Was Jeremy Hall Framed? We Think Not

A friend and contributor suggested to us that former Russellville police officer Jeremy Shane Hall may have been framed due to being involved in a domestic dispute. We realize that many husbands...and wives...are often victims in more ways than one when it comes to a divorce involving child custody. Do we think Hall was? No.

Five women filed civil suits against Hall and ostensibly more gave the ABI depositions in its criminal investigation of the good sergeant. Did they all lie? It's possible, but not probable. Yes, we've heard that some bragged they would be millionaires, and we don't doubt that some did. Exactly how much money each of these five women received is open to speculation. The insurance carrier for the City of Russellville settled, and city attorney Daniel McDowell said their claims were baseless.We contacted McDowell, but did not receive a response. That was not unexpected.

Another friend of our blogging group commented that she would not have told anyone if she had been subjected to sexual abuse while in jail. That, friends, is exactly why so many rogue officers know there is hardly any likelihood of being taken to task over their behavior. The following vignettes say a lot about our system.

True or False: Only evil and immoral women are in jail? Misty was celebrating her first anniversary and her husband wanted to make it special. He planned to refrain from drinking that night at dinner, but after Misty had partaken of two drinks, he decided to join in. Hubby realized he shouldn't be driving, but Misty was in much worse condition than he, so he got behind the wheel. After a Tuscumbia police officer spotted their car weaving, he turned on his blue lights. Hubby, who had a previous DUI unknown to Misty, made a quick turn into a vacant lot, exited the car, and ran. Misty was left bewildered, charged with public intoxication, and taken to jail where she remained overnight. She may not have shown the best judgment, but neither was she Bonnie Parker.

True of False: Police officers never come on to a woman first? Jen was driving in a rain storm when she saw the blue lights behind her. She quickly pulled over into a large parking lot where her car was visible to anyone passing by. After the Florence officer gave her a verbal warning about her brake lights, he returned her driver license, and touched her hand. He really liked her and planned to stop her again if he had the chance. Jen was dumbfounded, but she didn't report it. The officer was 10 to 15 years younger than she, and it wasn't as if touching her hand was sexual. She shrugged it off until a year later when the officer was charged with checking underage girls out of school. Maybe she should have reported the incident, but would anyone have believed her?

No, just being in jail doesn't make someone a liar and just being a police officer doesn't make someone above abusing his power. In the end, it may boil down to a male-female take on the former Sgt. Hall. Still, you can bet the ABI officers who investigated Hall are just slightly familiar with interrogation; if Hall's accusers had been lying, these agents would have tripped them up.

Goodbye, Sgt. Hall. It wasn't nice for the City of Russellville to have known you.



Shoalanda