Laura Fitterman: New Animal Cruelty Charges

We've blogged about Laura Fitterman before. In fact, we have a link dedicated to her in our sidebar.

Laura Fitterman

Now Fitterman, using the surname Sherwood, has again been arrested in Lauderdale County on charges of animal cruelty. Laura and her husband Patrick are accused of cruelty to 25 horses and donkeys, plus two lamas, 50 rodents, and over 150 rabbits, cats, and dogs. They are both being held without bond in the Lauderdale County Detention Center.

Undoubtedly, Fitterman-Sherwood and her husband will plead some kind of mental defect causing them to collect and the neglect these animals--they face one felony charge and 15 misdemeanor counts. Will Laura Fitterman stop now? We doubt it. Let's hope permanent monitoring is in her future.

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Frequently we read comments about various drug users; many say just watch the news for their obituary. Is that all we can do?

We are extremely interested in any new programs or therapy out there that can help these individuals. We know the methadone clinic in Sheffield is a savior for some, but what about others?

Today we saw the latest mug shot of a young lady we've blogged about at the request of her family when she went missing...twice. The change in her face was gut-wrenching. How do get help for someone who doesn't want it? Comments?



Shoalanda

A Word From Chief Tony Logan

Tuscumbia Police Chief Tony Logan has offered us an update on the search for Mr. Elbert Farley Davis Jr's killer. We should have more on this next week:

About a year and a half ago we assembled all of the investigators, chiefs, and the sheriff of Colbert County for a day long summit to discuss the case. I felt it was important to have fresh eyes look at the case. We did not share our suspect list early in the day so that we did not influence their conclusions. At the end of the day the group had pretty much come to the same conclusions and suspect list that we had which at least made me feel that we were working in the right direction.

Most recently I asked Lauderdale District Attorney Chris Connolly to have his cold case squad to review the case. About 2 months ago his squad along with Dr. Greene of Alabama Forensics and our staff met at Mr. Davis residence to go over the scene along with reports and photos of the scene. I felt important because the residence was sold and the new owners were about to move in so it would be our last opportunity to go into the residence with it in much the way it was when Mr. Davis was attacked.

I am in constant contact with his (children). We meet each Wednesday to discuss where we are with the case. Ever since it took place anytime the investigators have someone in to interview on any crime they always ask if they have any information on the Davis case.

Please feel free to share any suggestions you might have that would assist us in this case. I just want to be able to give closure to the family and bring to justice those responsible for his death.

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This week Mark Montgomery pleaded Not Guilty to shooting two women and a pet dog dead. He will now stand trial in Lauderdale County and waste countless dollars of taxpayer money. Let's see...he told his sister he killed them, he had their blood on his clothes and shoes...yep, a jury should buy the not guilty plea.

Shoalanda

Tattoos? We Can Go Either Way

A reader has contacted us about a post on our personal page that she either intentionally or unintentionally misunderstood. Why the remark about the handcuffs tattoo?

We had been attempting to contact Tony Logan. For those who don't know, Tony is a long-time police officer and the current chief in Tuscumbia. The first "Tony Logan" we found was apparently a tattoo artist, but since the tattoo icon was a pair of hands in cuffs, we had to do a double take on it. That's called serendipitous humor, or more colloquially "what are the odds?" Our remark was not an indictment of tattoos.

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We will comment on a negative side of tattoos. Having the word "Crip" written out numerically on your abdomen, with Adolph Hitler above it, might just make people think you were not mainstream society material.

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On another note: Over the years we've been blamed for posts on OB's Corner, Left in Alabama, Pen-N-Sword, and the Quad-Cities Daily...and probably a few on the ShoalsInsider, but we're not totally sure about the last one.

Again we ask that you send your criticisms of any links to the proper site. Again, we remind you that ANY posts with profanity or vulgarity will be deleted and you will be banned. No one has the automatic right to post vulgar comments, threats, etc., on a site belonging to anyone else no matter what any uneducated person may think.

Similarly, while we feel certain articles about murder victims may have gone too far, hindsight being 20-20, libel is making false statements--not true ones. Also, while we hope all news outlets have spoken truthfully, a dead person cannot be legally libeled in Alabama or any other state.

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Murder is a horrible crime. Earlier today we discussed this with a former police officer. He affirms the position that some murders are justified and the world is better off. We take the position that this is not the case, but we can understand why some murders are not prosecuted. We also, as we've stated many times, understand why a family who's hurting wants to strike out.

If your family member needs help, it's wonderful to pray about it. We do suggest you also try to get that family member help.



Shoalanda

Reward for Info in Davis Slaying "Around" 15K

We recently reported that there is a 5K reward for information in the murder of Mr. Elbert Farley Davis Jr, 88, who was killed during a home robbery in Tuscumbia in 2012. The current amount is "around" 15K. We're not sure what "around" actually means, but it's a tremendous sum to many of us.

We heard indirectly from Chief Tony Logan that he appreciated our keeping this in the public eye. We have some ideas on this and are asking Chief Logan to contact us via our e-mail or our FB personal page "Shoalanda Hutton Speaks."

We're also asking that any of our readers who live in Tuscumbia share this post. Someone knows something. We can't imagine how Mr. Davis' family feels at this point. Let's help get this scum off the street.

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Oh, news flash, we've just been told we can't ban anyone from our FB page. Well...we had no idea. A law suit? Really? For excluding you from our FB page? You can still read us here and we encourage you to do so. You might learn something. Oh, okay, we have no hopes of that. Disregard. And, hey, it could be worse; we could be quoting "Contendah" on this extremely sordid situation.



Shoalanda

We've Been Mistaken About Republicans & Pit Bulls

Much Cuter Than a Thug or a Republican!

