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Eclectic Observer The
WEDNESDAY • JULY 25, 2018
TheWetumpkaHerald.com
Vol. 29, No. 30
Eclectic man charged with incest
By AMALIA KORTRIGHT Staff Writer
A 41-year-old Eclectic man was charged recently with felony incest after a lengthy investigation. Ricky Winston Smith Jr., who lists an address on Lindsey Road, was arrested by the Elmore County Sheriff’s Office on July 9.
ECSO Chief Ricky Lowery said an initial report against Smith was filed in April and authorities investigated it for several weeks before sending evidence gathered from the investigation to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences for analysis. A warrant
for Smith’s arrest was issued shortly after the results came in. “The findings supported the case of incest,” Lowery said. According to court documents, the victim is a juvenile related to Smith by either blood or marriage. Incest is a Class C felony.
Smith
If convicted, Smith could face up to a decade in prison. As of July 19, Smith remained in the Elmore County Jail on a $150,000 bond. Smith’s initial appearance at the Elmore County Courthouse was scheduled for 10 a.m. on July 11. As of July 19, the date for a preliminary hearing had not been scheduled.
Winslett sworn in to town council
Observer editor dies at 58 Tuesday
By AMALIA KORTRIGHT Staff Writer
STAFF REPORT TPI Staff
Eclectic Obesrver Managing Editor David Granger, 58, died Tuesday afternoon following a stroke he had nearly two weeks ago. Granger started working for Tallapoosa Publishers, Inc. when he was hired as a staff writer at The Alexander City Outlook in January Granger 2015. In December 2016, Granger took the position of managing editor for TPI’s Elmore County newspapers overseeing The Wetumpka Herald, The Eclectic Observer and The Tallassee Tribune. Granger is from Opp and had been living in Equality with his wife Lynn Holley Maynard Granger for many years. He graduated from Elmore County High School in Eclectic and earned a bachelor of arts in journalism in 1984 from Auburn University. Throughout his multi-decade journalistic career, Granger earned several awards from the Alabama Press Association and Alabama Sports Writers Association. In the APA’s 2018 Better Newspaper Contest, Granger was awarded third place for his column, “Holidays bring fireworks… to my kidneys!” in the Best Humorous Column category. He also earned second place in Best Editorial Column or Commentary for “Facebook killing sparks quests for answers.” Granger was a big sports fan and a large space of his heart was dedicated to the Atlanta Braves and Auburn Tigers. TPI staff members are sad to lose a piece of their work family and said Granger will be missed but always remembered for his talent and humor.
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Verizon Wireless employees Alondra Griffin, Mike Hall and Mark Ferguson handed out free backpacks Sunday. Ajaidyn Kennebrew was one of many students from Tallassee and Eclectic who picked up a backpack during the giveaway.
GIVING SPIRIT W Eclectic, area students attend backpack giveaway
ith about two weeks of summer remaining, many parents and some students are already looking forward to returning to the classroom. Many students from the Tallassee and Eclectic area took part in Verizon’s backpack giveaway this weekend. The event ran from 1 to 4 p.m. at the 431 Gilmer Ave. location in Tallassee. There were 220 backpacks available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Each backpack was filled with pencils, paper, a pencil box, folders, glue and other school supplies. Students had a variety of colors to choose
Dog’s death on Lake Martin gains social media attention ECSO: Grand jury to decide what charges, if any, for suspect By AMALIA KORTRIGHT Staff Writer
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from when selecting a backpack, including pink, blue, green and camouflage colors. “We’re giving out backpacks for charity,” Verizon Wireless team leader Mark Ferguson said. “It’s part of our culture of good that we do with TCC (The Cellular Connection). It’s our way to give back to the community.” Verizon has hosted the backpack giveaway for many years. However, this is the first giveaway in the Tallassee area. “This is the first time that this store has done this but TCC has been doing charitable events like that backpack give away for many years,” Ferguson said. See BACKPACK • Page 3
A new member of the Eclectic Town Council was sworn in during a regularly scheduled council meeting July 16. Eclectic resident Carmen Winslett took her oath of office to serve in place three of the city council. Mayor Gary Davenport said she is replacing former council member Winslett Joe Creamer, who recently moved outside of the town limits. Winslett was selected out of five candidates, including Nathan Collins, Robert Newman, Josh Pack and Stephanie Stepney. During the previous council meeting on June 18, Davenport said they chose her after a unanimous vote. Davenport said Winslett was selected because of her extensive involvement with the Eclectic Public Library and the Alabama Cotton Festival Committee, as well as because of her efforts to re-open the town’s trade day events. “The council felt that, because of her volunteerism, she would make a good councilperson,” Davenport said. As of July 19, multiple messages seeking comment from Winslett have not been returned. The council also passed a resolution concerning the locations where food trucks are allowed to conduct business; approved a $500 appropriation from the city to the Butterfly Bridge Children’s Advocacy Center; approved a project grant to install lights at the Aaron Park baseball field.
The death of a dog, which police say was killed by a boater near Goat Island on Lake Martin, has gained widespread attention because of provocative Facebook posts. But, Elmore County Sheriff Department officials said a man accused via social media of having killed the dog was not involved in any way. A two-year-old boxer named Cletus was swimming in the lake this past weekend when he was killed by a passing boater. Before Cletus died, Elmore County Sheriff Bill Franklin said the family had been trying to alert the boater that the dog was
in the water. A friend of the family claims the boater intentionally hit the animal. Franklin said a report was filed by Cletus’ owner and, after an investigation, deputies were able to identify the driver of the boat. Initially, Franklin said the ECSO had planned to arrest the boater on a felony charge that was later reduced to a misdemeanor charge by the Elmore County District Attorney’s Office that said the crime fell under the misdemeanor statute under the Alabama Code of Law. Because the boater would not have been charged with a felony, Franklin said the dog’s owner refused to sign the warrant See DOG • Page 2
A Facebook post recounting the death of a boxer named Cletus has gone viral after it said the dog was intentionally killed by a boater on Lake Martin. Elmore County Sheriff Bill Franklin said a grand jury will make a decision on whether the suspect in the case will be indicted and arrested on a felony or misdemeanor charge.
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