The Good, Bad and Sad: The ECM Saga

By J.J. Ray

The Good

Having heard so many stories about ECM I was very reluctant to go to Shoals Hospital for a diagnostic test. Surprise, surprise not only were they on time but totally professional and respectful. I did get the opportunity to inquire about the takeover. Most comments were positive but there seemed to be an underlying thought that most danced around.

As fate would have it, a relative became extremely ill and most of our families have been at ECM for the last ten days. Once again, the staff has been extremely professional and helpful with the exception of some on the night shift.


The Bad

Now we will talk about the food or lack thereof. In my sixty plus years on this earth, I have seen some ghastly food but it cannot match the rubbish ECM tries to call nourishment. I really have tried to find a word to use to describe it but there does not appear to be any word in any language besides garbage. There is a definite possibility that dumpster diving downtown would be more preferable than that the refuse they serve there. Now to make matters worse they even close the cafeteria and grill at ridiculous times especially on the weekends when visiting is the highest so people will be required to drive into town to get some editable food to feed the patients and of course spend more money for the parking garage.


The Really Bad

Once again, there appears to be an absolute absence of intelligence in the food service department. The billing department is the same. Each day they would bring a bill up to the room and present it to my relative even though he was not coherent. Fully expecting him to come out of the stupor and write them a daily check. The clerk would walk into the room and lay the envelope on the tray. Then she would retreat close to the open door as if ready to make a rapid departure. She stood there dutifully and waited for the patient to read the bill. It reminded me of an old silent movie. She would stand there and the patient who could not open the envelope just gazed at the paper and once again went back to sleep. The only thing I did wrong was not having my camera so I could document the bizarre scene. It would have gone viral on YouTube.


The Sad

Other than the business office and refuse (food) department everyone with a couple of exceptions were great. The comments I did hear from the staff had to do with the loss of medical benefits. Their comment was “Don’t get sick and go somewhere else besides ECM because that only leads to Bankruptcy”. No one ever did mention how much they cut but it was a large amount. They all thanked the County and City leaders for dumping them on a company that only has an eye for the bottom line and no compassion for its workers. Could it be they trained in the Obama White House?

I wonder what the business office will do to those folks that cannot write daily checks? Maybe they will hold them in pawn until someone can come and bail them out or perhaps they will have to take out a mortgage on their children or grandchildren so the business office can get their daily money.


Great Idea

One other idea would be to get the city council and mayor from Cherokee to run the hospital. Mayor Lansdell's first job would be the erection of a debtor’s prison and pillory. At least Melinda Malone would be safe for a while.

*****

An article in today's TimesDaily states there are currently 29 registered sex offenders in the Colbert County town of Sheffield. The Alabama Department of Public Safety lists only 27. Of the 27 listed, one is James Roy Sibley, currently incarcerated in the Florence-Lauderdale Detention Center.

We're sure due to processing lags and other factors, such numbers never match; however, we do believe the citizens of Sheffield have a right to know just who their neighbors are. Perhaps the next issue of Hard Times will showcase the two offenders whose names have not yet reached the state's website.

*****

Look for links to Alabama Inmate Search (state inmates) and VINElink (county inmates) in The Connection.



What's up with this: Flat bottom boats don't float? Who knew?

Shoalanda

Revisiting Sheffield Sex Offenders

When last we visited Sheffield, the Alabama Public Safety Registry listed 27 Sexual Offenders/Predators as residents. We've heard the theory that such numbers are skewed by zip codes extending beyond city limits, but that can hardly be the case in this land-locked Colbert County town.

Among those listed are Rudy Stanback, now deceased, and James Roy Sibley, currently incarcerated in the Lauderdale County Detention Center. Joining the exodus as of Wednesday is McKenzie Corey Johnson, 29, who on September 20, 2002, forced sexual contact on a 10 year-old female.

Johnson, who while awaiting trial managed to commit Third Degree Robbery later that year, served five years for Sexual Abuse and was released on April 29, 2007. Since that time, he has been living with his sister Tamika on Dover Avenue, just one block north of bustling Second Street.

Now Johnson has been arrested in Tuscumbia for a laundry list of crimes, including lying about his identity. If these Colbert County charges aren't enough to put him away for the immediate future, he also faces charges in Bibb County.

Three down and 24 to go...

*****

If the name McKenzie Corey seems familiar to you, there's good reason. Johnson was apparently named after a popular 1970s soap opera character. McKenzie Corey was the requisite millionaire industrialist who appeared regularly in Another World. It's unfortunate that his namesake didn't follow in Mac's footsteps. The State lists Johnson as unemployed, a popular condition among Sheffield SOs.

*****

On Cherokee: "Granted undercover operation is probably what some people would consider what Mason did. It was certainly not what one would expect from The fabulous four. Too bad some of the other problems cannot be solved the same way. At least some good came out of it and I am sure Mason's friends are happy. Am pretty sure problems were in and around her home and district if truth be told. As for phone calls to council members are concerned; I think they all have phones off hook half the time. You can't even call the Mayor and get an answer half the time." - "Anonymous" referring to our lackluster use of spell check. Mea Culpa--covert should have been culvert.

*****

We've received kind words concerning our new Shoals Blog Directory, as well as our links to various local blogs. With the exception of one or two we've found demeaning to the Shoals or containing plagiarism, we've tried to list all that originate in our beautiful part of the Tennessee Valley.

