Etowah county man indicted by federal grand jury

Victor Gray Dingler

A federal grand jury on Friday indicted two men in unrelated child exploitation cases that both involved production of child pornography.

A seven-count indictment charged an Etowah County man, 33 year old Victor Gray Dingler,  with producing child pornography between 2008 and 2014, and with possessing child pornography depicting children younger than 12. Some of the child pornography produced involved a 3-year-old, according to the indictment.

Each production of child pornography charge against Dingler carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

According to federal court documents, the investigation began in March 2013, when Homeland Security Investigators in Birmingham received a series of images depicting the sexual molestation of a young girl by an adult man. The images originated from a website located by Danish National Police. One of the images depicted a University of Alabama blanket.

In September, HSI received a call from representatives of the state Department of Education, alerting them it was possible the girl in the photographs had been located.

HSI authorities and Etowah County deputies went to an Etowah County elementary school and identified a 7-year-old child there as the same one in the photos, using facial features, hair and eye color and dental characteristics. The girl said she was the one in the photos and she identified the man in the photos.

Gadsden man killed in friday accident

A 22-year-old Gadsden man was pronounced dead at the scene of a wreck Friday afternoon on East Meighan Boulevard.

Carl Waldrop was traveling east on Meighan Boulevard on a motorcycle. A Lexus SUV was traveling west on Litchfield Avenue, attempting to turn onto Meighan Boulevard when the motorcycle struck it in the passenger side.

Witnesses said the motorcycle was traveling at a high rate of speed.

The crash occurred about 4 p.m.

Anniston Council appoints City Manager to RMC Board

The Anniston City Council has appointed City Manager Brian Johnson to the RMC board during its Monday meeting.  Council members say they want Johnson to increase communication between them and the city's largest employer. It's a decision that comes after a recent series of challenges for the Anniston-based hospital, from a public fight over payments for services with insurer Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama to decreases in revenue and rising health care costs.

The city of Anniston, which owns RMC, established the board for the nonprofit hospital in 1974. Anniston makes seven appointments to the board, while the Calhoun County Commission and the cities of Oxford and Jacksonville each has two appointments.

With about 1,500 employees, RMC is the largest employer in the city.

Johnson will take his seat on the board for the first time during its regular meeting next month.

Coosa county man killed in Talladega county crash

A 24-year-old man from the Weogufka community in Coosa County was killed in a single-vehicle crash in Talladega County early Saturday morning, according to the Alabama State Troopers.

The accident happened at 3:45 a.m. on Lower Settlement Road about six miles east of Sylacauga.. The driver who was killed was identified as Jonathan Chase Cook. Troopers said the 1999 Ford pickup truck he was driving left the road and struck a tree.

Cook was pronounced dead on the scene. Troopers continue to investigate the crash.

Talladega man fires shots into logging skidder

A Talladega man is facing a felony charge after authorities say he fired a rifle at a log skidder. 85 year old  George Morris Jr., has been charged with firing into an occupied vehicle, according to police reports..

Investigators said Morris fired an SKS rifle at the log skidder's tire last week when the vehicle's driver accidentally backed it onto his property. The logging crew was working on land next to his.

Miller was taken to the Talladega County Jail and held on a $10,000 bond.

Jacksonville employees taking advantage of retirement offer

A Retirement incentive plan offered by the Jacksonville City Council to help cut the number of city employees has already had 12 takers with at least three more employees saying they plan to take advantage of the incentive plan next month.

The city recently agreed to pay health insurance costs for any employee who would agree to retire by the end of September. The move will help the city qualify for lower health insurance rates for its remaining employees, but it has also prompted experienced employees to leave the city.

Many of those who are retiring hold leadership positions or lead city departments and will be gone by November. They include Denise Rucker, director of the local arm of the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program; Lynn Causey, city planner; and Dorothy Wilson, city clerk.

The city will choose replacements for each applicant from a pool of contenders approved by the Jacksonville Civil Service Board, a body that determines whether candidates’ skills meet job qualifications for each opening.

For five years, the city will pay all of the $799 health insurance premium for retirees who have single coverage and $1,008 for retirees with family coverage. The expense will cost the city about $110,000, .

At the end of the five-year period, the city may stop offering coverage to retirees.

The increased number of retirees on the plan will help the city qualify for better rates for the remaining employees, saving the city $36 monthly for each employee with single coverage and about $99 for each employee with family coverage. The net savings on insurance, will be about $70,000.