Missing Child? Call Police!

 

Yesterday's news featured stories of two missing children - one of them local. It seems a toddler (he appears to be less than three years old) was separated from his mother and two siblings while trick-or-treating in Oak Hills. He was quickly found by a concerned bystander who called police. In the meantime, his distraught mother was searching the subdivision and posting to Facebook. It took some time for the two to be reunited.

In almost every story of a missing child, the parents say they waited two or three hours to call police, thinking the errant offspring would turn up. We understand that no one wants to bother police when a child is hiding in a basement closet, but how does a parent know that's really the case?

If you can't find your child, and this is not a normal event, call police right away. Don't give abductors a head start or fail to search hot cars because of a lack of manpower. Just look at it this way: It will make an interesting tale with which to blackmail him when he's a teenager.

There have been reports of two men in a black SUV driving around Florence looking for stray cats or asking individuals if they would give up their cat. These men are said to have two pit bulls riding with them. 

It's not difficult to put the pieces together on this one. If you see these men, get a registration number and report it to the police. Those who promote dog fights are beneath contempt and deserve the maximum of punishment under the law.

FPD Used Video to Solve the Murder

 

In January 2017, Andrea Susan Forbes was found murdered in her apartment located between the Downtown and North Florence. In May 2018, Jose' Elliott D'Leon was found shot dead in his apartment a few blocks away from where Forbes was killed. Both Forbes and D'Leon were out-of-state natives who had followed someone to Florence and both were reportedly involved with drugs. Another similarity involved a local man of dubious mental state openly talking about the murders and implying that he was in some way guilty.

This week, one of the killers of Jose' D'Leon was sentenced to 20 years in prison. A second man involved in the crime is awaiting his day in court. No one has ever been arrested in the murder of 33 year-old Andrea Forbes.

The difference? The Florence Police Department reportedly found video of Randy Sanchez and Vincent Fuqua leaving the scene of D'Leon's apartment shortly after neighbors reported hearing shots. Sanchez is a known drug dealer and eventually admitted to the crime in exchange for a lighter sentence.

Unfortunately, there's no CCTV footage or Ring doorbell shots of Andrea Forbes' apartment. While we're sure Florence CID is continuing to work to find Andrea's killer, whoever he is, he still walks freely among us. 

If you know anything at all about the death of Andrea Forbes, now is the time to report it. In two months, it will be five years since Florence patrol officers found her body. Her family and friends in Tennessee deserve the closure, and her killer deserves punishment.

Matt Moran: Dirty Correctional Officer?

 

According to some sources, bad haircut aside, Matthew Jordan Moran is a good "kid." According to the Lauderdale County sheriff, he's a bad 'un who has betrayed all trust placed in him and committed three felonies. Since the 20 year-old Moran was caught smuggling a large quantity of meth into his workplace at the Lauderdale County Detention Center, most of us would go with the latter.

If there's one complaint we hear about Rick Singleton, it's that his employees are undertrained on legal procedure and that some of them are actually crooked. Unfortunately, Moran proves their point. 

We've also been told that the sheriff's department has an extremely difficult time with staffing, especially at the jail. That, coupled with the fact that Moran's older sister also works at the facility, apparently let Moran slip through normal vetting of employees. 

Moran, who reportedly lives on Helton Drive in Florence and won't be 21 for two more months, was easy prey for what our sources are calling a much larger gang both outside and inside the detention center. Sheriff Singleton has stated more arrests are to follow.

As of now, Matt Moran remains a guest in the establishment he helped police just 24 hours earlier. Perhaps his family thinks this is the best place for him? We can only imagine what Moran himself must think...if he thinks at all. One informant stated Moran had been pursuing a degree in Criminal Justice. Perhaps he felt he was above the law?

If Matthew Moran thought he was special, he sadly wouldn't be the first one judging from our reader comments...

Brady Irons: From Drug Trafficking to Financial Exploitation

 

When last we left Brady Ann Irons, she was in the back of a bounty hunter's vehicle being taken south for a missed court appearance. Since that time, she's been arrested in both Florence and Lauderdale County. The latter charges include drug trafficking. 

