Latest news with #MorganCounty
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Residents plead for road to be fixed, say services refuse to use it
HARTSELLE, Ala. (WHNT) — Orchid Private Drive in Hartselle is about a half-mile stretch of gravel, dirt, and potholes that are so big that emergency services refuse to use it. 'We have to deal with the road, and we have to worry about the kids getting hit and getting stuck and getting our cars torn up,' said homeowner Leighia Hudson. 'Safe and effective': Pediatrician discusses MMR vaccine amid high measles case numbers Hudson is one of the homeowners on Orchid Private Drive where mail services, vehicles, school buses and trash pickup are just not possible to receive. 'All of the water on the road and the holes and everything just tears things up,' Betty Cobb said. 'That's why the buses would not come or none of the mail and the garbage trucks or anybody like that would come.' According to the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT), Orchid Private Drive is a private road and is not listed in the county registry. But the homeowners believe that if the county would accept the road into its inventory, then the county could help maintain it. News 19 reached out to the Morgan County Commission, which provided a statement that reads in part: 'The Morgan County Commission does not perform any maintenance or has any legal authority to do so. This private drive is not part of the Morgan County Road System.' Leighia Hudson said that her grandmother owned and maintained the road until they lost ownership of the state in 2007. 'The state picked it up and once the state picked it up, they gave her time to get it back, and she did not,' Hudson explained. While the proprietorship of the road remains unclear, the homeowners are pleading with the county to help them fix it before further damage is done. 'It would be plenty helpful if we knew they could do something, so this way we would not have to worry no more,' said Cobb. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Yahoo
Decatur woman with prior drug conviction faces new trafficking charges
Jul. 5—A Decatur woman faces drug trafficking charges following an investigation Tuesday after Morgan County Sheriff's deputies found both methamphetamine and fentanyl in her vehicle, according to an affidavit filed Thursday. Carmella Nicole Booth, 38, is charged with trafficking fentanyl, trafficking methamphetamine, unlawful possession of a controlled substance, and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia. She was being held in Morgan County Jail in lieu of a $220,000 bond. Agents with the Sheriff's Office Drug Enforcement Unit were working in Decatur on Tuesday and heard that a female named Nikki was selling large amounts of methamphetamine and fentanyl in the city. "Nikki was identified as Carmella Nicole Booth," the affidavit said. "Agents were able to locate a white in color car pull into a parking lot near Target." A deputy sergeant who was parked in front of the car confirmed it was Booth and an agent pulled up from behind her and approached from the passenger side. "Upon approach, (the agent) observed a plastic bag in Booth's lap containing a crystalline substance, and Booth immediately stuck the bag under the seat," the affidavit said. Deputies then had Booth and a passenger exit the vehicle and began a search. An agent recovered the plastic bag that Booth had placed under the seat as well as a cut straw. The agent also found several plastic bags with fentanyl, suboxone, and alprazolam pills as identified by Booth. "The methamphetamine had a gross weight of 177 grams including packages, and the fentanyl had a gross weight of approximately 2.3 grams including the packaging," the affidavit said. Court records show that Booth pleaded guilty on Sept. 18, 2017, to second-degree unlawful manufacture of a controlled substance and was sentenced to 13 years and four months, with two years to serve and the remainder suspended. She also received three years of probation and was ordered to pay $250 in restitution and three related drug charges were dismissed as part of the plea agreement. An affidavit signed by a Morgan County sheriff's deputy states that on Feb. 4, 2015, agents received a complaint from a District 2 county employee about a meth lab he saw being thrown from the window of a car on Burleson Mountain Road in Hartselle. The employee followed the vehicle to a residence on Indian Hills Road and wrote down its tag number. "The employee returned and looked in the bag," the affidavit said. "He realized it was a meth lab and immediately called law enforcement." Deputies arrived on the scene and confirmed it was a meth lab. Agents began an investigation and identified two suspects at an Indian Hills Road residence. After a search warrant was obtained, agents went to the house and made contact with Booth, who was in possession of meth. — or 256-340-2442.
