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Two men are dead after an explosion at Redstone Arsenal

Two contract workers died after being injured in an explosion while removing a propellant from rockets at Redstone Arsenal, where the Army conducts missile and weapons research. The cause of the explosion has not been released and there was no environmental impact from the accident. According to Deputy Public Affairs Officer Kim Henry, the building where the explosion took place had

Sheffield police are searching for two men accused of burglary and kidnapping

Sheffield police are looking for two men responsible for a home invasion and possibly the kidnapping of a 55 year old woman. The woman was hesitant to call the police because the men told her that they would kill her if she did. The victim reported that two African American men forced their way into her home and after knocking her husband to the ground told her that they were there to

A Tuscumbia woman is facing domestic violence charges

46 year old Gwenevere "Gwen" Meredith of Tuscumbia is in jail after being accused of stabbing her live in boyfriend, 45-year-old Gregory Johnson with a kitchen knife. Meredith is charged with domestic violence and second degree assault. Johnson was stabbed once in the left arm and taken to Helen Keller Hospital where he was treated and later released. Tuscumbia police detective Sgt.

Muscle Shoals Board of Education approves retirement incentive

Muscle Shoals Board of Education members unanimously approved a retirement incentive today for teachers and other support personnel who have a minimum of 25 years with the system. Board member Willis Thompson was not present for the vote. The resolution gives certified teachers a one-time, $11,000 bonus for retiring, while others, such as maintenance and lunchroom employees, would receive $7,000.

A Moulton woman is facing burglary charges

19-year-old Alexandria Paige Hankins has been arrested in connection with a recent rash of residential burglaries. Lawrence County Sheriff Gene Mitchell said she is charged with third-degree burglary and second degree theft of property. Mitchell added that Hankins’ arrest is part of an ongoing investigation into several burglaries that have taken place in the past three months

Authorities are searching for a missing Russellville woman

Local authorities are searching for 22 year old Russellville resident Tiffany Nichole King, who hasn’t been seen or heard from since April 6. According to investigator Scotty Lowery, the last person to hear from Tiffany was her mother. When she spoke to her mother, Tiffany said she was in Huntsville, but none of her family or friends know who she was with or how she got there.

Three Florence residents are arrested

The Florence men have been arrested in Limestone County for the theft of a car after witnesses not only saw the crime, but followed the suspects. The trio are accused of taking a 1980 Oldsmobile Delta 88 worth $800, according to investigator Stanley McNatt . Witnesses saw them steal the car in Lauderdale County and followed them to Rogersville while the contacted the police. Limestone

Sheffield police are searching for two robbery suspects

Authorities are searching for two men who robbed Subway Sandwiches and Salads restaurant on Nathan Boulevard in Sheffield Thursday night. Sheffield detective Chad Carruth said two white men reportedly entered the business just before 9 p.m. One took out a hand-held police scanner and ordered the cashier to give him the money from the cash register. While both men acted as though they

A shooting leaves a Tuscumbia man in the hospital and his brother in jail

Tuscumbia resident Larry Fountain remains in Huntsville Hospital after being shot Saturday evening. Tuscumbia Police Chief Tony Logan said that he was shot in his lower extremities and that his wounds do not appear to be life threatening. Larry Fountain's brother Robert Fountain has been held in the city jail since the shooting. The shooting took place at the residence shared by the

The Alabama Math, Science, and Technology Initiative receives national recogniti

The Alabama Math, Science, and Technology Initiative has received recognition from The Center for Excellence in Education, a national think tank. The Center for Excellence in Education examined programs throughout the United States that included cost-effective, replicable, sustainable, virtual and hands-on laboratory models with strategies for maximizing lab skills training. Local

A traffic accident claims the life of a Killen woman

90-year-old Ruby Butler Scott, of Killen, died in Huntsville Hospital from injuries she sustained during a one car accident on U.S. 72. Butler was a passenger in a Ford Mustang driven by her grandson, Austin Gerald Newton, Jr. According to reports, the Mustang was traveling east on U.S. 72 when something caused the vehicle to run off the road and into the median, where the car began

A Russellville couple are facing drug charge

48-year-old Steven Patterson and his girlfriend, 44-year-old Denita Gilbert have been arrested after police found and active methamphetamine lab inside their residence. Patterson and Gilbert are both charged with first-degree manufacturing a controlled substance and trafficking meth, according to Russellville Police Chief Chris Hargett. Investigators said when the residence was

A Florence man is accused of burglarizing city departments

Authorities have arrested a Florence resident accused of breaking into two city departments. 21 year old Christopher Todd Smith has been charged with three counts of third-degree burglary, two counts of first-degree theft of property and single counts of third-degree theft of property and first-degree criminal mischief. Florence Detective Brian Perry said Smith is accused of breaking

