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THE WETUMPKA HERALD Elmore County’s Oldest Newspaper - Established 1898
Wetumpka, AL 36092
50¢
WEDNESDAY • OCTOBER 26, 2016
THEWETUMPKAHERALD.COM
VOL. 118, NO.40
Local woman killed in crash with Wetumpka police officer By DAVID GRANGER Staff Writer
A local woman was killed Saturday in two-car accident at the intersection of Cambridge Drive and U.S. 231 that involved a Wetumpka police officer driving his department cruiser. Elaine Merritt, 52, of Wetumpka was killed when the 2016 Honda
Pilot she was driving collided with the cruiser, a 2010 Dodge Charger, driven by Andrew Bass, a Wetumpka police officer at the intersection of Cambridge Drive and U.S. 231, according to information released by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Merritt was later pronounced dead at Elmore Community Hospital. The ALEA release did not iden-
tify the police officer, but Bass was identified in several Facebook posts. Bass, who worked previously as a deputy in the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, was taken to Elmore Community Hospital and later transferred to UAB Hospital in Birmingham where he underwent surgery for his injuries on Monday morning. See WRECK • Page A3
David Granger / The Herald
ALEA officials spent a couple of hours this morning investigating a wreck that occurred on Saturday at the intersection of Cambridge Drive and U.S. 231.
New principal announced by school board
Commissioner Faulk arrested on felony ethics violation
By COREY ARWOOD Staff Writer
By DAVID GRANGER Staff Writer
Joe Faulk, Elmore County Commissioner for District 4, was arrested Tuesday morning on felony ethics violations, booked at Elmore County Jail and released on $5,000 bond, according to Elmore County Sheriff Bill Franklin. Franklin said Faulk was charged with use of his public office for personal gain, but said further details would need Faulk to come from the attorney general’s office, which made the arrest. Attempts to reach Faulk for comment were unsuccessful. Mike Lewis, communications director for the attorney general’s office, would only say that “an arrest was made following a complaint and an arrest warrant” See ARREST • Page A8
Corey Arwood / The Tribune
FRANKENSTEIN RUN
Kids and parents break from the starting gate during the Fun Run portion of Wetumpka Elementary School’s Frankenstein Run. According to WES Principal Bonnie Sullivan, 28 runners participated in the event. Kent Disbrow was top male runner in the 5k and Debra Weldon, who is also a teacher at WES was top female.
New leadership, direction for local Democratic Party By CORY ARWOOD Staff Writer
The Elmore County Democratic Executive Committee met in the Elmore County Courthouse in downtown Wetumpka Monday with a new interim chairperson and the dual goals of growing its membership and working to remedy county voting issues. With the election less than two weeks away, the local chapter of the political party convened under its new direction to discuss strategies to get voters to the polls for the Nov. 8 general election. Brenda Henderson said she was made the party’s new interim chair after a series of leadership changes when the outgoing chairs relocated to Corey Arwood / The Tribune other areas. Previously, she said, she was the party’s trea- The new interim chairperson of the Elmore County Democratic Executive Committee, surer and joined roughly a year ago after coming Brenda Henderson, shows party members sample ballots before their meeting in the See DEMOCRATS • Page A5 Elmore County Courthouse.
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Most of Monday’s Elmore County School Board meeting was spent in the presentation of honors and awards, as a special ceremony was held for its chairman who was honored for his 36 years serving on the school board in an emotional reception after the meeting. There was also a major personnel change approved by the board, and a new principal was announced for one of the county high schools. The new appointment to replace outgoing principal Jamey McGowin at Millbrook’s Stanhope Elmore High School was approved in the personnel action list. The new principal was a previous 5-year assistant to McGowan, and said he had 22-years military experience, and had been in previous teaching positions as well throughout See SCHOOL BOARD • Page A3
Long-term meth operation taken down by ECSO
By COREY ARWOOD Staff Writer
A long time “person of interest” and a monthslong operation led Elmore County law enforcement to over 100 grams of a hardcore controlled substance, with “estimated street value” of $20,000, said Elmore County Sheriff’s officials. Sheriff Bill Franklin said Nix it all culminated in a traffic stop that produced 162 grams of ice methamphetamine, otherwise known as crystal See DRUG BUST • Page A2