Two great blogs have recently updated their logos and are worth a second look if you haven't visited recently. Both Margaret's prose and photography in The Brown Recluse rival work found in much larger metropolitan areas.




If you're looking for a new family member, don't fail to check out DOGed PURRsuit. While the blog isn't connected to our blogging group, it is written by our Nurse Nan. Be sure to send her any news of pet adoptions and similar events.

*****

Today C. R. officially joins us in the vineyard. Welcome, C. R.; we appreciate your reports from Cherokee and Colbert County and are delighted that you're now a permanent part of our group.



Shoalanda

More, More, More (Sans Rebel Yell)

More on Charles Sennett: Since our Friday blog, we've received several communications regarding the killer/minister. One source, that we were unable to verify, stated that Sennett's first wife was alive in Florida--hence, no investigation into her supposed death. Several sources have mentioned that Sennett had lived in the Tampa area, so we find this report plausible.

An impeccable source has told us that Sennett was for many years on lithium, having abruptly discontinued the medication three months before his wife's murder. We stated earlier that we believed the preacher to have been a sociopath; however, bi-polar disorder would also explain the excessive spending, huge sexual appetites, and violent mood swings.

One source believes the alleged suicide note may still be locked away in records located in the Colbert County District Attorney's office. If so, perhaps some decades from now a remodeling project will bring the questionable document to light.

*****

More on James Roy Sibley: According to a former co-worker of Sibley, the pipe fitter known to his friends as Jimmy was indeed a Viet Nam veteran, and one of seemingly normal intelligence. Known as a "Tunnel Rat," Sibley crawled through man-made excavations in search of Viet Kong soldiers. Certainly something went very wrong with Sibley; while we appreciate his service to our country, we feel that his persistent pedophilia can't be explained away with the words "post-traumatic stress disorder."

Our source further tells us that Sibley was married and had children at one time. While working at Brown's Ferry, he was reprimanded for his incessant preaching and distribution of religious pamphlets, on which he often spent his entire income. It's not unusual for some pedophiles to present a veneer of religiosity to the public, while secretly abusing those who are too young or incapacitated to defend themselves.

Our main concern has to be with his victims. We hope any who have not come forward already will do so now. James Roy Sibley is a menace to the society he once defended and needs to be placed where he will never hurt another child.

*****

More on Ron Sparks: A member of our blogging group felt we were too hard on Ron Sparks. Maybe yes, maybe no. No matter, we do want to say something positive about Ron Sparks. Hmmm, about as close as we can come would be accolades for Ron (Mael of the group) Sparks. Here for your listening enjoyment are Ron and Russell Mael, aka Sparks:






Shoalanda

James Roy Sibley: Mentally Incapacitated?

James Roy Sibley was 50 years old when he lured three boys to a secluded location in Lauderdale County and sexually abused the five, six, and nine year-olds. After a 1996 conviction for his crimes, Sibley spent four years in prison, being released in January of 2000. Ten years later, the now 65 year-old Sibley has been arrested again. Florence Police have charged Sibley with non-compliance of the sex-offender laws and the enticement of three boys aged eight, ten, and twelve.

Sibley's registered address was a cheap motel in Sheffield, sometimes referred to as Sexual Predator Central. When arrested in May, Sibley was squatting in the back of a Weeden Heights business on Huntsville Road--both without the knowledge or permission of the business owner. Sources report to us that Sibley was illegally gaining entrance to Nichols Heating and Air Conditioning, located near Weeden Elementary School.

A second source reports that Sibley is a Viet Nam veteran who receives monthly VA benefits, but who has the cognitive and emotional age of a five year-old. We have to ask how such a person ever served in the United States military to start with. If this is indeed Sibley's current mental condition, he should be placed in a suitable Veteran's Administration facility for the remainder of his life.

Whether a veteran or not, James Roy Sibley is a threat to our children. Yes, we have to ask where were the parents of these three boys, but we cannot logically or legally control the upbringing of these children. We can as tax payers, and should, control what happens to Sibley.

*****

Update on Jason Bart Naylor: Yesterday we identified Elizabeth T. Naylor as Jason Naylor's mother. She is actually the stepmother of the accused rapist; Naylor's mother has been identified as Billie Jo Livingston of Moulton, from whom he has been estranged since September 2005.

Naylor lived with his father and stepmother from the age of 11 until he was 18. According to family sources, both father and stepmother attempted to instill proper values in Jason and are appalled at his current actions, in no way supporting him at this time.

Naylor has a long arrest record in both Moulton and Lawrence County, with more charges coming in his latest arrest. According to a reliable source, rather than four initial charges of rape, there were actually six. There will also be several more charges in the current rape case when presented to a grand jury. Naylor is expected to refuse any plea and will demand a jury trial. His attorney is Chris Malcolm, current candidate for Lawrence County Circuit Judge.

As for Naylor's wife, she initially refused to believe the charges against her husband--one reason for other family members supporting the accused rapist and posting his bond. Now, Melonie Naylor is divorcing her husband and will testify against him at all future trials.

As with James Roy Sibley, Jason Bart Naylor is a man who should be put away as a habitual offender. We pay tax dollars for prisons--let's use them.


Shoalanda