In less than eight years, Irons has been arrested 18 times in the Shoals and at least twice in counties farther to the south. That's arrests, not counts/charges. In other words her average is 2.5 arrests per year. When not in jail, she's usually in drug rehab as she was recently at a Bradford facility in Warrior, Alabama.

How much prison time has she done? Absolutely none. That may change now that she's been arrested for drug trafficking along with five lesser drug offenses.

It also may change if one local family manages to convince authorities that their over 60 relative has been the victim of Irons' financial manipulation. Why the family and not the male victim? It seems the ever demure Irons has threatened her victim with rape charges. Let's see...a neighbor is nice enough to help you, you steal almost 1K from his bank account, and you then threaten him with rape charges. 

Hmmm, is it possible Irons made up the sex/rape charges against a Florence attorney when she was given probation on a heroin distribution conviction eight years ago? Surely not an innocent Southern belle like 37 year-old Brady!

Obviously, this will be continued...

If You're Not Keeping up with Mo, You Should Be

 

We've heard many say they will vote for Mo Brooks because they don't like his opponents. Until recently, the opposition consisted of three women, not very well known women. That has changed. Now a war hero has entered the fray using all the ammunition he can muster.

If you haven't been keeping up, it seems Mike Durant is getting a helping hand in his belated campaign from Mo himself. This week has not been a good one for our tarnished representative.

A new Rolling Stone expose' has stated Brooks was one of four who, in a nutshell, either designed or contributed to the January 6th insurrection. How has Mo answered the claims? He said earlier today that, while he was not involved, his staff may have been. Makes you really want a job working for Mo, doesn't it?

Now congressional Democrats have initiated plans to oust six individuals whom they say are guilty of heinous crimes against the country. It should be no surprise that Mo is one of the sextet.

Yes, we agree that such an ouster probably won't happen without an extremely detailed investigation. So far, Mo has not made a good showing of answering any questions or accusations concerning the events leading up to January 6th. We don't expect him to do better when he testifies before a congressional hearing.

Ousted Brooks or not, you can bet Durant will be making political hay of every miscue in Mo's sure to be comical performance in these hearings. Barring any Roy Moore type accusations against Durant, he's now become the man to beat in the Republican Senate primary.

Killen Walmart Worker Charged with Sexual Torture of Child

 

Paul Raymond Clemmons calls himself "Hoss," but we're sure there are more appropriate names for this Walmart maintenance man if the charges against him are true. The 50 year-old Killen man attended Brooks High School and has spent the majority of his life in the Shoals, currently living on Highway 71 in Lauderdale County.

On Monday, a Lauderdale grand jury indicted Clemmons on one charge of First Degree Sexual Abuse of a child under the age of 12 and one count of Sexual Torture. The latter involves penetration with a foreign object while the former would involve digital penetration. The alleged incidents happened in 2019.

Here's hoping the divorced Clemmons likes the Lauderdale County Detention Center, since his bond is $55,500.00. If the charges are true, let's also hope that a Lauderdale jury is more discerning than what can be found in Franklin. 

We're failing so many children; let's hope any sentencing reform will bring sterner punishment for these deviants, rather than more lenient. 

Terry Landon Stidham: A Failure of the Justice System

 

Indictments after an arrest can take months in many Alabama counties. This is especially true in Franklin County. It's easy to lose track of various crimes while assuming the cases are still floating around somewhere in the criminal justice system. 

In Landon Stidham's case, it took 11 months for Franklin County District Attorney Joey Rushing to present the state's case against the 19 year-old Hamilton youth. With actual video of the crime, the indictment should have been a slam dunk, but strangely it wasn't.

Stidham's sex charges were no-billed. Why? Were palms crossed with silver or did the rural Franklin County jurors think the promiscuous 14 year-old girl got just what she deserved? Either way, the system failed. There was no "He said; she said." There was actual video of the sex acts taking place in a smelly public restroom. Apparently Landon didn't think his victim deserved even the back seat of a Buick.

Landon Stidham was a totally free man after September 2019, or roughly two years ago. Why is this news now?

Last week, a letter from a man purporting to be an employee of the Hamilton Journal Record began to make the rounds. It didn't take too much digging to ascertain that this "Shane" wasn't connected to the Marion County newspaper, but was actually Landon's father. The letter was asking that all negative reports about Landon's illegal sexcapades be removed from the Internet.

