2/24/16 News

Civil rights investigation underway in Calhoun Shooting

A spokesman for the Birmingham FBI office has confirmed they're investigating the death of a Saks man as a civil rights case.  Paul Daymond confirmed Tuesday that The Birmingham FBI Field Office has opened a civil rights investigation into the shooting death of Deatrice Barclay saying that The FBI will collect all available facts and evidence and will ensure that the investigation is conducted in a fair, thorough and impartial matter.  The state investigation is being done by the Alabama State Bureau of Investigation. Barclay was black and the two suspects were white, and family members claim a Confederate flag may have been involved in the dispute that led to the January fatal shooting of Barclay in his own yard, on Permita Court just outside Anniston.  Parker and Abbott are being held on $500,000 bond each on murder charges. A Calhoun County judge refused to lower the bond after Monday's hearing.

 Fake ID arrest

A 24 year old  Hokes Bluff woman has been arrested in connection to drug use and giving a false identity, according to Etowah County Sheriff Todd Entrekin. Deputies went to a residence in Pine Hill Place in an attempt to serve Hayley Lynn Gary with two outstanding warrants. One for possession of a controlled substance and another for possession of drug paraphernalia.  The officers found Gary hiding behind a chair inside the house. When they asked her name, Gary gave the deputies a false identification.

Gary has been charged with one felony count of using false identity to obstruct justice, and a misdemeanor charge of resisting arrest.

Gary is currently being detained in the Etowah County Detention Center on $6,500 bond.

Ashville family arrested on drug charges

An Ashville family is now facing charges in St. Clair County for drug trafficking. Sixty-year-olds Ruth and John Brock were arrested, along with who appears to be their son, 28 year old John H. Brock. The Sheriff's Department says 105 marijuana plants, a large amount of marijuana and numerous paraphernalia  items were seized from the residence on Davis Drive in Ashville.  All three were taken to the St. Clair County Jail in Ashville. The trio were charged with drug trafficking, and have bonded out on $100,000.00 each.  The next court date for subjects will be March 16th.

 School delays for Wednesday 2-24-16

Below is a list of school delays for Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2016:

Anniston City  2 hour delay

Calhoun County 2 hour delay

Jacksonville City  2 hour delay

Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic School in Anniston  2 hour delay

Gadsden arrest

Police arrested a Gadsden man on misdemeanor charges after he ran from an officer in his vehicle, then tried to hide under a mattress. A Gadsden officer noticed a man sitting in an illegally parked car in the 800 block of Rogers Street about 10 p.m. Sunday. He asked the man for his driver’s license to check to see if it was valid before letting him move the vehicle. The driver told him “no.” The officer again asked for the license and the man again told him “no,” then put his car into drive and pulled away. The officer lost sight of the silver Lexus and asked other officers in the area to look for it. It was spotted, parked in a driveway on Avenue D. Two officers discovered the alarm was coming from a church in the 500 block of Evan Street. They found an unsecured, open door in a building directly behind the church. As officers cleared the building, they found the subject, a 28-year-old man, hiding under a mattress in the building. The officer who first contacted him identified him as the Lexus’ driver.

According to the police report, he told officers he ran because he didn’t have his driver’s license and he was scared.

Dega Jam cancelled

Festival Productions Ventures, LLC, the producers of Dega Jam, announced Tuesday that the event has been cancelled.  All customers will receive a full refund for their purchase and all future payment plans will be cancelled, according to a press release from the company. Refunds will begin to be issued immediately.

Further information can be found at degajam.com or at 855-464-3342.

Main street director search to begin

The Anniston City Council discussed redefining the leadership job for the downtown development organization, Main Street Anniston, during its Monday work session. The council is expected to vote on the change at a later meeting.

The discussion was triggered after Brian Watson, director of Main Street, vacated the position more than a week ago to take a job in Washington D.C., where he’s from, according to City Manager Brian Johnson.

Watson, hired in June, was the fourth director Main Street has had in the past four years. Main Street .

Talladega to take state prisoners

The Talladega County Commission approved by a 4-0 vote Monday extending an intergovernmental agreement between itself, the Talladega County sheriff and the state Department of Corrections to house 60 females from Julia Tutwiler Prison in Wetumpka.

The extension was made with the Alabama department of corrections due to the upcoming closure of the prison for women.

Gadsden Homicide

Gadsden police are investigating a homicide after a man’s body was found in a vacant house Monday on Henry Street.

Police were called about noon Monday to a vacant residence where there was an unresponsive black male. Subsequently, investigators determined the man was the victim of homicide, according to Gadsden Police Sgt. John Hallman.

The man has been identified as 34 year old Derrick Lydell Cherry,  of Gadsden.

Police have not released information about the cause of death and have no one in custody. The investigation continues.

Anyone with information about Cherry’s death is urged to call the Gadsden Police Department’s tip line at 256-543-2444 or the Gadsden Police Department’s Detective Division at 256-549-4630.