Indians, Mustangs defend home field. Sports, Page 10. Wetumpka, AL 36092
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SATURDAY-SUNDAY • MARCH 19-20, 2016
THEWETUMPKAHERALD.COM
VOL. 11, NO. 12
Conviction upheld in 2011 murder case STAFF REPORT TPI Staff
The Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals has upheld the murder and first-degree assault convictions of Stalandus Z. Slaughter. Slaughter, 30, of Eclectic, was convicted in the Elmore County Circuit Court in September of 2014 for the murder of Kenyatta Kendrick and the assault of Darren Kendrick. Evidence presented at trial showed that at around 3 a.m. on Jan. 4, 2011, Bernard Nix and Aaron McDowell, both who were paid by Slaughter to partici-
pate in the attack, drove with him from an Alexander City apartment to fire up to 19 rounds from a .30 caliber rifle into the Kendrick’s Eclectic home. Six-year-old Kenyatta Kendrick was struck in the chest and died minutes later. Her uncle, Darren Kendrick, was struck in the left heel and thigh but survived. Evidence presented at trial indicated that the shooting stemmed a conflict between Slaughter and Kendrick’s uncle Demeko Kendrick. Elmore County Sheriff Bill Franklin told The Herald at the time of the arrests that the issue began a few months earlier
when Slaughter “self-involved” himself in a family feud. The two shooters later surrendered. Under interrogation, they revealed that Slaughter directed them to shoot up the Kendricks’ house to kill another resident of the house, Darren’s brother and Kenyatta’s uncle, Demeco Kendrick. They stated that Slaughter provided them with the ammunition and assault weapon. Evidence also was presented that Slaughter admitted to an individual with whom he was incarcerated at the Elmore County jail that he paid two “guys a thousand dollars to shoot the house up.”
Slaughter also described the weapon used and the injuries sustained by the victims. The two shooters pleaded guilty to murder and first-degree assault and are currently incarcerated. McDowell, 22, admitted he was the triggerman and entered a plea bargain with the prosecution. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Nix, who also pleaded guilty to murder, entered a plea bargain in which he will serve up to 10 years in prison. See CONVICTION • Page 3
Sinkhole appears on Company Street
Clinic postpones seeing clients due to snakes By COREY ARWOOD Staff Writer
Two snakes found their way into a Wetumpka medical clinic, prompting appointments to be rescheduled and the involvement of city animal control and trained professionals who, after removing the reptilian interloper, declared the building to be snake-free. After a nearly 4-hour search, the snakes were said to have originated from a drainage area separate from the building where signs of winter nesting were found. The visit turned into a literal snake hunt for an entomologist with the pest control company the clinic uses. “It was really a bizarre kind of thing,” said Amanda Hannon, office administrator of River Region Family Medicine. She said the clinic’s house cleaner had discovered one of the snakes early Wednesday morning. After turning on the lights, Hannon said the house-
Business owners scramble to work around sinkhole By COREY ARWOOD Staff Writer
Corey Arwood / The Herald
The owner of Stoddard Bait and Tackle, Chris Carter, on the left, and Ronnie Windham, with Wetumpka Water Works, on the right, oversee the work done by city utility and water works employees on a newly-found sinkhole and broken sewer pipe. Left, Windham examines a sinkhole off Company Street in downtown Wetumpka, that was discovered Thursday afternoon by the owners of Coosa River Adventures and Stoddard Bait and Tackle.
See SNAKES • Page 3
A sinkhole appeared Thursday out of the asphalt on Company Street in downtown Wetumpka and local business owners say the road closure will hurt peak-season business while they recover from floods and closures of late last year. Company Street will be closed the duration of the repair process, however Chris and Therese Carter of Coosa River Adventures and Stoddard’s Bait and Tackle said their businesses would remain open. Wetumpka Water Works was first to the scene and worked to fit a temporary fix for a sanitary sewer pipe, which was discovered broken and possibly contributing to the erosion. “We got a call that a hole had opened up,” said Ronnie Windham, general manager with Wetumpka Water Works. “We came over and we thought at first it might be the water line.” Windham speculated recent flooding somehow started the process through a storm drain. He said it washed the soil out from under the water pipe, which was now sagging, and sewer pipe, which was broken entirely, and left both See SINKHOLE • Page 8
WHS’s Banker wins Rotary speech contest CONTACT US 334-567-7811 • Fax: 334-567-3284
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By COREY ARWOOD Staff Writer
The Wetumpka Rotary Club held the final round of its annual speech contest made up of a student from Wetumpka High School and one from Edgewood Academy and from which the winner was awarded a scholarship check for $1,000. The students, seniors, Zena Banker of WHS and Emilee Ellis of Edgewood Academy, presented their speeches on the topic of teenage bullying to a full Wind Creek Casino dining room. But it was WHS’ Banker who won the competition “It was a really close competition I had no idea how it was going to turn out,” said Banker. “It was a great experience.” See ROTARY • Page 3
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Deatsville man enters guilty plea STAFF REPORT TPI Staff
Submitted / The Herald
The winner of the Wetumpka Rotary Club Speech Contest, Zena Banker a senior at Wetumpka High School, was given a check for $1,000 in scholarship money and the runnerup, Emilee Ellis a senior at Edgewood Academy, won $500.
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A Deatsville man entered a guilty plea on charges relating to an Oct. 9., 2014 crash that claimed the life of one and injured three other occupants in the car he was driving. Miles Donovan Pepping, 21, plead guilty to manslaughter, third-degree assault, possession of drug paraphernalia and obstructing a governmental operation in Elmore County Circuit Court Thursday. Pepping was the driver of a 2000 Infiniti which left Caesarville Road near Flatwood Road, struck several trees and See PLEA • Page 3
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