New Cases of Abused & Mutilated Animals in the Shoals

 

Stock Photo of Mutilated Dog

In January 2019, a dead cat was found by openers at Logan's Roadhouse in Muscle Shoals. Only the top half of the animal was ever found. Upon investigation, it was determined that the unfortunate moggie was not the only recent animal victim in Colbert County. Detectives even had a suspect who was spotted purchasing rope and knives at Walmart. Yet there was never enough evidence to arrest this alleged abuser.

Over the past three years, there have been many instances of serial abuse, but few arrests. Now there seems to be a new abuser at work in Franklin County. A dog, now dubbed Angel, was recently found with muzzle taped shut, broken legs, and a bullet in her spine. 

Angel is expected to recover, but how many more have not and will not? These animals will die horrible deaths if this man (and they are always men) is not stopped.

We're working on a reward to bring this sub-human to justice. We will have more on this later. In the interim, if you have information on this abuser, please call the Franklin County Sheriff's Department at 256-332-8820.

Angel

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...

Animals Among Us? Shall We Call Cook's?

Perhaps Tony Logan should call Cook's Pest Control; after all, they specialize in getting rid of pests. Tuscumbia seems to have more than its share recently.

The possum killers? We had their ages as 14 and 16, while today's news lists them as 16 and 17. We still don't have their names. All comments to us are totally confidential. Help us expose these little demons.

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Two family pets were poisoned this weekend in Davis Estates in Tuscumbia. If you have any information about the perpetrators, call Tuscumiba Police or Anthony Wilbanks at Colbert Animal Control at (256) 381-4073. Let's put these dog killers away for a long time.

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Some Tuscumbia cretins are already scheduled to go away for a nice rest. One of our readers writes:

WHERE IS CHILD PREDATOR / MOLESTER CHARLES MARK McCORMACK AS HE AWAITS SENTENCING ON APRIL 3, 2018?

A Colbert County man pleaded guilty to producing child pornography between 1997 and 1998, announced U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Ray Parmer.

CHARLES MARK MCCORMACK, 54, of either Nassau Blvd. Muscle Shoals or 602 Keller Lane, Tuscumbia, AL, pleaded guilty to one count of production of child pornography before Chief U.S. District Court Judge Karon O. Bowdre. Sentencing is set for April 3 in Huntsville. Anyone concerned with seeing this monster receive his due judgment, email Judge Bowdre at bowdre_chambers@alnd.uscourts.gov and express your desire for him to be punished to the fullest extent of the law, which is 20 years.  

“It is incredibly disturbing that this kindergarten teacher was engaged in the production of child pornography,” Town said. “I thank the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and HSI agents who worked with federal prosecutors for their quick efforts which prevented more innocent victims from suffering at the hands of McCormack. The Bureau of Prisons has bed space reserved for people like him.”

According to admissions made in connection with his guilty plea, between Aug. 1, 1997, and Oct. 15, 1998, McCormack used a minor, born in 1992, to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing visual depictions of the conduct, by videotaping the minor urinating in a bathroom in his Colbert County home. During a May 2016 search of McCormack’s residence, law enforcement also discovered images of nude and topless females believed to constitute child pornography and a suitcase containing young girls’ panties.

McCormack should receive a very warm welcome from the inmates at his new address. Maybe McCormack and Jeff Eddie (former HPBC children’s director) can be bunk mates. 

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We hate to inform our reader and others of this, but Mark McCormack will be going to federal prison. That means much better food and general conditions than one finds in our state prisons. Yet that also means a much longer time to wait for any parole conditions. A prisoner in the federal system usually has to serve 85% of his sentence before being granted an early release.

On the other hand, while McCormack and "Bro. Jeff" can't be bunk mates (Jeffrey Dale Eddie is a state prisoner), the former Baptist youth minister is not living too high on the prison hog:

Where is Jeff Eddie Now?

It won't hurt to write some letters protesting Bro. Jeff's parole either...

Will Possum Killer Be Tried as Adult?

Local schools like to claim bragging rights for various sports and activities. If one of those is animal abuse, Deshler High in Tuscumbia now owns the Shoals. A 16 year-old and a 14 year-old have been arrested in the crime of killing a small possum, albeit as juveniles. That simply means they may or may not be tried as adults and that, if tried as juvies, their names will not be revealed in records made public by the courts.

