Officer Jake Tompkins - Angel on His Shoulder?

Russellville Police Officer Jake Tompkins may very well have an angel on his shoulder. While Police Chief Chris Hargett refuses to confirm the identity of the officer engaged in a pharmacy shoot-out early Wednesday morning, several sources have identified the patrolman as Jake Tompkins.

Tompkins joined Russellville law enforcement in December 2006 as a certified sheriff's deputy, first working for the Solid Waste Department. As the county's first full time Litter Control Officer, Tompkins oversaw inmate work details.

In June 2007, Tompkins attempted to pursue Micah Brown, an escapee from the Franklin County Courthouse. While racing through a red light, Thompson escaped injury when his patrol car was broadsided by another motorist.

Now Tompkins has once again escaped harm after being fired on by Steve Jeffrey Cain, a convicted felon wanted in several local drug store robberies. We hope Cain will be now tried as a habitual offender and congratulate Officer Jake Tompkins on both his accurate aim and good luck.


What's up with this: Two readers have identified Officer Jake Tompkins as a former star Russellville high school player who left both UAB and UNA athletic programs early in his college career; however, we have not been able to confirm this.

Shoalanda