Why after two years is Landon's family now revealing to the press that the young man's case was dropped due to lack of an indictment? What has Landon been doing in the intervening years between his arrest and now?

In March 2019, months before the charges were dropped, Stidham coached for the Krossover Basketball Association in Cullman. He was billed as a former Welch Freewill Baptist College player at that time. Then at some point, he enrolled in the Ramp College in Hamilton where he spent two years before graduating last May.

Perhaps since this graduation, Terry Landon Stidham has found it difficult to secure a position in the real world. This would explain his family's nefarious attempt to have his record wiped clean of the videoed sex incident. 

News flash: Sending out letters using false credentials is not the best way to establish any Christian credibility. Let's also go on record that we hope any young ladies who cross Stidham's path will have the common sense to give a hard pass on this sadly unpunished sex offender.

The Ramp: Giving Church of the Highlands a Run for the Collection Plate

 

Never heard of the Ramp? Rest assured you are not alone. According to its website, the Ramp Church was founded in Hamilton, Alabama, and has branches in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Manchester, England. Its website has photos of generic teens/young adults who appear to be auditioning for a GAP magazine ad, rock bands, one-armed Hitler salutes, and two-armed stand and deliver gestures. In other words, it's very similar to the Church of the Highlands.

Here's a surprise - they also have a store where you can purchase everything from self-help books to mugs to apparel. An example of their cutting edge design tees:

The Ramp also has a school in Hamilton, a college of sorts. Its two-year program promises to equip today's youth to conquer the world with the gospel, at least the gospel according to the Ramp. The church and school appear to be non-denominational, probably with good reason. Who are its students and recent graduates?

One May graduate is known to us at the blog; he's Terry Landon Stidham. No, Stidham isn't in prison for his videoed sex crimes against a 14 year-old girl; he's now a Ramper grad doing Ramper things. How did this miscarriage of justice happen?

While we're not totally sure, we'll look at some recent events tomorrow...

Terry Landon Stidham in the News

 

Terry Landon Stidham first made the news just over three years ago:

From 10/3/18 Franklin County Times - 

The article goes on to say that Stidham posted 200K bond at the time of his arrest. Since he was a resident of Marion County, we may assume the bond was in cash or its equivalent. Read: Stidham's family has money.

Were there more details to the story? Yes. From a 10/4/18 Pen-N-Sword article - 

Terry Landon Stidham is a 19 year old graduate of Hamilton High School where he starred on the basketball court wearing jersey #4. At 6'3", Landon may not have been the tallest player on the team, but he caught the eye of a Welch College coach who boasted of recruiting him for the Free Will Baptist institution located in Gallatin, Tennessee.

Landon graduated in 2017, but it wasn't until June 2018 that the Welch coach tweeted the Hamilton youth would be joining his older brother at Welch. We may not know all that Landon accomplished during this gap year, but we do know that authorities in Russellville claim the scholar-athlete had a very interesting hobby.

Stidham's athletic skills also included tennis, and he is accused of participating in several felonious sex acts at the Russellville Tennis Complex. He is alleged to have met a 14 year old girl whom he took to the restrooms at the complex. There he encouraged the young teen to perform oral sex and to engage in intercourse while he videoed their illicit encounter.

Landon was apparently proud of his skill at photography, sending the video to several other underage girls. When Landon's victim became aware of the notoriety her liaison with Landon was receiving, she told her parents who reported the encounter to Russellville police.

Authorities obtained a warrant for Landon's mobile carrier, matching him to the number disseminating what is legally child pornography. When confronted by his actions, Landon refused to speak with investigators. He was arrested in late September and charged with Second Degree Rape, Second Degree Sodomy, and the Manufacture, Distribution, & Possession of Child Pornography.

Landon's family quickly posted 200K bond, and the former high school basketball standout remains free at this time. If convicted of the numerous sex charges, Terry Landon Stidham could face up to 20 years in prison and be required to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life. There's no word if Welch College has kept open a position as forward for Stidham or if they now find Landon just a little too forward for their Freewill Baptist college.

So how long did it take to indict and try Stidham for charges lodged almost 18 months before COVID slowed down the system? More to the point, why is this blog reporting on Stidham's alleged sexual antics three years later? 

