Cedar Bluff man arrested after discovery of human remains

The Cherokee County Sheriff's Office said they have arrested a man after a citizen reported finding human remains in the Cedar Bluff area.

 Sheriff Jim Shaver said a resident called deputies on Sunday, March 29 about the remains. Deputies searched along County Road 82 and found additional remains.

 Authorities are still working to identify the victim.

 Sheriff Shaver said 63 year old Terry Lee McKinney,  of Cedar Bluff was arrested in connection to the murder and is being held in the Cherokee County Detention Center.

No other information has been released as investigators continue their work.

Rainbow City man charged with Sexual Abuse

Robert Wesley Davis

Authorities in Rainbow City say A Rainbow City man has been arrested on two counts of sexual abuse.

44 year old Robert Wesley Davis, was arrested on two warrants while being held in the Etowah County Detention Center. One warrant is for first-degree sexual abuse and has a cash bond of $25,000. The second warrant is for sexual abuse of a child less than 12 years old and has a cash bond of $50,000.

Davis was released on the combined $75,000 bond, according to the sheriff's office jail log.

Detectives began investigating the case last Thursday afternoon after receiving information from the Southside Police Department..

Talladega County murder trial underway

Kenneth Rex Latham

A Talladega County jury of seven men and five women was selected Monday to try 66 year old Kenneth Rex Latham, of Lincoln, charged with two counts of murder.

Two counts of manslaughter are listed as lesser offenses to be considered in the indictment.

Latham is accused of causing the deaths of 28 year old Silemon Reyes Santiago,  and 23 year old Areli Jacinto who was pregnant, during a car crash on Alabama 21 on March 1, 2013. Four children between the ages of 1 and 10 were in the back of the car, and all sustained injuries but survived.

Latham was also injured in the collision.

The two younger children were Santiago and Jacinto’s, while the older two were Jacinto’s brother’s and his wife’s. The brother was driving ahead of Santiago on the night of the crash, along with his 3-year-old daughter.

Members of both families were headed back to Talladega after attending a church function in Sylacauga.

According to Assistant District Attorney Christina Kilgore, Latham did not have any alcohol in his system but did have therapeutic levels of the drugs Hydrocodone and methadone in his blood whenhis blood was tested at the hospital.

Kilgore told the jury Monday that Although the two drugs were at common therapeutic levels, that does not mean that he was not impaired and should not have been driving,.

Latham is a veteran suffering from post traumatic stress disorder who was taking medications prescribed by the veteran’s administration at the appropriate levels according to his attorney.

Circuit Judge Julian King told the jury Monday that he expected the state and defense cases to rest Wednesday, with their deliberations beginning then.

Anniston police arrest suspect in friday shooting

Anniston police made an arrest Monday in connection with the Friday night shooting of an Anniston man.   18 year old Dominiquic Isaiah Curry has been charged with Attempted murder in connection with the shooting of 21-year-old Johntavious Brown.

Curry is charged with attempted murder and his bond is set at $30,000. Investigators are still working the case.

Anniston asking DOT to open portion of Parkway

Anniston city officials want a nearly completed portion of Veterans Memorial Parkway opened sooner than planned to speed travel between McClellan and Interstate 20.

City officials have petitioned the Alabama Department of Transportation to remove the barriers to the section of the parkway between its detour onto Iron Mountain Road and its terminus at Summerall Gate Road, near the city's soccer complex.  City officials say that Opening the nearly completed section would give McClellan residents and businesses easier access to Oxford and I-20, while offering better access for out-of-town visitors to the former fort.

Police offer parking lots for safe craigslist transactions

Oxford police want to make sure people who use Craigslist can complete their transactions without a hitch.

The department is offering its parking lot as a meeting place for online marketplace sales.  So is the Heflin Police Department.

Oxford Police Chief Bill Partridge said there have not been any reported safety issues involving classified sales in the city, but he wants to make sure police do all they can to prevent problems from happening in the future.

Parttridge said that "Since 2009, 35 people have been murdered in the United States, from people meeting individuals offline to do online sales such as Craigslist,".

Calhoun County chief deputy Matthew Wade said the sheriff's office does not plan on hosting sales.  He discouraged people from using Craigslist entirely, or any other similar online marketplace.

The chief deputy also questioned the legitimacy of not just sellers, but items.  He said burglars may try to sell items on Craigslist since they would be caught if they went to a pawn shop or another store.  A customer's bill of sale will do them no good on a purchased item reported stolen.

However, Wade said he knows people will still use the service, and if they do, he wants them to make their transactions at a police station.

Several other police departments are participating in similar programs, which have titles such as Operation Safe Lot and Operation Safe Sale.