Foul Play not dismissed in case of missing Ohatchee woman

A body found in east Alabama over the weekend has turned a missing persons case in Talladega County into a death investigation.

Search crews found the body of a white female in Choccolocco Creek, just two miles from the Talladega Superspeedway. The body matched the description of Theresa Benn, a 42-year-old woman who was last seen Oct. 19 near the Talladega Superspeedway.

According to the Lincoln Police Department, Benn was last seen with her husband near the racetrack.

While the body has possibly been found, investigators still have a lot of questions to be answered about her disappearance and the circumstances of her death.

Investigators say they are waiting to hear back from the autopsy results they  are reaching out to the public for answers.

The body found Saturday has been sent to the Alabama Department of Forensics for a positive identification and an autopsy. It could take days or even weeks to get final autopsy reports.

Investigators say they are classifying this case as a death investigation but they have not ruled out foul play.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the Lincoln Police Department.

Blount county death investigation to be presented to Grand Jury

Clint Myrick

The shooting death of a Blount County man last week will be presented to a grand jury to determine whether charges will be filed in the case.

28 year old Clint Myrick,  was killed early Thursday at a home in the Susan Moore community. The Blount County Sheriff's Office received a call just before 1:30 a.m. of a burglary in progress at a home on Kelsoe Road north of Oneonta. The woman there, Myrick's girlfriend, told lawmen she had recently put him out of the house.

Authorities said Myrick returned, armed with a baseball bat. She reportedly fired a warning shot, and then fired another shot, striking him in the upper body. Authorities said she was armed with a shotgun.

Myrick was pronounced dead on the scene at 3:37 a.m.

Blount County District Attorney Pamela Casey in a statement released Monday said her office is working with law enforcement to review all the evidence in this matter. She went on to say It is standard policy for her office to submit all non-attended deaths to the grand jury for review. All deaths that are caused by another are labeled homicide. The grand jury will make a determination as to whether it was a justified homicide under the law or murder.

Gadsden wrecker strike ends

A strike by towing service operators in Gadsden has ended just as talks with city officials began. The strike happened after a dispute that started Friday. Owners of several Etowah County area wrecker services said when an 18 wheeler overturned on an I-759 offramp Friday, the truck's owner was allowed to call a company out of Springville to handle the scene and the cleanup.

The problem, the owners said, wasn't the call to an out of town company, but the fact the company wasn't licensed to do business in Gadsden. The local wrecker services, however, all have to buy business licenses and meet other requirements to get those licenses, such as insurance.

When the owners went to city hall, they said they were given the runaround between the police and revenue departments. They believe the police department should have been making the call. Some owners said they showed up at the scene, only to be told to leave and threatened with arrest.

As a result, the owners of 15 area wrecker services abruptly went on strike, refusing to answer rotation calls except for what they called "life or death emergencies." The wreckers still took calls from individuals, and from rotations in other surrounding cities like Rainbow City and Attalla.

On Monday morning, the owners met with Gadsden council member Thomas Worthy, who set up a meeting for Wednesday morning with the owners and the council's public safety committee. The wrecker owners hope to find out what went wrong Friday and are open to discussions on changing the wrecker services ordinance.The group also started a formal organization, the Etowah County Towing Association, to react to any such issues like this one.

The owners said they are also open to seeing the law on wrecker services re-written.

Authorites say body of missing woman found near speedway

Theresa Benn

A body was found Saturday afternoon in the Jackson Shoals area of Choccolocco Creek in Talladega County.

The Talladega County Sheriff said the body is that of missing 42-year-old Theresa Benn. The female body was found in the creek by searchers around 1:00 Saturday afternoon. Texas Equusearch was called in to work with local agencies and volunteers to search for Benn this weekend. That's when the body was discovered.

The body was sent to the Alabama department of forensic sciences for a positive identification. Lincoln Police say they don't suspect foul play at this time.

Gadsden Tow Truck drivers on strike

Tow truck drivers in Gadsden are on strike stemming from a dispute over how the city deals with outside towing providers. The local companies say the city is being unfair by bending the rules for out of town wreckers at the expense of the local drivers.

Parked right across from Gadsden City Hall and the Gadsden Police Department friday, the city’s local towing companies say they aren’t responding to any calls from the city unless someone’s life is in danger.

On three occasions they say the city has allowed outside towing companies which aren’t licensed in Gadsden to work jobs they would normally get.

The towing companies have a rotation that allows each a chance to earn money when the city needs a wrecker.

The striking tow truck drivers say that it could mean longer wait times for drivers in the area when wrecks block traffic.

The drivers who are on strike in Gadsden say they will still respond to calls from customers and will continue their normal operations in the surrounding areas and with other government entities.

Anniston restaurant owner arrested on animal cruelty charge

David Martin Mogil                   Mary Allison Barrett

Anniston police have arrested an Anniston restaurant owner on an animal cruelty charge for an alleged dog abuse incident earlier last week.

Anniston police say they launched an investigation on Thursday after receiving information about the alleged incident at Damn Yankees Steak/Fish & Oyster Bar on Noble Street. Witnesses told police that they saw an individual repeatedly hitting a dog with a garden hose and hearing the animal yelping in pain. The dog, according to witnesses, then tried to run from the individual and either fell or jumped from a second-story balcony, landing on the concrete ground.

Witnesses said they then saw the same individual who was striking the dog pick up the animal, which was reportedly bleeding from its mouth.

Investigators later identified the individual suspected of hitting the dog as 49-year-old David Martin Mogil, the owner of the restaurant. His girlfriend, 30-year-old Mary Allison Barrett, was identified as the dog's owner. Both Mogil and Barrett refused to tell police where the dog was taken after the alleged incident, and the case was eventually presented to the Calhoun County District Attorney's Office.

The DA issued an arrest warrant not long after receiving the case, as well as a search warrant for the apartment above the eatery. Upon serving the search warrant, officers took Mogil and Barrett into custody and transported them to jail.

Police said Mogil's warrant prevents him from bonding out of jail. Johnson's bond hasn't been set.

The dog is reportedly being treated at an out-of-town animal clinic. An investigation remains ongoing.