This very curious story will be continued...

Refusing to Indict in a Videoed Child Rape?

 

There's an old saying that a grand jury would indict a ham sandwich. Yet this isn't always true. Look at Tommy Wallis in Lauderdale who stalked his male victim for a week before attacking him, but whose case was no-billed. Tommy went on to big-time drug smuggling and a heinous attempt to kill his wife. He's now serving a life sentence in an Alabama state prison. Then there's Gerald Surratt Jr. who sexually assaulted a young woman in Sheffield, but was similarly no-billed by a Colbert grand jury. Surratt is now serving time in prison, not for his many alleged sex crimes, but for theft.

Now consider this case: A 19 year old man takes a 14 year old girl to a public park restroom where he videos several sex acts between them. He then forwards the video to some of his friends. When the child's family is made aware of the incident, the young man is arrested in Franklin County. 

Was the girl a total innocent? Probably not. Was the 19 year old man, a college student, aware that what he was doing was wrong on so many levels? You have to believe that he was. Our guess is that he felt himself above the law as so many of our readers do. 

Before you say that at least this Bible college star athlete finally got his comeuppance, you may want to hear the rest of the story.

To be continued...

John Elkington Makes Two Announcements

 

Memphis developer John Elkington has this week issued two announcements. First, more work has been completed on the Slag Yard, a property in the Inspiration Landing complex that ostensibly belongs to Scott Michael, aka Rooster, of Oxford, Mississippi. Sprinklers and more sod have been added; however, the venue's Facebook page is still absent.

Second, a small bar franchise has signed a letter of intent to build in the complex. The Blind Tiger currently owns four restaurants/bars in Mississippi and Louisiana. Insert your LSU jokes here.

Elkington has several signed letters of intent from various businesses, which may or may not be binding. We're sure the developer has promised these eateries and other endeavors that there will be a certain level of completion before they are to move in. Without seeing these letters, we have no idea what has been promised on either side or how binding these letters may be.

Has any other work been started? From what our contacts have told us, the answer is no. At this rate, we're looking at an opening date of c. 2050.

A Spooky 13th Anniversary!

 

What better way to celebrate Halloween month than with the 13th anniversary of our blog? Agree with us or disagree, we hope you've enjoyed the ride so far and will continue to stick with us.

Thanks to our team:

Bailey Quarters - Editing and graphics

Cherry Pitts - Restaurant reviews

D. Claytor - Hmm, he needs to write more for us

J. Redmon - Sheffield and gun rights

Lauderdale Luminary - Education in Lauderdale County

Leslie M. Shoals - Muscle Shoals, education, and corruption

Nigel Knorr - Shoals tourism

Sheffield Shelley - Sheffield and education

We're all looking forward to a productive 14th year...

Facebook Takes on Bacon Grease

 

We usually don't pay much attention to all the Facebook fact checker posts, merely assuming that at worst there's right on both sides of an issue. Yet a new "fact" appeared yesterday that left us totally bemused. What planet do these FB checkers live on?

We immediately looked on Google images for a vintage bacon grease jar, but we didn't have to settle for vintage - Walmart and other national stores sell these items in 2021:

We once heard someone say that FB fact checker was just another name for New Yawk idiot. It seemed like an ethnocentric value judgment at the time, but now we're not so sure...

Barton Has Its Own Witch for Halloween

 

Barton, population unknown, is a small community located between Tuscumbia and Cherokee in Colbert County. It's never had too much claim to fame, but now has a new claim to infamy: It has its own witch.

Pictured above is a stock photo of a six-week old Chihuahua puppy. Such young dogs weigh between one and two pounds. In other words, some fans of larger dogs refer to these wee things as pocket lint.

Two weeks ago, a 40-something Barton woman was having a heated disagreement with her "boyfriend" when she decided to get physical. Only she didn't attack the big, bad male. No, she attacked an innocent ball of fur that had the misfortune to be underfoot.

Indeed, Colbert County authorities say the poor pooch was soon kicked by the wanton woman, then stomped on. The woman? She says it's all a mistake, but two witnesses and a veterinarian confirm that the minute victim was first kicked, then stomped. 

