INSIDE TODAY County Commission
Local players ink scholarship deals.
Inside, Page 2
Meet the Holtville grads.
Sports, Page 12
Inside, Page 11
THE WETUMPKA HERALD Elmore County’s Oldest Newspaper - Established 1898
Wetumpka, AL 36092
50¢
WEDNESDAY • MAY 25, 2016
THEWETUMPKAHERALD.COM
VOL. 118, NO.18
House fire kills Wetumpka man By COREY ARWOOD Staff Writer
Corey Arwood / The Herald
A Wetumpka man is dead after fire destroyed a local home sometime late Sunday night or early Monday morning.
A Wetumpka man was killed in a house fire late Sunday and into Monday that raged on seemingly unnoticed, while neighbors slept, only to wake with little to no knowledge of the incident until it was too late. The family had left for a seven-day cruise the day before the fire, leaving 24-year-old Wetumpka High School graduate Bruce Lucas at the home,
said Sharon Gunn, sister to the homeowner, Reginald Bowman. Gunn said she was notified of the fire around 4:15 a.m., however she said fire personnel with the responding agencies told her the first call came in around 1:45 a.m. She said by the time she arrived they were already on the scene. A neighbor, Earl Harris, said he was woken up See FIRE • Page 3
Personnel changes announced at school board meeting
Juveniles arrested in Prattville robbery, murder Authorities still searching for third adult suspect By COREY ARWOOD Staff Writer
By COREY ARWOOD Staff Writer
There was a lighter tone during the most recent county board of education meeting, and as the school year draws to a close this week, last minute awards were presented and changes to personnel and administration were announced. Superintendent Andre Harrison introduced the new principal for Holtville Elementary to the crowded meeting room. Chris Holley was said to have served as assistant principal at HES for the past three years, and will officially enter into his new role in July. “I’m replacing someone that’s been there for 37-and-a-half years and, you know, had some great guidance,” said Holley, after the meeting, in reference to outgoing HES principal, Kathy Terrell. Holley said he wanted to maintain the school’s history of long-standing See BOARD • Page 3
Two juvenile suspects were arrested in connection with the Saturday robbery and shooting of a Prattville man, and the third adult suspect was likely “on the run,” Prattville police said at a press conference Monday. The juveniles, ages 14 and 15, were apprehended in Montgomery late Sunday, according to Prattville police. A murder warrant was issued for the third suspect, 24-year-old Santwone Cornelius Jones, who was said to still be at large. The juveniles are being held in Montgomery, and Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office aided Prattville police in the operation, according to a PPD news release. At the conference, Chief Mark Thompson said since there was an ongoing investigation into the death of John Michael Taylor, a 56-year-old Prattville resident, he would not give out much information surrounding the incident. However, earlier it was learned that Prattville police had responded to a call around 1 a.m. Saturday of a man lying in the roadway on Cobb Ford Road. Captain Jeff Hassell said the man’s dying-declaration to police was that
William Carroll / The Herald
Kids compete in pedal tractor races during Saturday’s Alabama Antique Tractor Show and Pull event in Elmore. The races were just one of a number of activities geared towards children during the event.
Elmore County Tractor Show a big success By WILLIAM CARROLL Managing Editor
A large crowd made its way to Elmore this past weekend for the Alabama Antique Tractor Show and Pull event to benefit the Elmore Volunteer Fire Department. The crowd was treated to a number of events including not only an antique tractor show and pull, but also inflatables and games for the kids, including a number of youth pedal tractor races and a petting zoo. One of the most popular events was the car crushing display put on by Bigfoot. Hundreds of show participants crowded the Bigfoot area to get a chance to see the monster truck up close. The event is the largest fundraiser of the year for the department and is hosted along with the Southern Antique Iron Association. Event coordinator Bart Mercer was pleased with the turnout for the event.
“The event went very well this weekend,” he said. “We had a large crowd, plenty of activities.” Mercer said that it will take some time to calculate the total amount raised for the department, but that there are plans for the funds contributed as part of the event. “This year we will be putting those funds raised towards building a brush truck,” he said. Mercer said the event was a concerted effort of the entire Elmore community. “It takes volunteers from the Elmore Fire Department along with other fire departments that help, members of the Southern Antique Iron Association, the Town of Elmore, along with community members that volunteer their time,” he said. “Most of the day Saturday we had about 30 volunteers working to ensure we had a good event.”
See ARREST • Page 3
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