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Yahoo
Man charged with capital murder in shooting of Hartselle woman
Jul. 3—A Falkville man was charged with capital murder after he fatally shot a Hartselle woman Thursday morning, according to Hartselle police. At about 9 a.m., Hartselle police responded to a report of a male subject armed with a firearm at a residence on Stage Road. "While officers were en route, dispatchers received information indicating an argument was occurring at the residence, followed by the sound of gunshots," police said. Upon arrival, officers located Wyatt Braxton Young, 25, in the front yard. He was unarmed and cooperated with law enforcement, police said. The victim, identified as Nancy Deanne Sandlin Fox, 59, of Hartselle, was found dead at the scene. Young was charged with capital murder and is being held in the Morgan County Jail without bond. — eric@ or 256-340-2435
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Yahoo
Decatur police relaunch Explorer program to inspire future officers
Jun. 28—A group of teenagers could be seen jogging around the perimeter of the Decatur Fire and Police Training Center in Flint on Friday, wrapping up a two-week Decatur Police Department program that introduced them to everything from ballistics theory to patrol traffic operations. The Department's Explorer program was relaunched this year after it was put on hold for a few years beginning with the COVID-19 pandemic. Eight students from around Morgan County signed up and it was led by Officer John Wellman, his first time to lead the program.. "We do the training so they can see what we do," Wellman said. "It's more about building relationships with them and showing them what law enforcement does and how (students) can be good, productive members of society." Each day started off with a round of physical training, with each participant being asked to do 22 pushups, 25 sit-ups, and a mile and half run to show them what it is like to train for the police force. They have to complete an obstacle course as well. "That's what the state requires each law enforcement officer to do," Wellman said. Wellman also explained how patrol officers use radar and laser devices during traffic stops to measure vehicle speed and identify potential violations. Last week, a technician from the Crime Scene Investigation team came to teach the group a two-hour class, which included how to conduct a shooting investigation. "He went over bullet trajectory, using a laser to show where the bullet had been shot and what position the shooter was in, whether sitting or standing," Wellman said. "They got to go through the whole experience and were even able to get fingerprinted and learned how that process works." Later, the group observed four new Decatur police recruits undergo pepper spray training, in which each recruit was sprayed in the face and then required to strike two blocking pads held by fellow officers before successfully handcuffing another — simulating a scenario where an officer is exposed to pepper spray but must still make an arrest and control the situation. Wellman said this was the first time an Explorer group witnessed such an event. This was the first year for Diego Fuentes, Dana Jade Puckett and Kenadie Livingston to join the program. All three said they are interested in law enforcement careers after they graduate high school. Fuentes, a junior at West Morgan High School, said he always talks to his school resource officer about the nature of police work. "I always ask him how is it and what you have to do and it made me more interested," Fuentes said. He said ever since he was in kindergarten and adults would ask him what he wanted to be when he grew up, he always told them a police officer. Austin Junior High freshman Puckett said she was interested in a career with the FBI and said speaking with police officers in Decatur led her to enrolling in the Explorer program. Livingston, a freshman at Hartselle High School, said she was in the car with her mother one day when they were pulled over, and the interaction with the officer sparked her interest in law enforcement. "We started watching the shows after that and I started talking to my SRO and he would show me what he did and sent me websites," Livingston said. "It was pretty cool." Decatur police can point to the success of their Explorer Program through one of their own — Officer Grant Jones participated in the program as a teen. "He got to come and teach one of the days last week and that was a good thing," Wellman said. "They could see he was a kid in high school at one point and did this same program and now he's an officer here in the city. It was awesome for them to see that." Jones, 25, said he enrolled in the program in early 2017 after he had taken an interest in law enforcement through his father, who was a captain with the Decatur Police Department before he retired. "The program peaked my interest in law enforcement even more as I began to learn things on a personal level and get a feel for more of what the job entailed," Jones said Friday. He said one of the most cherished things he could remember about the program was graduating and receiving his plaque. Three years later, he applied to join the force. "I think it is important for the youth to be involved as it provides good community service, exposure, and can help show the youth that officers are human as well and form good relationships between the youth and the department," Jones said of the program. — or 256-340-2442.
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Yahoo
Priceville police arrest man out on bond for murder after 130 mph I-65 pursuit
Jun. 28—A man out on bail for a murder charge in Louisiana was arrested early Wednesday after leading law enforcement on a chase that reached speeds of 130 mph across multiple counties in a stolen car, according to Priceville police. Madison, Tennessee, resident Travis Lee Andry, 36, faces charges of felony attempt to elude, reckless endangerment, improper lane usage, driving while suspended, failure to signal and reckless driving. Police said he was booked into Limestone County Jail and later transferred to Morgan County Jail, where he remained incarcerated in lieu of $205,000 bail Friday. According to a police affidavit, at approximately 12:10 a.m., Priceville police were notified by the Cullman County Sheriff's Office of a two-vehicle pursuit they were involved in going north on Interstate 65 and heading into Morgan County. A Priceville police officer then set up spike strips to hinder the vehicles. "Suspect vehicles were described as a lime green Dodge Charger and a dark colored Dodge Challenger," the affidavit said. "I observed the suspect vehicles approaching my location at a high rate of speed and was able to spike the lead vehicle, the lime green Charger." The affidavit said several occupants exited the Charger and entered the Dodge Challenger, which had halted near the scene, and continued their flight north on I-65, attempting to hit an officer's patrol vehicle in the process. The vehicle was reported as driving speeds of over 130 miles per hour, driving recklessly, and committing "numerous traffic violations." Police said they pursued the Challenger until the decision was made to end the pursuit at the Limestone County line. The Limestone County Sheriff's Office then deployed spike strips and disabled the vehicle. Andry was the driver of the vehicle and Cullman County authorities arrested Antioch, Tennessee, resident Terrance Devon Darnell Mitchell, 18, at the scene as well, according to police. "It was later discovered that the Dodge Challenger had been reported stolen from Nashville, Tennessee," Priceville police said. "Additionally, Andry is currently out on bond facing murder charges in New Orleans, Louisiana." Andry was placed into custody by Cullman County for crimes he committed in their jurisdiction, according to the affidavit. The Police Department said they are communicating with Louisiana authorities about a potential bond revocation for Andry. — or 256-340-2442.