A Lauderdale County man is charged with child abuse

49 year old Jimmy Burns McKinney of Florence has been arrested after being accused of hitting a 12 year old girl in the face with his fist. Detectives said McKinney was arrested after an investigation into the allegations by Florence Police and the Lauderdale County Department of Human Resources. McKinney reportedly hit the girl because she refused to answer his questions about her

A Sheffield teen drowns

16 year old John Arlon Willingham drowned while swimming with a friend in a pond. Four boats and divers from the Morgan County Rescue Squad searched the pond with sonar and by dragging the bottom. After the short break, two divers, one from the rescue squad and the other from Trinity police, went back into the pond. A diver discovered Willingham's body just before 5pm and Lawrence

A Red bay man is indicted on rape charges

Red Bay resident Alex Esquivel, 33, has been charged with first-degree rape and domestic violence third-degree assault. According to reports the rape happened on July 22 at the 30 year old woman's residence in Red Bay. Authorities said Esquivel and his girlfriend had ended their relationship, but he went to her residence on the night of July 22. Investigators said Esquivel forced the

A Muscle Shoals city clerk is terminated

An audit will soon be underway for Muscle Shoals City Court. The audit is being planned since Muscle Shoals Court Clerk Magistrate Linda Stanley was terminated after a report that bond money has been mishandled. City Clerk Ricky Williams said the city has been investigating the allegation since March 23 and at least $500 is missing from the municipal court account. Officials said

A Franklin County man faces numerous charges including attempted murder

49 year old Steven Jeffrey Cain has been arrested on multiple charges in Franklin County. The indictments include two counts of attempted murder, both involving police officers, two counts of second-degree receiving stolen property and single counts of second-degree burglary, attempted second-degree burglary, certain persons prohibited from carrying a weapon, second-degree theft of

Franklin County warns of an asphalt scam

Franklin County District Attorney Joey Rushing has warned of an asphalt scam. Most cases start with a person going door to door inquiring as to whether or not residents want to have their driveways paved. Typically, the person will say that they have been working on a job nearby and has enough leftover asphalt to do another job. The person quotes a price, but asks for more money than

A Tennessee man is charged with his wife's death

29 year old Joshua Stanley Chapman has been arrested in connection with the shooting death of his wife, 24 year old Daysha Chapman. According to Chief Deputy Terry Beecham of the Lawrence County Sheriff's Office, the shooting took place at the couple's home in the Piney community located southwest of Lawrenceburg. He added that the couple have two children; neither of whom were home

A Lawrence County man is accused of sexually molesting and torturing a child

58 year old Allen Ray Terry of Moulton, has been arrested after being accused of sexually molesting and torturing a child during a three-year period. Terry has been charged with sexual abuse of a child less than 12 years old, sexual torture and first-degree sodomy. According to investigators with the Lawrence County Sheriff's office, Terry is accused of sexually assaulting and sodomizing a boy on

A new progam is approved for Northwest Shoals Community College

The Alabama Board of Education has approved a new program for Nothwest-Shoals Community College. The new associate degree and certificate program is in industrial maintenance, which college President Humphrey Lee says has high demand among employers in norrth Alabama. With the Board's recent vote, the college cleared the final approval hurdle and can move forward with plans to offer the courses

A Florence psychiatrist and his wife will face drug charges

50 year old Dr. William Roddy and his wife, 43 year old Wendy Sue Roddy, were both arrested after authorities found prescription drugs and cash in their possession. Both Roddy and his wife are charged with trafficking in controlled substance according to officials with the Huntsville Police Department. The arrest was made at Embassy Suites in Huntsville, and Roddy and his wife were

Rape charges are dropped against a Florence teen

The first degree rape charge against Florence teen Hunter Beck has been dismissed. Beck was arrested Jan. 17 after he was accused of forcing an 18-year-old girl to have sex with him while they were attending a party. Retired Circuit Judge Leslie and District Attorney Bryce Graham Jr Rape were assigned to handle the case because of conflicts of interest with the Lauderdale County

A man on bond for robbery is back in jail

Tuscumbia police arrested 40 year old Florence resident William T. Cole after an alleged assault took place inside an apartment complex in the 600 block of East Sixth Street in Tuscumbia. Cole is already on bond from an arrest in connection to an incident that took place in November and resulted in a robbery charge. In that instance, officials say Cole robbed two men, and that one of

