Talladega police and charged with one count of burglary in the third degree. The burglary Smith is accused of took place at a residence on the 100 block of Chilton Street on August 10.
the victim of the burglary had just lost her husband at the time of the crime. Smith is accused parking his car in front of the victim’s home and pretending to offer condolences, then claiming that he could not leave due to car trouble.
the victim eventually left and had a friend tell her the car was still there later that night. When she returned home, she found an open window and a missing television set.

Thursday, November 5, 2015

Suit filed against gunmaker in death of Gaylesville boy



A shooting accident that claimed the life of a Gaylesville boy and injured both his parents has led to  a lawsuit against the handgun’s manufacturer — one of a number of cases alleging defects in the safety and trigger mechanisms of the guns.
D.J. Simms was fatally injured in February when a handgun his father was cleaning discharged. The bullet went through his father’s hand, passed through the 11-year-old’s body and struck his mother in the elbow, according to information from investigators at the time of the incident.
Lawsuits were filed this week against gun manufacturer Taurus International over Simms’ death. The suit, filed in Dade County, Florida, alleges faulty design in the pistol that directly led to the death of Simms and severe injuries to both his parents. Specifically, the suit focuses on a design flaw that makes certain types of Taurus pistols likely to discharge in two instances: when the pistol is subjected to an impact or is dropped, the trigger moves backward, which can lead to the gun firing, even with the safety is engaged; and when the manual safety lever appears to be in the safe position, the gun remains capable of being fired by a trigger pull.

Depot power project approved



A new military project at the Anniston Army Depot could light up some homes across the state.  On Tuesday the Alabama Public Service Commission approved Alabama Power's proposal to design and build solar panels at Fort Rucker and the Anniston Army Depot.  Each facility will be given panels that take in 10 mega-watts, which combined, is enough to power about 4,200 Alabama homes.

Alabama Power spokesman Michael Sznajderman said they  worked with the military to meet their needs. And these projects, the way they are formulated, will also be beneficial to the entire Alabama Power customer base because it secures long-term contracts to operate these facilities on the bases.

Organizers hope to break ground on these projects in 2016.