Debra Taylor McClain Robertson: Illegal Juror?

Debra Taylor McClain Robertson

Debra Taylor Robertson, 48, has a criminal record in Lauderdale County dating back over 10 years. Most of the Texas native's arrests in Alabama are drug related, but in the early part of the last decade she was arrested and indicted for arson, a felony and a crime of moral turpitude. Florence police charged Robertson, then known as McClain, with setting fire to the house she shared with her still-married boyfriend. Authorities claimed Robertson had threatened to burn down the East Florence home when spurned. Unfortunately, the grand jury indictment listed an incorrect address, and Robertson escaped trial by agreeing to pay a portion of the repair costs to her erstwhile lover, now reconciled with his wife.

Flash forward ten years, Robertson was arrested November 4th on a misdemeanor charge of Disturbing the Peace and a felony charge of Intimidation of a Witness. We don't know if the charges involve recent arrests of her son or her third husband, both of whom have had legal problems; we do know this allows us to bring up a point concerning the David Darryl Thompson murder trial.

In February 2011, Robertson served on the jury that convicted Thompson on charges of Manslaughter in the death of Killen nurse Melissa Kenney Garrett. Would prosecutors have allowed Robertson to serve if her jury questionnaire had mentioned these previous serious brushes with the law? We've asked two attorneys this question, and both were of the opinion Robertson would never have been selected if her arrest record had been fully reported.

Unfortunately, it's too late to correct. Reports indicate Thompson remains free on an appeal bond in the Garrett shooting. No, justice is never perfect or swift.



Shoalanda

Bad Boys: Return Engagement/Words of Wisdom

We see two big, bad convicted killers have again made the arrest reports. Roger Keith Pitts is ostensibly awaiting trial for a series of burglaries in the western end of Lauderdale County, and this makes the second time (6/7) he's been arrested since the initial theft charges. Let's hope he goes away for a long time.

David Darryl Thomspon also has a new arrest (7/10) in Lauderdale. Convicted of manslaughter in the death of a Killen nurse, the county is apparently still waiting for results of his appeal. How long must Melissa's family wait for justice?

Related posts:

Roger Keith Pitts

David Darryl Thompson

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Just a few words of wisdom here (or at least our opinion): If you wish to set yourself up as an example of Christianity, Buddhism, Atheism, or even Pastafarianism, may we suggest beating up your boyfriend is not the way to go about it. You may think because of your beliefs we don't care about you. That's not the case. We think you have tremendous potential. Wake up and take control of your life...and control doesn't come from alcohol or physically abusing those you think have wronged you.



Shoalanda

David Thompson Gets 90 Days/Shoals Ambulance

From D.K.: This morning (David Darryl) Thompson agreed to 90 days jail time for attempting to run from a traffic stop almost a year ago in the city of Florence. The domestic violence charge by "victim" Thompson's girl friend--she retracted her story, claiming she was not truthful and only wanted Thompson arrested and into trouble.

Because the first step of the Court of Appeals in the death of Mellisa Garrett has ruled the conviction stands, now 3 months into the next and last step of the Court of Appeals expected on average returned in 3 more months, total of 6 months, so at the end or before his 3 months time (in jail), D.A. and family hoping he will not be out. The D.A. talked to the family and they were okay with him serving the 3 months, and by that time thinking the final ruling will be back from Montgomery.

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From a reader on the new Shoals Ambulance Service:

If RegionalCare has their CEO on the board of directors of Rural/Metro  http://www.ruralmetro.com/home/board-of-directors.html

an ambulance service company, why would RegionalCare have Bryan Gibson  http://www.streetinsider.com/Management+Changes/RuralMetro+(RURL)+Names+Bryan+Gibson+to+Exec.+V.P.+and+COO/5716546.html a former high ranking executive at Rural/Metro come to start a new company that competes in the same business as Rural/Metro while RegionalCare CEO Martin Rash sits on the board of directors at Rural/Metro?  It would be self dealing by Rash but Warburg Pincus must have sanctioned it because they own Rural/Metro and RegionalCare.  Must be because Rural/Metro is under several investigations  http://www.buffalonews.com/city/article710257.ece and they must not want to try and start any new ventures with this hanging over them for fear that government officials may be turned off by the investigations. I only hope this company and 130 billing jobs are not brought here only to continue the same unscrupulous business practices under this high ranking executive that he seems to have been a part of at Rural/Metro.  I prefer that my health care money stay local and contribute to affordable local health care not send to some fat cats in New York City.

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The latest report on Shoals sex offenders from The Connection:

Gene Ray Darty

Shoalanda

Why Thompson Was Free/Know Your Neighbors

From D.K.: David Darryl Thompson was never sent off, so no parole, he was out on an Appeal Bond. There will be some type of hearing soon, as I understand it. He is locked up until this hearing.

