A Foot in the Back & a Gun to the Head...

Obviously rumors are rampant at this point over what really happened on June 2nd at the Hurricane Creek Baptist Church near Vina in Franklin County. Red Bay Police Chief Jana Jackson has issued a public statement, but she's impeded by being able to say only so much concerning an ongoing investigation. Church members have commented publicly, but their accounts have been reported in snips and sometimes the sequence of events has not meshed in all of them.

Was there wrong on both sides? We think Mr. Steve Scott, a church deacon, would have fared much better if he had not asked Red Bay Sgt. Kyle Palmer a second question. Does that mean Mr. Scott deserved the physical abuse he took from Palmer? Remember, the good sergeant was working with a group of rural Baptists, not the Hell's Angels. A kind word from him would have gone far. Instead, Palmer chose to show these radical anarchists just who was in charge on church property. Nothing like drawing a gun to show who's boss.

Is this a rare instance of abuse of police authority in Franklin County? If you've read our blog for a while, you may remember our mention of another Franklin County event that we've been asked not to blog about in order to protect the jobs of innocent victims. We have no wish to delve deeply into this and hurt the innocent, but perhaps we can offer our readers a snippet of what happened in the city of Russellville a few years ago.

There was a place where people lived, worked, and gathered...and one sold dope. Did any of the others know? We're told they didn't. We do know most didn't have a clue as to any illegal activity. A woman exited her vehicle, saw the glint of a gun, and was told to hit the ground. When her knees and weight made the act of hitting the ground too slow a go for the officer, he placed his foot in her back, pushed her to the ground, placed a gun to her head, and told her if she wanted to see her family again she would do as he said. The woman had a large family, many of them sick, many of them young. She did what the officer said. Later she had to visit a hospital with her injuries. Her attorney, a local all-purpose country barrister, advised her to "forget it."

Again we ask if these events are rare? We somehow doubt it. Should you report an officer if he's rude? We wouldn't--maybe he was just having a bad day. Should you report an officer if he's physically abusive when no one deserved such treatment? If you don't, his next victim could wind up in the cemetery where he will have no earthly voice.

No, we don't think the members of the Hurricane Creek Baptist Church were wrong to complain. Let's hope it does some good.



Shoalanda

UNA U.S.-China International Institute

"UNA Keeping You Safe from the Commies by Clogging Their Arteries with Fried Chicken"

The first problem seems to be the title of the new UNA school is ungrammatical, but why let that bother us when there's so much more to this deal that promises to...ummmm, do something for the Shoals. The salient question is just what will this new endeavor bring to the Shoals besides money, or is money all that counts?

Perhaps it's what we're not seeing that bothers us the most. No local physicians have come forward to praise this move. Neither have any nurse practitioners, other nurses, or hospital administrators. If money is all that matters, let's look to Nevada for inspiration. Just think of all the local girls who would be making the big bucks then...

*****

A new comment on the incident at the Hurricane Creek Baptist Church has raised some interesting questions. First, we're told the two queries of church deacon Steve Scott were:

1. What's going on here?

2. Do we not have county law enforcement to handle situations in the county?

It was apparently the second question that raised the ire of the Red Bay police sergeant. We're not an expert on police jurisdiction; therefore, we have no idea if the officer acted improperly by not first contacting the Franklin County Sheriff's Department to help with the search. We may infer that at this point the Red Bay officer knew the child was in no danger and that there was no pressing need to physically remove her from the worship service. Since the church, located just outside Vina, would be under the jurisdiction of the sheriff's department and not Red Bay, it would seem this sergeant's actions are extremely suspect.

*****

Interesting article about the Russellville municipal clerk under indictment for embezzling 25K. Since she's reported to have worked for the city since 2005, we wonder what the actual total of missing funds might be and why the statute of limitations is three years.

LaDonna Montgomery Hitt

Shoalanda

Update on Hurricane Creek Baptist Church Assault

We have been given some new information on the Sunday June 2nd assault that took place at Hurricane Creek Baptist Church in Red Bay. The victim was Mr. Steve Scott aged 62. (Apologies for adding a few years to Mr. Scott's age in our previous blog.)

The incident occurred at the evening service, during which Mr. Scott asked two questions of the Red Bay police sergeant investigating a case of custodial interference. The officer, said to be 36 years younger than Mr. Scott, then physically attacked the church representative. The cowboy cop then reportedly drew his gun and began to brandish it in front of several congregants, at least one of whom called the Franklin County Sheriff's Department.

Deputy Clint Holcombe

Franklin County Deputy Clint Holcombe arrived to defuse the situation. Several present credit Deputy Holcombe with preventing much worse injury to Mr. Scott or others. Scott was then taken for medical treatment which determined his arm was sprained rather than broken as originally thought.

We still have no word on an ABI investigation; however, it seems some members of the small Baptist church will be filing formal complaints against the Red Bay officer. In our previous blog we stated the officer in question might be better employed as a bouncer. One reader reflected...

Oh, and to correct the statement that the cop would fit right in as a bouncer: I know him personally and if you take away his badge and gun and taser and pepper spray and nightstick and the knowledge that he's afforded extra protection under the law, he wouldn't swat a fly!



Shoalanda

Red Bay Facing a Lawsuit?

It was Sunday June 2nd. A person called Red Bay Police to inform them a child was missing. What could have been a horrible situation was apparently simply a case of custodial interference. Yet it has led to a severely injured citizen and a possible law suit against the town.

A Red Bay officer investigating the disappearance of the young girl learned that she might be in a worship service at Hurricane Creek Baptist Church. Arriving at the church building, the cop entered, found the girl, and removed her from the worship service.

We don't know how much commotion this caused, but one gentleman, reportedly a deacon, also left the service to determine the problem. The man is reported as being in his late 60s and a respected member of the community. Once outside the building, the Red Bay officer informed the church member that he had no business inquiring about what had just happened. Things escalated.

At some point, the Red Bay officer physically attacked the Hurricane Creek Baptist Church deacon, breaking his arm we're told. Other members had by then come outside, one calling the Franklin County Sheriff's Department. Someone, possibly Shannon Oliver himself, arrived and threatened to arrest the Red Bay officer.

We understand the officer was not arrested, but the deacon was taken to Red Bay Hospital for treatment. To answer the question of one reader, we do not know if the ABI has been called in. Obviously it should be.

Yes, we know the name of the Red Bay officer who allegedly broke the deacon's arm. If legal charges are filed, we will be reporting it, but not until then.

Red Bay officers do not receive the training those who work in larger towns are subject to. This officer would be better employed as a bouncer at a night club. He would fit right in.



Shoalanda