Woman convicted of killing her husband sentenced to 35 years

Carlotta Susann Kutschenreuter

Carlotta Susann Kutschenreuter of Hokes Bluff was sentenced this morning to 35 years in prison for the July 2010 murder of her husband.

An Etowah County jury convicted he of murder on Sept. 6 for shooting her husband of 29 years, Joel David Kutschenreuter, three times while he slept. She claimed self-defense and said her husband repeatedly abused her emotionally and sexually and forced her to get an abortion shortly after they were married.

 Deputy District Attorney Marcus Reid said

the court followed the jury’s lead with the sentence. The jury rejected Kutschenreuter’s self-defense argument and also did not convict her of the lesser charge of manslaughter. Reid said her defense was offensive to all the legitimate victims of spousal abuse.

Kutschenreuter faced a minimum of 20 years in prison and a maximum of 99 years to life. She will be eligible for parole in 2028.

Gadsden Woman Charged with Burglary

A 32 year old Gadsden woman is facing more than a dozen forgery charges after admitting to police that she created counterfeit checks and money on her computer and passed them off as legitimate.Terri Lynn Gibbs, was charged Wednesday with 12 counts of second-degree possession of a forged instrument, one count of first-degree possession of a forged instrument, possession of a forgery device and third-degree theft of property. All charges except for the theft are felonies.  Detective Clark Thompson said he was led to Gibbs while investigating a forged check and found her already jailed at the Etowah County Detention Center on an unrelated matter. Upon questioning, Gibbs readily admitted to making more than 250 fake checks. She would print the checks onto blank business checks, complete with perforated edges.  Gibbs signed a form that allowed authorities to search her residence. They seized her computer and found her templates for creating checks and for printing counterfeit money.   Thompson said the template for a $100 bill had the same serial number as a fake bill passed at the U.S. Highway 411 Yard Sale. He said Gibbs also admitted to making more than $900 in counterfeit money.  Gibbs is being held on $46,000 bond.

Man killed in Gadsden Accident

Gadsden police say that Gadsden man died and another was taken to a hospital Wednesday afternoon after a one-vehicle accident near the intersection of Vandell Boulevard and Forrest Avenue.  43 year old Timothy Sprayberry died at the scene of the accident, which happened about two blocks from his home. The passenger, 57 year old William Jones, was taken to Riverview Regional Medical Center, where he was treated and released.  Sprayberry’s Cadillac Escalade was traveling west on Forrest Avenue when it took a hard left and traveled through a parking lot of an abandoned building and across a nearby home’s yard. The vehicle hit one tree on the passenger side, then another on the driver’s side. The Escalade traveled 312 feet off the road before hitting the first tree.

The accident is under investigation by the Gadsden Police

Anniston Police searching for Ghostly Burglar

Anniston police say A person disguised by a white sheet burglarized the ABC Store on Highway 31 in Anniston early Wednesday morning.  surveillance video of the burglary shows multiple angles of the person in the sheet walking around different areas in the store. The suspect is wearing dark pants and is almost completely covered in a white sheet with cut-out section to see through, similar to a traditional ghost costume for Halloween.  Police have had some fun on their Facebook post when asking for the public's help in solving this crime.  Asking that Anyone with any information regarding this criminal from the spirit realm, to contact police  by either email or telephone.  They state that  contacting a medium to get to us won't work.

Piedmont man pleads not guilty in cold case murder

A Piedmont man today pleaded not guilty  this morning to charges that he murdered a 28-year-old Piedmont woman who went missing in 2009.  52 year old Jimmy Ray Steed,  had been indicted by a Calhoun County grand jury in August in connection with the death of Carla Cook Fuqua, who was last seen alive at her Piedmont home on Oct. 29, 2009. Investigators from the Calhoun County Sheriff's Office and Cold Case Unit discovered Fuqua’s skeletal remains last December  in woods a short drive from Steed’s and Fuqua’s homes on Alabama 21.
The grand jury indictment alleges that Steed  killed Fuqua on or about the day she went missing by striking her with a bat or bat-like object.
Calhoun County Sheriff Larry Amerson has said Steed also is a suspect in the cases of three other people missing from Piedmont.

Sylacauga Businessman to be Arraigned in Federal Court

Sylacauga businessman Frank Lewis Conn is scheduled to be arraigned next week in U.S. District Court in Birmingham on five counts of wire fraud, concerning billing for clearing power lines for the Tennessee Valley Authority.  Conn was indicted earlier this month by a federal grand jury of padding invoices to the tune of $152,712 over the course of his company’s contract with TVA.  According to the indictment, Conn was owner and administrative manager of Conn Equipment Rental Company Inc. doing business as Vegetation Management Services LLC when the company contracted with TVA to remove vegetation from power lines and other TVA property. The original contract, entered into on March 5, 2008, called for Conn to be paid on a per-acre basis. On Jan. 19, 2009, the contract was amended to allow Conn to bill TVA an hourly rate.

The indictment alleges Conn submitted false invoices by inflating the hours that equipment was actually being used. During that period, Conn was paid via wire transfers totaling $284,084.56, and prosecutors allege $34,446 of that was fraudulent due to inflated billing.

Prosecutors seek forfeiture of $284,084.56.

Race Week at Talladega

Thousands of race fans are already converging on the Talladega Super Speedway for a full weekend of racing.  WTDR Thunder 92.7 and 99.3 begins live coverage friday morning from the tractk including Garage Reports, interviews and live coverage of Qualifying for the Freds 251 powered by Coca Cola.  Coverage begins at 10am.  Saturday coverage begins at 9am including pole qualifying for the Camping World RV Sales 500 followed by live coverage of the Freds 250 powered by Coca Cola  Nascar World Truck Series.  Coverage begins Sunday at 9am leading up to the noon start of the Camping World RV Sales 500.  Don't miss full coverage of Talladega Race Weekend on Thunder.