Yes, apparently, Thompson has never made it south. He's been free on an appeal bond of 75K since his February 2011 sentencing.VINELink is now showing the 50 year-old killer as incarcerated at the Lauderdale County Detention Center.

Thompson's latest victim? We've received conflicting information concerning his most recent domestic violence charge. One source has indicated Thompson's mother was the target of his rage. No matter the victim, we would hope no judge would allow Thompson any freedom at this point. We also hope a conviction in this latest case would be served consecutively. D.K. has promised to keep us updated.

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The TimesDaily has reported at least two attempted sex crimes in the past few days. Neighbors intervened during the Lawrenceburg incident--an indication that watchful eyes do deter some crimes. Sex offender advocates never fail to mention that such convicted felons frequently have a low rate of reoffending. We believe neighbors in the know are a major factor in this.

Our friends at The Connection have begun a weekly column devoted to Shoals sex offenders. Each Monday the Internet magazine will publish a short biography of a local predator. Here's a link to their debut entry:

Ronald Franklin Campbell

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Want to sell advertising for The Connection? Call 256-366-5483.

Shoalanda

Banning? Yes/Did She Matter? Yes

Since we reinstated comments on this blog, we have made an effort to publish all of them. If the comments have contained profane or vulgar language or what could be libelous accusations, we have deleted them. We have so far not banned anyone.

There is a first time for everything. Some individuals have mental quirks. Some are just completely out of it. We've had some requests to ban "Toby Dammit," and we are going to do so as of today.

We know that Toby and his group are facing misdemeanor harassment charges--reason enough not to give him any more platforms than he already has. We sincerely hope there will not be a need for any more bannings.

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We've been forwarded a blog concerning David Darryl Thompson--a blog that essentially defends his crime as manslaughter and denigrates his victim. The blog's author implies Melissa Garrett's fiance' shouldn't even be considered since he had no immediate plans to marry her until she went through rehab.

This wonderful judge of character continues that Mrs. Garrett didn't have a job. Well, that's certainly grounds for murder. Yes, Thompson's attorney made sure the jury knew the Killen nurse had not been living the life of a saint for the past several years. Thompson's lawyer even made sure the jury knew that Garrett's hobby was cockfighting. Does that make her murder any less heinous? The state's witnesses presented evidence that Melissa's shooting could in no way have happened as Thompson testified, a shooting that occurred while her young teenage daughter sat in the next room.

Thompson changed his story several times and ran after he was indicted. Oh, we also have some more news for the author of that misguided blog: If you sell cocaine one time, you're then a small time drug dealer. We also know that any law enforcement officer will tell you most drug dealers will admit to only a small percentage of their crimes. Thompson never denied acquiring cocaine to resell to Garrett.

Does any of this matter? Life goes on. We'll soon be facing the murder trial of Ronald Eugene Weems in which his attorney will present facts, or attempt to, that his victim was no saint. Again, does it matter if the person wasn't living the way we think they should? Who decides in the end?

Remember, the next victim to be painted with this white trash brush could be a member of your family. If you don't speak up for Melissa Garrett, no one may speak up for your family member.

Note: On an even weirder note, the author of the blog in question mentioned D.K., a member of our blogging group and one recently accused of not existing. Toby's thought patterns must be rubbing off...

Related blogs:  

Who's a Throw-Away Person in the Shoals?

Should We Be VOCAL?



Shoalanda

Why Is David Darryl Thompson Out of Prison?

Look closely at this man. He's a small time coke dealer. He's a user. He's a killer. He's out of prison after serving only two years for the murder of a Killen nurse. Now he's been arrested in Lauderdale County for Domestic Violence. We're sure that charge comes as a surprise to the jury that convicted David Darryl Thompson of only manslaughter in the death of Melissa Kenney Garrett.

Thompson was convicted in December 2010 in the death of the Killen mother and sentenced to 15 years. If Thompson was well-behaved in prison, he would have been a free man in only five years and eligible for parole after only 20 months. Yet considering the heinous nature of his crime, how could the parole board have granted Thompson his freedom?

Melissa Garrett left a widowed father, a young daughter, and a fiance'. They didn't get justice, and neither did the citizens of Lauderdale County.

On March 27th, Thompson was arrested for Third Degree Domestic Violence. Let's hope that's enough to return him to prison to complete his sentence. (According to VineLink, Thompson is no longer in custody and is presumably out on bail.)

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The Student Government Association at the University of North Alabama is hosting the 2012 Florence City Mayoral Debate on Monday April 16, 2012 at 6pm in the GUC Performance Center on Campus. This Debate will feature the three candidates running for the position of Mayor of Florence.  If you would like to anonymously submit a question for the candidates to answer, please follow the link to do so https://orgsync.com/41420/forms/show/48097 .