We understand the 16 year-old already has a previous felony conviction as a juvenile. Yes, you read that correctly. He's 16 and has a felony to his credit. He probably won't be given juvenile status this time. We sincerely hope that he isn't, but for our purposes such a designation simply keeps names out of public records, not the press if it so chooses to publish them. We do and we will if anyone has names for these two. 

Yes, if you have proof of who these two touching Tuscumbia troglodytes are, send us their names. The older one may never see the hallowed halls of Deshler again, but we have no hopes of similar punishment for the younger one who's claiming innocence by way of being too dumb to know what was going to happen to the doomed marsupial. 

Lest any of you are in favor of a second chance, may we presume if the duo's next victim is one of yours, even a human member of your family, you're not going to object then, are you? What? We didn't quite catch your answer to that..

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Our usually misguided not so daily newspaper has seen fit to publish an editorial from Los Angeles about the harm of keeping schools on lock down as a precaution against shootings. It might do more harm than good, the L.A. Times says.

Just which editor du jour picked that little ditty for Shoals consumption? No one wants to see metal detectors in schools, but no one wants to see dead kids lining the halls either. If children can live through duck and cover and become functioning members of society, then they can live through 13 years of moderate security they won't even notice after two days. The operative word there being moderate. Neither does one want to see Miss Dessie the cafeteria lady armed with a bazooka.

A Valentine's Wish for Everyone, Especially Lauderdale County

If we could give our leaders any gift this Valentine's Day, it would be to place a little more love in their hearts...and to put it poetically, not so much love in other parts. Anyone heard from Bobby and Becky recently?

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It hasn't been all that long ago that Michelle Obama took flak for stating she hadn't always been proud of her country. Today, we're publicly stating we're not particularly proud of our county at this moment.

After the Lauderdale County Commission meeting Monday night, a member was overheard saying the current policy on animal confiscations would not be changed. Why? It seems they don't think sole animal control officer Dwayne Oliver is capable of handling a gun and officers who confiscate property should be armed.

Send Oliver to be trained? Ah, here's the kicker: They don't think he's worth it. We hope Oliver is reading this. We hope he resigns and the commission is forced to hire someone certified in weapons. Voila! Problem solved.

We're pretty much in favor of voting out any commissioners who refuse to vote to change this law. How about you, Lauderdale County voters?

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Lest you think the commission is the only entity in Lauderdale County that doesn't care about animal welfare, look no farther than circuit court. We all know that just saying something doesn't make it so; a career criminal who says his cousin helps spring him from jail is probably blowing smoke (Gerald Surratt's grandmother and Judge Ben Graves' grandfather were siblings). 

So, no, we don't blame Graves for any accident of birth. What we do blame him for is returning animals to abusive owners. We've been sent a list of cases where Graves has done just that. What have the owners done? They've continued their abusive behavior, and nothing has changed. 

Abusive individuals are just that...abusive to animals, spouses, and children alike. We may not be able to put an end to it, but we can put a dent in it. Let's elect those who walk the walk, shall we?

Just What's Wrong at Lauderdale Animal Control?

Monday night will see animal advocates clash with the Lauderdale County Commission on the in place animal abuse/neglect policy. Currently, animal control officer Dwayne Oliver is not allowed to confiscate animals immediately even if he sees the worse abuse imaginable. Why? A state law says the county may confiscate the animals, but the Lauderdale District Attorney's office says it first has to be notified and then give the approval. The process has taken up to eight days in the past. Yes, eight days in which animals have suffered miserably. So who's to blame?

1. The Commission? We doubt any newly elected commissioner's first thought is about the county's animal control policy. Commissioners probably think that issue that was settled years ago. If, after Monday night's meeting, the commission doesn't act, then we and many others will have something to say to them, especially at election time.

2. Dwayne Oliver? He's either a wuss who doesn't want any responsibility for anything, or he's been told to do what the district attorney's office says or risk losing his job.

3. The District Attorney's Office? Yes, they have to prosecute the animal abuse cases. It's more work for them. More headaches. Is this why the current policy is in place? Instead of seeking to aid grandstanding legislators who want to promote bills that have no practical purpose and cost the state money, why doesn't the DA's office do something that will actually make a positive difference?

