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Mustangs finish off Rams in tourney Sports, Page 8. Wetumpka, AL 36092

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SATURDAY-SUNDAY • MARCH 26-27, 2016

THEWETUMPKAHERALD.COM

VOL. 11, NO. 13

Second suspect arrested Uncle of suspect allegedly supplied gun used in drive-by shooting by shooting that left two dead and two injured. Martin Aaron King, 34, of Montgomery faces two murder charges and two felony charges. King, Edwards’ uncle, allegedly gave him the handgun, court records show. Edwards, a 32-year-old

By COREY ARWOOD Staff Writer

The Elmore County D.A.’s office said a Montgomery man was arrested Wednesday afternoon and charged with supplying the 9mm pistol to alleged shooter Marcus L. Edwards which was later used in the March 19 Wetumpka drive- King

Wetumpka resident, was placed on an elevated $700,000 bond in his first court appearance at a Monday, March 21, bond hearing. “It’s not a criminal offense in itself to give someone a firearm,” said Elmore County Chief Assistant District Attorney C.J. Robinson. However, Robinson said it was See SHOOTING • Page 2

Corey Arwood / The Herald

Officials lead Martin A. King, who faces two murder charges and two felony charges, into a courtroom on Monday.

Community Hospital is Tier 1 in Blue Cross rankings

Elmore County’s February jobless rate is 2nd best in state Only Shelby Cuunty has better unemployment numbers By DAVID GRANGER Staff Writer

By COREY ARWOOD Staff Writer

Wetumpka’s Elmore Community Hospital moved from a Tier 2 to a Tier 1 service provider status under Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama’s grading system, which could mean less out-of-pocket payments on copays and smaller deductibles for those covered by the company. The ECH administrator, Michael Ritzus, said the tier system was basically a hospital report card on the conditions the insurance company deemed necessary for a health care facility to be considered a preferred provider. He said it was a complex scorecard that looked at a range of variables, from costs accrued by the hospital, to the costs transferred to the patient and even patient satisfaction scores. He said the size of the hospital as well as the standard number of inpatient

A crime prevention group is looking for leads and to warn local businesses after what appeared to be two men dressed as women, scammed a retailer with what Wetumpka Police Department called a strategic “switcheroo” and made off with $495. According to Central Alabama Crime Stoppers the theft took place earlier this year around late January. A WPD investigator said they recently turned

See TIERS • Page 7

See SCAM • Page 3

Submitted / The Herald

The Wetumpka Police Department is searching for two unknown subjects who appear to be men dressed in drag that victimized a local retail store in a credit/gift card scam. Law enforcement officials believe the two suspects were last seen travelining in this burgundy SUV, below, when they left the establishment where the scam was pulled.

CROSS-DRESSED CRIMINALS

Suspects of unknown gender give local Walmart a card ‘switcheroo’ By COREY ARWOOD Staff Writer

Despite ticking up one tenth of a percentage point in February, unemployment in Elmore County remained the second-lowest in the state – behind only Shelby County – at 5.4 percent, according to preliminary, seasonally adjusted numbers prepared by the Alabama Department of Labor in cooperation with the Bureau of Labor Statistics and released by the office of Gov. Robert Bentley on Friday. Shelby County’s February unemployment rate was 4.7 percent. The Elmore County rate was up from 5.3 percent in January and the same 5.3 percent in February a year ago. The overall February unemployment rate for Alabama stayed steady at the same 6.2 percent measured in January. That rate is two-tenths of a percentage point higher than in February 2015, when unemployment in Alabama was at 6.0 percent. “The momentum that we are seeing in our employment numbers continues to be encouraging,” Bentley said in the Friday release. “Our mission to provide all Alabamians with a job remains my top priority. The growth that we are consistently seeing, combined with the regular announcements of new jobs See UNEMPLOYMENT • Page 3

Miles sentenced to 41 months in federal prison STAFF REPORT TPI Staff

File / The Herald

Former Tallassee assistant Chief of Police Chris Miles and his wife Kelli Miles walk into the U.S. District Court - Middle Alabama in Montgomery, Alabama where Miles plead guilty to one count each of obstruction of justice, deprivation of rights and distribution of marijuana.

A former Tallassee Assistant Police Chief has been sentenced to almost four years in prison for beating a suspect and then lying to investigators about his attack. Chris Miles, 41, was sentenced to 41 months in prison for depriving a suspect of his federally protected rights by beating the suspect with a phone book-sized packet of paper during an interrogation and then lying about the incident to an FBI agent investigating the matter. Miles was also sentenced for selling marijuana that he stole from the police evidence room. Miles pleaded guilty on Nov. 17, 2015, to one count of deprivation of civil rights, two counts of false statements and one count of possession with intent to distribute. He was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Myron H. Thompson of the

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Middle District of Alabama. According to admissions made during his plea hearing, in April of 2013, while he was on duty as assistant police chief, Miles beat a prisoner who was serving a sentence at Tallassee jail while Miles was interrogating that prisoner about uncharged crimes the prisoner was suspected of having committed. During the questioning, Miles grabbed a thick packet of copy paper and used it to strike the victim multiple times across the victim’s face and head. Miles also repeatedly slapped the victim across the face and head with his hand. His abuse caused the victim to suffer bruising and physical pain. Miles also admitted that earlier in 2013 he stole approximately 16 pounds of marijuana from the police evidence room and later sold it to a known drug dealer. “Law enforcement leaders serve

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as role models for their fellow officers, and at all times they must act with integrity, fairness and professionalism,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Justice requires even-handed treatment for all, and without exception, we will aggressively prosecute any officer who beats an inmate, breaks the law and lies to federal investigators.” U.S. Attorney George L. Beck Jr. of the Middle District of Alabama said Miles actions were inexcusable. “Miles was a maverick, working outside the law,” said Beck. “While we expect interrogations to be thorough, an officer cannot turn an investigation into a punishment. Fortunately, the overwhelming majority of our law enforcement See SENTENCED • Page 2