Now the Witch of Barton is facing indictment for Felony Aggravated Animal Cruelty. If not indicted, she will at least face misdemeanor charges in a Colbert County Court. At that time, we'll publish the harridan's name. 

In the meantime, consider these facts. Most abusers of domestic partners are male. Most animal abusers are male. We sometimes put that down to unconstrained testosterone or "toxic masculinity." What does it say about a member of the so-called weaker sex who would do that to a dog? What would she do to an infant or small child if she became enraged?

We don't know if any small children are in this woman's home, but if so we hope DHR is looking closely at this case. To be continued...

Tenth Anniversary of Amanda Taylor's Murder; Five Years Until Weems is Free?

 

It was ten years ago today that Amanda Taylor walked into the Muscle Shoals home of Ronald Eugene Weems, never to exit the Moss Avenue house alive. The man who called himself Ron Wikkid was arrested two months later and eventually sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole.

Ronald Weems in 2021

Now 43, in two more years Weems will officially be what sociologists call middle-aged. Three years after that, he will have his first parole hearing. It's doubtful that anyone besides Ron's mother and his four children will support his bid for freedom; however, we have no idea how big a fan base the Wikked One has amassed while incarcerated at the Limestone Correctional Facility.

If any of our readers wish to protest Weems' request for parole, they may address letters to:

Alabama Bureau of Pardons & Paroles

100 Capitol Commerce Boulevard

Montgomery, AL 36117

Re: Ronald Eugene Weems, AIS# 289449

All communications will be read, kept on file, and then reread before his December 2026 hearing. Unfortunately for Amanda Taylor's family, these hearings are apt to repeat every five years until Weems is either released or draws his last breath. 

Want to read more about Ronald Weems, his three accomplices, and the most gruesome Shoals crime of the 21st Century? Available on Amazon and Smashwords:

Halloween & Sex Offenders

 

Statistics indicate there are no more sex attacks on children at Halloween/Trick-or-Treating than any other night of the year. Another way of putting it is there are no less attacks. Halloween does give sex offenders a wider variety of chances to mingle with children than they have the rest of the year. 

Some states have passed restrictive laws concerning what sexual predators are not allowed to do. Strangely, Alabama is not one of them. Our state has none of the "No Candy" laws found in neighboring Tennessee and a dozen other states.

This is probably one reason local law enforcement beef up patrols on Halloween night. No, it is not the responsibility of the police to babysit these children, but many parents think sending a 13 year-old cousin with a group of little ones is sufficient. News flash: It isn't.

According to an announcement from the Florence police, that organization was expecting Halloween to be celebrated on Saturday, per Mayor Betterton's "suggestion." Is the FPD now struggling to cover Sunday as well? 

Good luck to Florence parents out there. Hopefully in six years when the problem rolls around again, we'll have a mayor with more than pumpkin pie filling for brains.

What are some No Candy laws that other states have passed?

• You should not go with a child to treat-or-trick or attend any function where children are gathered, even if it is a private residence
• You are not allowed to put on masks or costumes
• You should not place any Halloween decorations either inside or outside of your home
• Your porch lights should be off, front doors and blinds/drapes closed on Halloween night. No member of your family is allowed to open doors to trick-or-treaters
• You are not allowed to give treats or candy to any children or attend any home or location involving the distribution of treats on Halloween night. This as well covers anyone who lives with you in your registered place of residence
• You are not allowed to have a party at your home on Halloween night
• You should not go to hayrides, haunted houses, corn mazes, or any other activity associated with Halloween
• You should stay in your home on Halloween night or attend an educational program with your parole officers if required to do so. The only exception to this rule involves a situation where you have to be somewhere else for a just cause for instance for medical or employment emergencies
• Post a sign on your front yard that says “No candy or treats at this residence.”

Andy Says Saturday...No, Sunday...No, Just Do Whatever...

 

In simpler times, it was pretty much standard to celebrate a Sunday Halloween on Saturday. Times change. When are towns in Alabama celebrating?

Looking around the state, we see that approximately 1/3 of the towns are declaring Saturday the witching night, while 1/3 are specifying Sunday, while 1/3 are saying simply "Whatever cranks your tractor."