Shoalanda

Not Sheriff Ronnie Willis' Greatest Week

Sources at the Lauderdale County Courthouse state that Sheriff Ronnie Willis was served last week with three lawsuits, presumably all personal in nature, but involving his position as sheriff. Two of these lawsuits allegedly involve the altercation between Deputies Ronnie Valentine and Terry Woods.

Related posts:

Lauderdale County Deputies Battle It Out

Deputy Terry Woods Charged With Harassment

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From a reader:

Re: National Alabama: One can't help but wonder IF the main administrative portion of the plant will ever be finished? It is supposed to house a 400-seat cafeteria, theater for training/sales purposes and even have an elevator, as well as house the executive offices. To date, the floor hasn't been poured, no wiring done, etc, etc, etc. It is also has no security/alarm system installed...yet....leaving the whole plant vulnerable to unauthorized entry. So much for the hundreds of thousands of dollars spent on the CCTV/alarm system.

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David Darryl Thompson is a drug-dealing murderer. Sadly, yesterday he was sentenced to only 15 years in prison for taking the life of Killen nurse Melissa Kenney Garrett. As soon as Thompson is assigned an AIS number, we will publish it and the address to protest any parole or work release status that Thompson may request.

Will Powell and the Lauderdale County District Attorney's office did a great job in their prosecution of Thompson. Sadly it wasn't enough. We understand that Thompson has quite a criminal record that couldn't be admitted into testimony, but does indicate any freedom he may have down the line will be short lived.

Related post: Who's a Throw-Away Person?



Shoalanda

Lawrence County Going Wet?

Rogersville said no (maybe); Priceville said yes; and now some Lawrence Countians are petitioning for a wet/dry election. Apparently many in Moulton government are hoping the petition fails or, barring that, the actual vote will ensure Lawrence County remains dry.

Why? It seems with no home rule/zoning for Alabama counties, it's much easier to maintain law and order in wet cities (think Florence) than wet counties (think Colbert). Pro-liquor forces in Lawrence have stated Moulton officials simply want to keep the revenue reserved for that newly wet town. So far, the petition has not accumulated enough signatures to warrant an election.

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David Darryl Thompson was convicted yesterday of manslaughter in the shooting death of Melissa Garrett. Once Thompson is processed by the Department of Corrections, we'll publish his AIS number so that those wishing to may contact the parole board to protest any early release for the small time drug dealer.

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Here's a charming Christmas memory from our friend Mary Carton:

How Santa Got Into Our House

My siblings and I grew up on an active dairy farm in Northwest Alabama. Dad would get up early, milk, bottle it and then head out on his milk route. In the afternoon, they would hit the fields, come home to milk the cows, and come in late, so we didn’t get to see much of my Dad. It is rare that Alabama gets snow, much less a white Christmas, but this year we got snow on Christmas Eve! Christmas morning we went out to play and there in the snow were two sled tracks, small hoof prints in between the tracks going across the yard stopping short of the basement door. We also found Santa’s boot prints going to the door. At last we found the answer of how Santa got into our house without a chimney! Years later we found out that the boot prints were Dad’s going to the basement to bring out a merry go round, which explained the sled tracks. The hoof prints turned out to be the dogs following behind Dad. Our parents had spent half the night putting together the merry go round and had to get up early to milk.

Be sure to place Mary's blog Rosedale Gardens on your regular reading list: Link



Shoalanda

Who Wants a Million Dollars...Free?

Is there anyone out there who wouldn't want a million dollars? Well, it's not totally free; you do have to pass a test first. According to many local folk, the test should be a snap to pass.

Here's the link:

The James Randi Challenge

So, if you can demonstrate how you desaturate digital photos to reveal friendly family ghosts or make audio tapes of ghosts who have the bad taste to linger around the Colbert County Court House, here's your chance to make some extra pocket change for Christmas.

We believe in some circles it's termed "being called out."

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On a personal note, I once saw a stage magician transfer a twenty dollar bill from a sealed envelope to the inside of a piece of fruit; yes, same serial number, etc. Did it look convincing? It certainly did. Do I know how he did it? Haven't a clue.

I do know if the magician actually had this supernatural power, he would be, if honest, paid millions by various governments to secure sensitive military and industrial documents; or, if dishonest, rich beyond dreams with ill gotten gains from the billfolds of others.

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The murder trial for David Darryl Thompson, the admitted killer of Killen nurse Melissa Garrett is underway in Lauderdale County. We have had several readers and bloggers contact us as to why we have not given the trial more coverage.

This was a horrible crime, committed while the victim's young daughter was in the home. We here at Shoalanda abhor violence against women and expect the verdict to be guilty as charged. Thompson should then be given the maximum sentence of life in prison. We do realize this is not always the case (think Shawn Shapley), but the Kenney-Garrett family is firmly behind the prosecution team--something the family of Shapley's victim was not.

There should be a verdict Friday or Monday, and we will report more then. Melissa's father, daughter, and friends have our total support.



Shoalanda