Former WHS star signs with New Orleans Saints
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SATURDAY-SUNDAY • AUGUST 6-7, 2016
THEWETUMPKAHERALD.COM
VOL. 11, NO. 29
Inmate escapes Elmore Correctional Facility By COREY ARWOOD Staff Writer
An inmate at Elmore Correctional Facility escaped during an early morning prison transfer and managed to out maneuver a K9 unit in the process an Alabama Department of Corrections official said. According to a document and mug shot issued by ADOC, a heavily tattooed inmate, Justin Caldwell, 27, escaped around 2 a.m. Friday. A public information officer, Bob Horton, with ADOC said Caldwell was still on the run as of Friday
afternoon. Caldwell was described as a white male around 143 pounds and approximately 5-foot, 7-inches tall. Horton said he was serving an 8-year sentence from a 2014 conviction on 1st degree theft of property. Caldwell was able to, as Horton said, “compromise” the area where he was being held. Horton said Caldwell managed to go undetected, and was only found to be missing during an inmate headcount performed after his escape. The K9 team lost track of Caldwell, and Horton said now federal, state, county and local law enforcement
are looking for him. From his photo numerous tattoos can be seen scrawled across Caldwell’s face, and neck, including one which reads “Ohio.” According to the media statement, he has others including “devil horns” and one that reads “Hwy 2 Hell.” Horton said there was no indication of any gang-related involvement, and Caldwell that Caldwell escaped wearing his state white uniform.
County roads show improvement over past decade
Wetumpka man stabbed to death in robbery By COREY ARWOOD Staff Writer
By WILLIAM CARROLL Managing Editor
Elmore County Engineer Richie Beyer recently provided the Elmore County Commission with a spreadsheet which outlined the condition of county roads, specifically documenting the change from 2004 to 2016 and the results showed a significant improvement in area roads. According to the comparison spreadsheet in 2004, 143.8 miles of roadways, or 19 percent of the total roads the county is responsible for maintaining, rated below 70 on a scale that Beyer See ROADS • Page 3
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Corey Arwood / The Herald
After a brief downpour, amid sweltering heat and humidity, a crew from Wetumpka Water Works returned to a site they had been working on for nearly a week and put in their last day replacing an old sewer line.
Downtown sewer line replaced by water works By COREY ARWOOD Staff Writer
Commuters who made their way through downtown Wetumpka last week might have noticed a gaping ditch running down Hill Street and a number of workers who were out
in the blistering heat doing repairs to pipes deep under the street. An official with Wetumpka Water Works said they were trying to get work done on a sewer line before next week with school starting, and upcoming renovations to downtown See SEWER• Page 3
A Wetumpka man was killed Tuesday, and a Montgomery man was arrested, charged by detectives with capital murder, and is being held without bond, according to an Montgomery Police Department press release. The document states Thomas Shaw Jr., 75, of Wetumpka was stabbed to death, and found by fire medics and police around 10:20 a.m. at the 2500 block of Highland Ave. An investigation indicated the stabbing occurred during an attempted robbery, according to the report. First responders were notified of a “subject down,” the report states, however Shaw’s injuries were said to have been fatal, and he was pronounced dead shortly after their arrival. The person accused in the stabbing was Corwin Walker, 21, of See ROBBERY • Page 3
Elmore County student learns about space exploration By WILLIAM CARROLL Managing Editor
Kaden Masters, 12, a rising 7th grade student at Holtville Middle School, recently attended Space Academy at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center’s Official Visitor Center in Huntsville. The week-long educational program promotes science, technology, engineering and math, while training students and adults with hands-on activities and missions based on teamwork, leadership and problem solving. Masters was part of the Space Academy program, which is specifically designed for trainees who have a particular interest in space exploration. Masters spent the week training with a team that flew a simulated space mission to the International Space Station. Once aboard the ISS, the crew participated in experiments and successfully
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completed an extra-vehicular activity, or spacewalk. Masters and crew returned to earth in time to graduate with honors. Masters said he has long had an interest in space exploration and he’d like to work for NASA as an astronaut someday. “I want to do something worthy of the history books,” Masters said. “I want to be one of the first people who get to go to Mars.” Masters said that the space academy included a couple of hundred kids including students from all over the world. He noted that there were students from as far away as Japan and Australia in attendance. During the week, Masters said he completed several missions. During his first mission he had the honor of being the flight Submitted / The Herald director meaning he was in charge of the entire mission, a mock launch sequence, Kaden Masters, 12, of Holtville recently particwhich his team completed successfully. ipated in the U.S. Space and Rocket Center’s See SPACE • Page 3 Space Academy in Huntsville.
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