What does Florence say? This September statement from Mayor Andy Betterton:

Then Handy Dandy Andy discovered no other mayors are making any recommendations about the holiday. Now per the TimesDaily: 

Mayor Andy Betterton said he hoped the post would simply spur conversation so people would decide for themselves when to observe Halloween. "There was lots of pushback on social media about Saturday as an option, but it certainly wasn't a mandate."

There you go...another strong indicator of our mayor's ability to make a decision and stick with it. Are you in Florence now confused? The Florence Police Department is apparently still recommending Saturday, so we're going to go with that. Better yet, stay home and watch Christopher Lee movies while binging on candy corn and Blue Bell!

Monument Vandal: Political Statement or Mental Instability?

 

There are some people you just make allowances for, but we're not sure that Seth Jones Robinson is one of them. We're not even sure why this almost 21 year-old man would have suddenly emerged from his apolitical world and thrown blue paint on Florence's Confederate memorial. Was it to represent Union blue or the blue of the Democratic Party? Either way, he was greatly mistaken in thinking this would accomplish anything other than muddying his chances in life and hurting his family.

Not quite three years ago, Seth Jones Robinson was reported missing from his Ridge Avenue home in Florence. At that time, some outlets described it as an emergency situation. Whatever the reality of Robinson's impromptu vacation, he soon returned home. Since that time, Robinson has remained absent from the limelight. That changed on Wednesday afternoon when he defaced the monument and ran from law enforcement.

A Lauderdale County deputy assigned to the courthouse soon caught up with the vandal and tackled him. We're not sure if this reflects well on the physical training of these deputies or if it demonstrates the abysmal physical condition of today's youth. 

Upon his arrest, Robinson was taken to the Lauderdale County Detention Center where he was quickly bonded out. That certainly taught Robinson that his actions have consequences. How long until he tries something even more deviant? 

That being said, we highly suspect the young Florence man needs mental health counseling and, perhaps, medication. Unfortunately, if his name should appear in future arrest reports, we will not at all be surprised.

While we adamantly support the removal of the memorial to a more appropriate location, we in no way support desecration or defacement of the monument. Unfortunately, until the statue and its base are moved, we are apt to see more of this behavior in the future.

Criminal Solicitation to Commit Murder?

 

Colbert County has currently pressed ten charges against Brian Martin in connection with October 1st's shootings in Muscle Shoals. This number will in all likelihood increase after Mr. Martin is indicted.

Has Morgan County now added one of its own? Or is this new charge simply the result of sloppy record keeping at the Morgan County Jail? Official arrest records for Martin in Morgan County (October 4-11) show:

...shooting/throwing into occupied vehicle, criminal solicitation to commit murder, capital murder of law enforcement officer, abuse of a corpse, possession of a firearm.

Per Alabama Code: A person is guilty of criminal solicitation if, with the intent that another person engage in conduct constituting a crime, he solicits, requests, commands or importunes such other person to engage in such conduct.

Now the public is left to speculate on the possibility of new information coming to light. A call to the jail will only produce a pass the buck response. If Colbert District Attorney Bryce Graham Jr. has new information of a crime committed in either Colbert or Morgan Counties, he should ideally report this to the public.

In the end, there are enough charges against the alleged shooter that it won't matter if this particular one is bogus or not. What does matter, at least to a few of us, is honesty in our judicial system.

Does Convicted Killer Mark Montgomery Have a Phone in Prison?

 

On St. Patrick's Day 2014, Mark Edwin Montgomery walked into the home of a family member and shot dead his girlfriend (C.S.), a second woman visiting at the residence, and a pet dog housed in a kennel and unable to escape, receiving a head shot identical to the two human victims. Montgomery was charged with Capital Murder due to his multiple victims and having committed the felony of Aggravated Animal Abuse during the fatal assaults.

Montgomery's sister was the only person left alive in the house and testified against her brother during the grand jury inquiry. When his case came to trial, Lauderdale County allowed the former drug dealer to live the rest of his life in prison in exchange for a guilty plea. The now 45 year-old Montgomery is currently housed in the William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility under medium security.

At the time of his 2016 plea, a friend of C.S. who lives in a western state wrote a blog detailing her anguish and her disappointment that Montgomery was offered the plea. Now, over five years later, this blog has received a communication from an "unknown" sender. This anonymous person contends that he/she was present at the murders and further states that C.S. provoked the shootings.

