Oxford man indicted in beating death of 2 year old

Bryan Butts

A Talladega County Grand jury has indicted a 25 year old Oxford man on capital murder charges in connection with the may beating death of his girlfriends 2 year old son.  Bryan Butts, is scheduled to be arraigned Oct. 30 before Talladega County Circuit Judge Julian King. District Attorney Steve Giddens says the state plans to seek the death penalty against Butts.  At the time of the alleged beating, Butts was living with his girlfriend on Pecan Wood Drive. He was not in any way related to the child.  The child was taken to Regional Medical Center in Anniston May 3 for treatment of injuries consistent with blunt force trauma. There were bruises on the child’s face, neck, chest, stomach and back, and he had a lacerated liver. Kilgore said the arrest warrant stated the child’s injuries were consistent with being beaten by hands, fists and feet.  The case was investigated, and Butts was initially arrested by the Oxford Police Department. He was transferred into the Talladega County Jail about a week after the incident.

Teen arrested in Ironation robbery homocide

Talladega county authorities say they have arrested A juvenile suspect in connection with the October 4^th  robbery-homicide at Jenkins’ Grocery in Ironaton . The suspect is a 15-year-old white male, but further information about him will not be made public until he is certified as an adult to stand trial.  Talladega County District Attorney Steve Giddens said Tuesday that  the suspect was discharged from University Hospital in Birmingham late last week and is currently being held at a juvenile detention facility. The suspect will have a hearing in district court to determine if he is to be certified as an adult for trial purposes.  During a robbery at Jenkins’ Store, the suspect is accused of fatally shooting 75 year old Earnest Jenkins.  The suspect was shot by Jenkins during the robbery as well.

Gadsden man in Fair condition following Monday wreck

A Gadsden man remains in fair condition in a Birmingham hospital after being airlifted there Monday after the car in which he was a passenger drove into a building on Piedmont Cutoff in East Gadsden.  30 year old Robert Dumas, remains in fair condition. The driver, 20 year old Garrett Charlton Chase,  was not injured in the wreck.  According to Gadsden police, the 2007 Chevrolet was traveling west at about 70 mph on Piedmont Cutoff when the car began to veer off to the right. The driver said he pulled the steering wheel back toward the road, but ran off instead. He said once the vehicle hit the ditch, he blacked out. When he woke up, his car was in the building, which is used by the East Gadsden Church of the Nazarene for its youth ministry. The building is between Campbell and Sheffield avenues.  Witnesses verified the driver’s story saying he was going “extremely fast,” then ran off the road, into a ditch and eventually into the church building.

Police say no charges are expected in connection with the accident.

Piedmont council makes offer on park property

The Piedmont City Council agreed Tuesday  to offer former Mayor Charlie Fagan $100,000 to buy a park adjacent to the old Standard Coosa Thatcher cotton mill.  Mayor Bill Baker said Fagan had recently offered to sell the park to the city for $200,000. Council members countered with an offer of $100,000.  Council members said The city would use money it has in hand from an existing bond issue to pay for the park.  Fagan, who owns the  old mill and the park, is currently negotiating with a company that wants to buy the mill and tear it down to salvage its brick and timber for resale. If the city doesn’t buy the park, officials fear that the salvage company may.  The council also began seeking a candidate to fill the District 6 council seat, which Baker vacated to become mayor. Potential candidates must be registered to vote in district six to qualify for the position.  The council is expected to name a new council member for that district in their second meeting in November.

Gadsden council approves agreement for road projects

The Gadsden city council Tuesday  approved an agreement with the Alabama Department of Transportation for preliminary engineering for the repaving of Third Street and Goodyear Avenue. The city will pay 20 percent of the engineering costs, with its share estimated at $12,800. The remaining funds will come from the Gadsden-Etowah Metropolitan Planning Organization.  The council also approved the preliminary engineering for repaving Padenreich Avenue from East Broad Street to Cloverdale Road; Forrest Avenue from Vandell Boulevard to the Attalla city limits; and Ninth Street from Tuscaloosa Avenue to Chestnut Street. The council last week approved a construction contract with ALDOT for the three projects. The city will pay 20 percent of the preliminary engineering and construction costs, with its share estimated at $12,400. The remainder will come from MPO funds.  City Engineer Chad Hare said all the repaving projects will have to be approved by the MPO, with hopes that they can be bid next spring.

Entry fees lowered for Gadsden Christmas Parade

The Gadsden Kiwanis Club is hoping for a bigger and better chrismas parade in the city this year..  The club is reducing the fee for floats for the annual parade, set for Dec. 9 this year, with the goal of attracting more floats and entries.  Last year's parade featured about 120 units, which was down from the previous two years.  To encourage more groups and businesses to participate, the club is eliminating the float fee for nonprofits and reducing it to $25 for businesses. Previously, the float fees were $35 for nonprofits and $50 for businesses. The cost to enter other vehicles, like cars or trucks, will be $25 for nonprofits and $50 for businesses.  Floats will have to be  decorated and focus on this years parade theme, which is 'Christmas Around the World.