First, our apologies to the Pit Bulls in our reading audience; we really love you, but we'll get to that later. At one time we thought Republicans in charge in Alabama would turn things around for the state. How wrong we were. Progress has been made--mainly due to Gov. Bentley. Others? Not many Repubs. have helped that much.

So what else have we been wrong about? Pit Bulls. Yes, it seems there is some new research that there may be, at least in some of the dogs, a gene that can cause the animal to snap without very much provocation. Yet there's good news; researchers are attempting to find ways to remove/replace this gene. We hope it's very successful and very soon!

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Now regular readers may be wondering why this topic is of news today. We've had almost 100 new likes over the weekend...and very few of them seem to be fans. Insert any jokes here that you wish. Lest you think these new followers are Muscle Shoals school system groupies, think again. These are friends of the Muscle Shoals murder victims.

We have linked both QCD and PNS articles on these murders. We've found them of great interest. Apparently many have not. Many have made comments that would make the proverbial sailor blush. Who are these people?

We've thought about this phenomenon before, but not to any great degree. We know these individuals have had the same educational opportunities as the rest of us. Yet they refuse to learn; they refuse to fit in; they blame everyone but themselves for their problems.

We've had friends murdered....and you know what? None of them was innocent. All of them were participating in things that were either illegal or immoral or both. We loved them. We wanted to see their killers punished. Yet we never defended their actions or blamed the police or those who reported on their crimes.

So why are there so many in the area who have the mindset that nothing is their fault? Why don't they want to learn and improve? We've come to the conclusion that there is a bad gene in their biological makeup. They see crime and violence and threats as acceptable behavior; even though society has offered support, they have refused it. They seek the lowest common denominator. Yet they can't understand why they aren't a success in life.

After the Pit Bull genetic problem is mended, perhaps we start on homo sapiens?



Shoalanda

Rewards: How About Elbert Farley Davis Jr.?

In August 2012, Mr. Elbert Farley Davis Jr. was found unconscious in his Tuscumbia home; he died a short while later of his injuries. We don't think Mr. Davis' attacker originally intended to murder the 88 year-old WWII veteran. Mr. Davis' home was the target for some thug who wanted quick cash and some drugs in the mix to boot.

There's currently a five thousand dollar reward offered for information in this murder. Yes, the thug will be charged with Capital Murder since Mr. Davis died in connection with a robbery. That's a lot of money. Someone knows something.

Mr. Davis was truly an innocent victim. He wasn't a drug dealer, drug user, abuser, adulterer, or gambling kingpin. He simply got in the way of a burglary and paid the ultimate price. If you know something, say something.

Tuscumbia Police urge anyone with information about Elbert Davis’s murder to contact the Shoals Area Crime Stoppers Tip Line at 256-386-8685.

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Crime Stoppers is offering a $1,000.00 reward in Saturday's double homicide:

Reward in Double Murder

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Some readers don't like the Quad-Cities Daily's article on the Muscle Shoals murders press conference. Perhaps they don't like the photo of the chief? No matter, this publicity will help solve the crimes.

Some don't like the Pen-N-Sword background article. No matter, the more information out there the better to help solve the crime.

Some don't like the Tennessee Valley Talks forum topic. We agree there has been some speculation that is improper, but it will bring more attention to the crimes.

If you want these murders solved and prosecuted, you should be happy they're not being covered up. Believe us, we know some that have been.



Shoalanda

Did The Autistic Muscle Shoals Child Have Rights?

We've certainly had some interesting comments on yesterday's blog and we believe this is the proper venue to answer them rather than on Facebook:

1. Please remember, any comments with vulgarities will be deleted. We've tried several ways to counter this tendency in certain posters and have failed miserably. No more warnings. Your comment will be deleted. Feel free to scream. If you can't comment without using "dirty words," what is your comment worth?

2. We've had a private comment about Dr. Conner's job title. After looking at it again, we agree with our reader that the title is nebulous. We at first thought it simply lacked an Oxford comma, but that would still not make the title any less nebulous.

3. For those who mentioned it's not unusual that a wife and husband work in the same system, we agree--we've stated so before. Dr. Dennis Conner is more than husband to an elementary school teacher; he's also the brother-in-law to Supt. Brian Lindsey.

4. One reader said we should ask the Muscle Shoals board to answer our questions, but in almost the same breath stated they were above such questions. Nevertheless, we're preparing some questions. The board may answer or not--it's up to them.

5. For those who say we shouldn't have reported on the case of the autistic student being forced from the only school she had ever known, we ask what if it had been your child? What if you had tried everything; wouldn't you seek an advocate anywhere you could find one, especially one that reaches thousands each day?

6. Does the mother of the autistic child have any legal recourse against the Muscle Shoals school system? We're not attorneys here. It may well be that she has none. We are fairly sure that any attorney would argue the board waited two years into the new policy to force the child out. What if a court says the board was still within its rights to do so? So be it, but remember, just because you can do something, it doesn't mean you should.

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Now, turning to Lauderdale County, we're always amazed at how some perceive "the county." A recent comment in the TimesDaily remarked that Dewey Mitchell needed to be unseated. We agree totally--he should never have been elected in the first place, but the voters spoke, very ill informed voters.

This Lauderdale citizen continued that he/she wanted someone from "the county" in the position and was glad that Danny Pettus is running. We are too, but he isn't from the county anymore than Dewey Mitchell is. According to records, Mr. Pettus lives in Killen. Killen is a town just like Rogersville, Florence, etc. What the commenter obviously meant was that he/she wanted someone who didn't live in Florence.

What we want is someone who will do the job honestly and fairly, no matter where they live in Lauderdale County. This is what every concerned citizen should want.



Shoalanda