Jury begins deliberations in Anniston murder trial

A Calhoun County jury will continue deliberations today in a murder trial where the defendant is accused of stabbing a man in 2010. Prosecutors said that on Sept. 14, 2010, 38 year oldTerrence Lamont Allen, of Anniston, is accused in the September 2010 murder of 39 year old Dimir Ranz Burton, accused of stabbing him in the head with a knife. The incident occurred after Burton attacked Allen at the Car Exchange on Quintard Avenue, where the two were employed. After the stabbing, Burton was taken to Regional Medical Center and died five days later at Trinity Hospital in Birmingham. Prosecutor Randy Moeller, of the Calhoun County District Attorney’s Office, said the knife Allen used punctured Burton’s skull and struck the man’s brain. Juror’s deliberated for nearly an hour Wednesday and will return today.

Allen faces 20 to 99 years or life in prison if convicted of murder. The jury could find him guilty of manslaughter if they don’t believe he intentionally killed Burton, in which he could serve 10 to 99 years or life in prison.

Hokes Bluff Woman on trial for husbands murder

Carlotta Susann Kutschenreuter

A Hokes Bluff woman is on trial in Etowah county for the murder of her husband.Carlotta Susann Kutschenreuter is currently free on bond. Prosecutors say she shot her husband, David, once in the head and twice in the back while he was in bed. Potential jurors, however, were questioned about things like battered spouse syndrome, forced abortions, and anti-government and racist beliefs. Wednesday afternoon, a police officer and medic testified they found Kutschenreuter vomiting into a toilet and barely coherent. The police officer testified he found the gun lying next to the victim's body in a bed.

The trial is expected to last into next week.

Bats infest Ragland school

A portion of the Ragland High School campus has been closed because of bats. School officials say the bats were located in the high school gymnasium, weight room and the band hall. School officials say the bats have historically been a problem at the school for several years but now the population has grown. St. Clair Schools Superintendent Jenny Seals and the board of education are aware of the situation and are getting a company to come in hopefully Friday to remove all the bats. Students ae being kept out of the portion of the building affected. School officials say Critter Control out of Birmingham will be at the school today and they are bringing a team to remove the bats.

Talladega Golf Course to Reopen

There is some good news for golfers in Talladega. After announcing the Talladega Municipal Golf Course would be closed until further notice earlier this week, City Manager Brian Muenger sent out an email Wednesday announcing the course would reopen Friday morning. Muenger wrote “E&E Golf Course Management, the company contracted to operate the city’s golf course, ceased operations Monday. Since that time, the course has been closed to players completely. I have been in discussions with several groups who are interested in the course in recent days, and progress is being made towards identifying a new partner to manage the facility. In the interim, it is essential that the course remain maintained, and to handle that I will be hiring John Carlisle as a temporary city employee.” Carlisle was E&E’s course manager . Carlisle will be offered a memorandum of understanding outlining his relationship to the city. He will be classified as a temporary labor maintenance employee. Carlisle said his arrangement in Talladega has nothing to do with Pine Hill, the Anniston course he managed for E&E which remains closed. All existing memberships at the Talladega Municipal Course will be honored, and all fees and rental amounts will remain the same as they were before the course closed on Monday.

Gadsden woman convicted of rape involving 15 year old boy

Valerie Jan Stanton

A Calhoun county jury Tuesday afternoon found a 39-year-old Gadsden woman guilty of raping and sodomizing a 15-year-old boy last year. Valerie Jan Stanton was convicted of second-degree rape and second-degree sodomy in a unanimous vote by 12 jurors before Circuit Judge Debra Jones The victim, now 17, testified during the trial that his relationship with Stanton began after the two met through a mutual acquaintance. The teen told jurors that his life goal is to become a professional basketball player and Stanton told him she would help him. Prosecutors and witnesses testified that Stanton paid for the boy to play with a traveling basketball team based in Birmingham. Stanton took the teen to practices, paid team fees, bought equipment and attended most of his games. The victim said The two began their sexual relationship around March or April 2012, and he said they had sexual encounters in Anniston, Weaver and a hotel in Oxford a total of 15 times. The victim’s mother discovered the inappropriate relationship in August 2012 and called police. Stanton was taken to a local police department, where she admitted to having a sexual relationship with the victim and that she knew his age. The jury of 8 women and 4 men deliberated for 30 minutes before they returned with the guilty verdict. Jones told Stanton she would sentence her on Sept. 26. Stanton faces a minimum of two years in prison and maximum of 20 years for each charge.

More details emerge in murder for hire case

Allen Morgan

More information is emerging about the Anniston man accused of trying to hire an undercover FBI agent to kill his black neighbor. According to court documents, Allen Morgan told FBI agents that he tried to hire the KKK to murder his neighbor because Morgan believed his neighbor raped his wife. There are conflicting reports from law enforcement on the allegations. One source, says Morgan's wife slept with the neighbor to pay off a drug debt. Meanwhile, the Talladega County Sheriff says the rape allegations are under investigation. According to court documents, Morgan was convinced the neighbor had raped his wife and he told undercover FBI agents that he wanted the neighbor hung from a tree like an animal and wanted him to die a slow death. Police say they were called out to Morgan's home just two weeks ago, when the neighbor was allegedly waving his gun in the air. And just last week Morgan fired shots into the ground near his neighbor, hoping to scare him but not kill him. It has also come to light that Alabama DHR took the Morgan's three-year-old daughter and placed her in the care of a relative. Morgan had another court appearance Tuesday and two public defenders have been assigned to his case. Morgan's charges and rights were explained to him and a detention hearing date has been set for Tuesday, Sept. 3. Morgan remains in custody of the U.S. Marshals.

Anniston man charged in theft of car

James Henry Lunceford

A 31 year old Anniston man is facing felony theft charges after Anniston police say he stole a car and wrecked it earlier this month. James Henry Lunceford, told police he needed to use the car to go shopping because his vehicle was out of gas. The vehicle, a 2008 Chevy HHR, was recovered from Skinner’s Body Shop in Oxford Wednesday, where it had been towed after a hit-and-run. Police say that Lunceford had wrecked it and left it on the side of the road. Police say that Lunceford took the vehicle from the victim’s residence when she was at work. The victim told police the car belongs to her father who works out of town. The victim told police that her car went missing sometime between Aug. 16 and Aug. 19 but she did not report it to the police until Aug. 19. Lunceford turned himself in Monday and was jailed under a ten thousand dollar bond.