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Wetumpka has won 15 consecutive home games under coach Tim Perry, dating back to the 2016 season. File / The Herald
VOL. 120, NO. 48
Murder trial set Man charged with strangling Wetumpka woman in 2017 has trial set for January By AMALIA KORTRIGHT Bureau Chief
Wetumpka plays Saraland for spot in title game By CALEB TURRENTINE Sports Writer
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or the first time in school history, Wetumpka will play in a Class 6A state semifinal game for the second consecutive season. The No. 9 Indians (11-2) host No. 6 Saraland (12-1) Friday night at Hohenberg Field with a spot in next week’s Super 7 at Auburn’s JordanHare Stadium on the line. “It’s very exciting and very special opportunity to be playing in the semifinals,” said Wetumpka coach Tim Perry, who is trying to take the Indians back to the Super 7 for a second consecutive season. “You can’t take this for granted. We
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emphasize that to the players.” Wetumpka, which defeated No. 2 Spanish Fort 21-17 in the quarterfinals last week, has not lost at Hohenberg Field since 2016 — a stretch of 15 straight victories at home. “Our guys have developed some confidence at home,” Perry said. “We want playing at Hohenberg to be something special and they have bought into that. You always want to play well at home.” Saraland last reached the semifinals in 2014, when the Spartans beat Spanish Fort to reach the Super 7. Saraland has defeated St. Paul’s, Stanhope Elmore and Opelika this season. The game is scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m. Make sure to tune in to The Wetumpka Herald’s Facebook page an hour before kickoff for a special edition of Inside the Lines to preview the game. Read all about the Indians on Page A5 inside.
The jury trial of a Deatsville man accused of strangling a Wetumpka woman to death in 2017 is set to begin in January. The trial of David Arnold Helms II, 42, who lists an address on Lakehaven Circle, is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. on Jan. 28, according to court documents. Helms Helms was initially charged with murder on June 5, 2017, after the estranged husband of Jane Huddleston, 59, asked Elmore County Sheriff Bill Franklin to conduct a welfare check on her at her residence on Tallassee Highway, close to the Claud Road community, according to court documents. When Franklin and a sergeant from the Elmore County Sheriff’s Office arrived, Franklin said they spoke with Helms, who had been staying with Huddleston, and a man Franklin referred to as Huddleston’s co-worker. Franklin said the co-worker indicated Huddleston’s body had been placed in a partially filled well on the property. While they were unsure how long the body had been in the well, Franklin said Huddleston had been missing for several days and a lanyard found around Huddleston’s neck is believed to be the murder
Over the past several months, Golden Retriever-Labrador mix Zurg has been working with abused and neglected children who are undergoing forensic interviews, medical examinations, therapy sessions and court hearings. Pictured, at left, is Stephanie Harris.
Butterfly Bridge welcomes ‘superhero’ facility dog By AMALIA KORTRIGHT Bureau Chief
Staff at the Butterfly Bridge Children’s Advocacy Center locations in Elmore, Autauga and Chilton counties have been working hard over the past few months to introduce a new co-worker to their communities. According to handler Stephanie Harris, Butterfly Bridge’s new facility dog, a Golden Retriever-Labrador mix named Zurg, joined the team in
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