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Think it's just ol' Doc Larry against Johnny (Expense Report) Mac running for state senator? Think again. There is now a viable Republican candidate for District 6. His name is Eric Aycock and you can read about him here:

Aycock for State Senate

Let's all think before we vote. Let's do our homework. Now's the time to ask questions of the candidates. Let's not send another loser to Montgomery to represent us.

Football!/Animals, Police Officers, & Children

Football Season, Respect & Old Friends

By: The Midnight Rider

Football Season

Football Season is upon us. The Rider asks that you support your local teams. These kids play their heart out every Friday Night. They are not getting paid like the NFL Teams or on possible Scholarships like the College Teams. To these kids, this is the big time. So, if someone comes around for donations for the school for the various Athletic Departments, reach down and give a little. Even if you don’t have kids in school, you may know one of these kids that are playing.

Also, remember the Band Members as well as the Cheerleaders. It is expensive for the parents to let their children participate in these events. I did not realize how expensive until a recent conversation with a Mom that has a child in Band and as a Cheerleader. They all deserve our support.

Respect

9-2-2016

Alamogordo (NM) High School (in black) and Los Lunas High School played last night and honored the Thin Blue Line as they entered the stadium. Both teams entered bearing Blue Line flags. This came just hours after Alamogordo Police Department lost one of their own, Officer Clint Corvinus. A big thank you to both high schools for their show of support!

The above was posted on Facebook this morning. This shows respect to Law Enforcement for giving the Ultimate Sacrifice.

Old Friends

Recently I was driving through downtown Sheffield on an errand. I had a little time to kill so I stopped in at Hammer Down Gun & Pawn located in the Foodland Shopping Center to visit. Bobby Inman is the owner and is an old friend. He had a couple of Stroke like scares last year but he looked good and appeared to be getting back to 100%. He still has Drew Sebelski working for him. There is a new guy named Steve. He seemed like a card.

It was good to see Bobby and Drew. If you have never been to Bobby’s shop, you need to go by. There is no telling what you will find in there. I saw Comic Books, Star Trek paintings, NASCAR collectibles as well as the usual stuff such as guns and tools.

Until next time….

I am and always will be, the Midnight Rider.

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We hear a recent story of animal abuse in Sheffield has gone viral. If you really want to know how the hoi polloi feel about abusing animals, killing police officers, and having sex with children under the age of 12, you should write a blog. It's an eye-opener...and you just might learn some new words...

That's Some Dog Story

The woman lives in the eastern end of Florence. Her home is well maintained and sits on a manicured lot. Yet her house doesn't stand out among its neighbors; nothing visible to the passerby would exacerbate the chance of burglary or vandalism. Yet the homeowner frequently mentions her problems with would-be intruders, vandals, etc. Just not to the police.

A few years ago the woman reported to friends and later to anyone who read her online writings that an intruder had entered her back yard, struck her dog with a baseball bat, and then left the bat inside her sun room as a warning. A warning as to what? She's never stated.

The homeowner was quick to blame a Florence businessman, a man she didn't like. Does this man have a record or reputation of committing such crimes? No. So why did she blame him? She told friends, and again anyone that would listen, she had seen him driving by her house, stalking her.

Stalking is a much overused word these days, but be that as it may, was the man actually in her subdivision? Yes, this gentleman has a close relative living a few blocks from the woman in question. A rational individual would think it odd if the man never entered the subdivision to visit the relative, not odd that he did.

However, the woman wasn't finished with her accusations. She accused him of knocking on her door one night and asking if she was "afraid yet." What would you do if that happened to you? We can tell you what the woman didn't do. She didn't get even a partial tag number of her supposed stalker or make a police report.

Do we think either incident happened? Since we know the man in question, we don't consider it going out on too long a limb to state there's no way he ever visited her property. Did anyone attack her dog? It's certainly possible.

Sources say the dog in question actually belonged to her son, a young man now in prison. He reportedly had many enemies due to committing a well-publicized crime with serious racial overtones, as well as owing money to various individuals who don't mind what they have to do to collect.

If you've followed our blog for any length of time, you know how we feel about anyone who would abuse an animal. It's sad the owner didn't report the crime. We would have offered a reward to anyone who could have brought the real miscreant(s) to justice.

Shoalanda