A Franklin County teen faces rape charges

18 year old Justin McAfee, of Russellville, has been arrested in Franklin County after being accused of having sexual encounters with two 14-year-old girls during a six-month period. Investigators said one encounter was reportedly to have taken place at his residence while the other was at the victim's house.According to officials with the Franklin County Sheriff's Office, McAfee has

Franklin County plans to invest in a Census campaign

Franklin County officials plan to spend about $10,000 on a campaign to get residents to fill out the 2010 Census forms by April 1. Approval for the plan came at Monday's Commission meeting. The campaign includes $5,000 in mail-outs to residents, handouts for churches and senior centers along with lesson plans highlighting the importance of 2010 Census for children to take home to

A Franklin County man is charged with making a terrorist threat

26 year old Neil Larkins, of Phil Campbell, has been arrested and charged with making a terrorist threat. According to investigators, Larkins was involved in an altercation with someone at a trailer park and threatened him with a pipe bomb-type device. Larkins said the device, which was made up of two 4 inch long cylinders with fuses, contained explosives. The Florence Police

A Tennessee couple accused of killing the mother of their grandson are indicted

A Wayne County grand jury issued indictments for 46 year old Steven Ray Beersdorf, Sr., and his wife, 43 year old Sylvia Beersdorf. They are charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. The Beersdorfs are accused of killing Rose Goggins, who lived with the Beersdorfs. She was engaged to their son, who has been in training with the Tennessee National Guard at Camp

Tuscumbia police chief Tony Logan is back on the job

Tuscumbia Police Chief Tony Logan has been back at work after being found guilty of driving under the influence in Florence Municipal Court. Mayor Bill Shoemaker said he had not made a decision on what, if any, action will be taken against Chief Logan, since Logan is appealing the guilty verdict, which means that the case is still open. Logan's attorney, Tim Case, has filed post-trial

Police are looking for a woman accused of using a stolen debit card

Police are asking for the public’s help in locating a woman they say is using a debit card to take money from an account without permission from the card’s owner. According to Russellville investigator Scotty Lowery, warrants have been issued for 36 year old Angela Denise Gay of Tuscumbia. Lowery added that Gay also goes by the name of Angela Stockman. Gay is accused of

A Lawrence County man and his two sons face multiple charges

50 year old Joe Howard Swafford and his two sons have been arrested and are all facing multiple charges in Lawrence County, Tenn. Joe Howard Swafford has been indicted for attempted first-degree murder, aggravated robbery, two counts of aggravated burglary, two counts of theft of property and three counts of vandalism.. Patrick Swafford, the younger son, was indicted for four counts

A Florence man is arrested for not registering as a sex offender

Officials with the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office have arrested 38 year old Danny Ray Haywood for failing to register as a sex offender and failure to register his employment. According to reports, Haywood was convicted in 1993 of sexual battery in Maury County, TN. Kelly Mustin, of the sheriff’s office investigation division, said that the sheriff's office had

A former high school band director is indicted for sexual misconduct

47 year old James “Jim” Tucker, of Summertown, TN, is in jail after being indicted for five counts of sexual misconduct . Tucker, the former band director at Summertown High School, is accused of having sexual contact with a 16 year old girl five times. Tucker was arrested Dec. 2, and charged with sexual misconduct by an authority figure. Investigators said he is accused

A Spruce Pine man is charged with first degree criminal mischief

After reportedly causing nearly $200,000 in damages to machinery at the Pilgrim's Pride processing plant near Russellville, 27 year old Tony Welborn has been charged with first-degree criminal mischief. Franklin County Sheriff Larry Plott said plant officials say Welborn deliberately tried to sabotage the operation by damaging the machine. Welborn is accused of putting small pieces

A Colbert County woman is indicted on murder charges

26 year old Brandi Willingham, of Tuscumbia, was indicted by a grand jury on murder charges involving her husband's death in January. Authorities said that Brandi Willingham is accused of killing her husband, 31 year old Devin Willingham, at the couple's home during the early morning hours of January 25. Brandi Willingham told investigators that her husband was shot while trying to

A Moulton man is arrested on drug charges

60 year old Anthony Corbin Letson, of Moulton, has been arrested and charged with two counts of unlawful distribution of a controlled substance. Officials with the Lawrence County Sheriff's Office began an investigation after receiving several complaints about Letson selling prescription medication. During the course of the investigation, Lawrence County Sheriff Gene Mitchell said

A wreck on Hwy 72 leaves one dead

One person has been confirmed dead following a wreck on Highway 72 involving a Chevrolet Cavalier and a Colbert County school bus. According to emergency officials, the bus had stopped to let a student off, and the accident occurred after the student was safely in his driveway. The Chevrolet Cavalier struck the back of the bus and became stuck underneath. Emergency workers had to use