This communication came after five years of silence and totally refutes the testimony of Montgomery's sister. Of course, it could be a total prank; however, it seems more than likely that the convicted triple murderer has come into possession of a smart phone and is using it to harass the living and denigrate the memories of his victims.

Montgomery certainly wouldn't be the first to use contraband to communicate and beg for money or attention. Yet it's sad that this felon seeks to place blame on his own innocent victim after all these years. Let's hope that this monster is never released on a technicality. 

Not strictly Halloween, but still timely and starring our blogger/editor Bailey's fave:

Rob a No-Show During Shoals Fest

 

There are a whole lot of people wondering where in the world Big Rob Carnegie, Florence Lauderdale Tourism Director, was last week while Shoals Fest was taking place. It was only the biggest tourism event in the Shoals area in 2 years, the last being Shoals Fest in 2019 since Covid shut us down in 2020. 

Surely the highest paid tourism director in the entire state was present for this event? After all, most of the area hotels were sold out and restaurants were full all weekend long. Well, according to these pictures, and believe me, we have several pictures taken throughout the day where the “SHOALS Tourism” booth remained totally empty all weekend long, well, except for one guy who actually hung his rain coat on the back of the empty chair. 

It was good that the chairs were used for something handy. As you can see, there were no brochures, no materials explaining where other tourist attractions are and what the hours were for this special music event. Just an empty table that kinda matches the offices at the tourism department now. Lights are on but no one is home. 

But, when you have a board of directors as misinformed as that of the current board, who is gonna say a word about the poor performance and not showing up at a big music festival where at least 18 states were represented with visitors. Wake up Lauderdale County Commissioners and Florence City Council!!!

Any Money Should Go to Victims' Families

 

There are currently two legal (or semi-legal) movements to secure money from the recent shootings in Muscle Shoals. It's our opinion that any money available from whatever source should go solely to the families of William Mealback and Nick Risner.

The more outrageous claim comes from someone stating she is Sgt. Risner's lawful heir. News flash, honey, you aren't. While most of us are, we hope, appalled by this woman and her claim, the blog has received numerous communications asking us to take up this cause. We've advised this woman (she even has a website) to secure a lawyer if she can find one to take her case. We would doubt that she will find an attorney in the Shoals to represent her, but Alabama is full of ambulance chasers, so unfortunately there may be a lawsuit...which she has .001% chance of winning in Lauderdale County.

Then we have a Sheffield police officer suing Brian Martin for $375,000.00. The issue isn't whether or not this officer deserves the compensation, but is the money there? We suggest it isn't.

While Mr. Martin may have offshore accounts totaling in the millions, this is highly doubtful. What he does have in his name is real estate valued at 84K and perhaps a vehicle or two. Could he have more in another name? Certainly, but he could also have mortgages/loans on the properties we listed. In other words, winning this judgment doesn't mean securing the amount asked for, but could it take any available money away from the Mealback and Risner families?

As far as we know, criminal cases are always heard before civil actions. This means that the judge in the Martin case can rule that any money in the shooter's name will go to Mr. Mealback's daughter and Sgt. Risner's wife to cover any expenses related to the crime. 

Tom McCutcheon is representing Max Dotson who filed suit against Martin. It would be very interesting to know his rationale...

Where is John Elkington?

 

 

Several readers have asked why there has been no official statement from John Elkington on the death of a Sheffield police officer. After all, Elkington has commented several times how important the City on the Bluff is to him.

Looking back, the Memphis businessman has not mentioned Sheffield or Inspiration Landing on his Facebook page since August 29th. Those who live nearby have reported seeing no new work in progress at IL. 

The Slag Yard's official Facebook page has been taken down. No lawsuits have yet been filed, but we have no idea what the current legal situation is between the venue's Mississippi owner and its Tennessee developer. 

What does the Sheffield City Council say? Publicly, nothing. We hear there are questions being asked in private. Shouldn't these questions have been asked months, or even years ago?

This blog has been asked (amazingly) by several people to assist in taking away funds from a dead man's family. By whom? The friends of the woman he was sleeping with.

To put it as nicely as possible, Shoalanda may be a patron saint of the underdog in many cases, but this isn't one of them.