Elmore County looks to ‘fill holes’ in the spring.
Only big bartender in the sky knows when next drink may be.
Looking for something? Check this week’s classifieds.
Eclectic Observer Page 4
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The
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THURSDAY • MAY 5, 2016
TheWetumpkaHerald.com
Vol. 27, No. 18
Yorkies rescued from Tallassee puppy mill one of them got two to four baths, treatment for fleas, vaccinations, de-wormed, and heartworm tested, Cord said. “Two of them do have heartworms, but we’ve set all of them up with fluffy beds, pillows, food, and love. They’re happy now, and some went out to foster homes yesterday. They’re in great hands” Aside from the dogs’ appearance and condition, they were found living in cages too small for comfort in an outdoor trailer of the couple’s home. For Cord, this situation only amplifies her stance against breeding. “For me, I personally cannot
By LIZ ELY Staff Writer
Tuesday, eight adult Yorkshire terriers and nine puppies of the same breed were rescued from the alleged puppy mill of an elderly couple outside their home near Tallassee. The animals, whose living conditions were less than acceptable according to officials on scene, were brought to the Elmore County Humane Shelter where Executive Director Rea Cord went into overdrive to ensure the animals received proper attention and care. “They were quite dirty, but every
view a dog as a means to make a living off of breeding,” she said. “It’s not illegal, but you need to do right by them. These dogs deserve better. They deserve being valued and cared for. They’re companion animals, and they should not be living in cages just producing animals their whole life.” For Cord, there is a lesson that people can take away from this, but she does not wish to take aim at the couple that mistreated the animals. She admits that breeding can be done correctly, and she hopes that See PUPPY • Page 2
Liz Ely / The Observer
More than 15 dogs were rescued from a puppy mill near Tallassee including these two that have already been adopted.
Two get jail time in DUI stop turned city council arrest
Newspaper announces new leaders
By COREY ARWOOD Staff Writer
Steve Baker named Observer’s publisher STAFF REPORT TPI Staff
Steve Baker has been named publisher, president and C.E.O. of Tallapoosa Publishers, Inc. Baker, 59, has headed five newspapers in his career, including most recently working as publisher of The York (Neb.) NewsTimes. He was formerly publisher of the Baker Pierre, S.D., Capital Journal and served as president of the South Dakota Newspaper Association. “I have worked in many different areas of newspapers in my 20-plus-year career,” Baker said. “These positions See PUBLISHER • Page 3
Carroll to serve as managing editor STAFF REPORT TPI Staff
William Carroll has been named managing editor of the Tallapoosa Publishers newspapers that serve Elmore County – The Wetumpka Herald, The Ta l l a s s e e Tribune and the Eclectic Observer. Carroll, 40, comes to the area after serving as manCarroll aging editor of The Daily Times Leader in West Point, Mississippi. Carroll will lead a news team that was guided by the late Peggy Blackburn and more recently John Peeler. “We are excited to welcome William to our team,” TPI Editor Mitch Sneed said. See EDITOR • Page 3
Submitted / The Observer
Russell Lands security officer Wendell Elliott of Eclectic celebrated his 86th birthday on Friday, April 29th. Elliott has almost a quarter century with Russell Lands.
AGELESS LEGACY
Elliott has protected prisoners and presidents in law enforcement career By DAVID GRANGER Staff Writer
Law enforcement is in Wendell Elliott’s blood. Elliott’s father was a police officer in Childersburg and a deputy sheriff in Talladega County. So a few years after serving in the Korean Conflict as a petty officer in the U.S. Navy –where he aided four invasions aboard an LCVP (landing craft, vehicle personnel) and earned the National Defense, United Nations and Korean service ribbons – Elliott made his way into his own career in law enforcement.
The Lineville High School graduate, who turned 86 on April 29, now works security for Russell Lands and has been in law enforcement for 56 of those years. He says he plans to remain in law enforcement “until Radney Funeral Home gets me.” Elliott’s career has included time as an investigator, revenue enforcement officer, a uniformed policemen and a security officer. He’s been trained in criminal investigations, court security, personal security and court security. And he has worked with Presidents Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford. See ELLIOTT • Page 3
Two of the five Eclectic residents arrested from events surrounding a DUI traffic stop last December were sentenced during a municipal court session to 30 days in jail, both later chose to appeal their cases in a district court. A 58 year-old Eclectic woman, Carrie Boseman, was charged with obstructing a government procedure and disorderly conduct, at the scene of the apprehension of Billy Splunge, 60, on a DUI suspicion stop made on Dec. 27, 2015. All together four people would be arrested in connection with events that were said to have taken place at the scene of the stop. The group was arrested after attending a city council meeting, where they had planned to speak, roughly six days after the event, on similar charges to Boseman’s. They were accused of interfering with a police procedure by the Eclectic police officer that stopped Splunge near Boseman’s residence on Nichols Avenue, where it was said they gathered for a card game. An attorney from Montgomery, Terry Heilman, represented Christopher Lindsay, a patrolman with the Eclectic Police Department, who stopped Splunge that night. James Kendrick, an attorney out from Wetumpka, defended both Boseman and Splunge before Eclectic Municipal Judge Guy Holton. Lindsay’s account of events was See CASE • Page 2
Tree planting ceremony held for well known local vet By COREY ARWOOD Staff Writer
A tree planting ceremony was held at a Wetumpka children’s home for a prominent Elmore County resident who founded Millbrook’s Ark Veterinary Clinic and was said to have been heavily involved in the community and a number of charitable groups. Family and friends of Robert Parker stood under the pavilion at Adullam House Tuesday morning and heard a 14-minute long audio recording he had made before his death March 25, in what was called a tragic farming accident. In the recording, Parker, a
well-known local veterinarian, spoke to his wife, Betsy Parker, along with his children, family and a number of friends and acquaintances. He gave advice, and spoke about his religious convictions in a brief testimonial. One such message of advice from Parker went, “Number one, people are more important than things.” And another, “I encourage you to enjoy life, live each day.” A plaque was placed at the Corey Arwood / The Observer sawtooth oak that was planted A Sawtooth Oak was planted at Wetumpka’s Adullam House on Tuesday morning in honor of Parker and his wife in a ceremony for a celebrated local veterinarian. Mike Hagen, of the Elmore County TREASURE Forest Association, oversaw the planting carried out by an administrator See PLANTING • Page 3 and children from the Adullam House.
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