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THE WETUMPKA HERALD Elmore County’s Oldest Newspaper - Established 1898
Wetumpka, AL 36092
50¢
WEDNESDAY • SEPTEMBER 14, 2016
THEWETUMPKAHERALD.COM
VOL. 118, NO.34
Eclectic 17-year-old charged with shooting parents Sheriff: Former Mayor Mike Holton and wife die after Sunday shooting By COREY ARWOOD Staff Writer
A past mayor of Eclectic and his wife have died from a double shooting and their 17-yearold son is facing murder charges and is in jail on a $150,000 bond as an investigation contin-
Holton
ues by Elmore County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Bill Franklin said Tuesday they were still in the “infant stages” of the investigation into the murders of Mike and April Holton. He said there would now be an examination of April by the Department of Forensic Science, however he said the pathology report would likely spell another count of murder for the Holton’s son, Jesse Holton, a senior at Elmore County High School, Franklin said. The ECSO is collecting evidence and have
sent fingerprint and blood samples from Jesse Holton, collected through a search warrant, to the forensic investigators, he said. The results of the report on April, like the report received by the ECSO on Monday from Mike Holton, Franklin said would “loom large” for the case. The bond would also probably be the same, $150,000, Franklin said, if Jesse Holton gets See SHOOTING • Page 3
Council votes on downtown revamp
Local business owner arrested on rape and burglary charges
By COREY ARWOOD Staff Writer
By COREY ARWOOD Staff Writer
The first city council after last month’s elections saw a strong public turnout, and held heated discussions on agenda topics followed by a public comment where a number of residents voiced their concerns about issues in their districts. To top the agenda, a public hearing was held for a liquor license requested by the owner of new restaurant. The owner of Hacienda San Marcos Restaurant & Bar, located off of U.S. Highway 231, was at the meeting
The owner of a local fitness business is in jail for first-degree rape and burglary charges on a $130,000 bond and has been held at Elmore County Jail since Sunday, sheriff’s officials said. The alleged incident occurred around 4 p.m. that afternoon Sheriff Bill Franklin said. Hughes Elmore County Sherriff’s Officials said Monday, Charles Hughes, otherwise known as Chase Hughes, 27, was still being held on the two charges. The count of first-degree rape carried with it a bond of $100,000, while the second-degree burglary charge carried a $30,000 bond amount, Franklin said. According to records from the See ARREST • Page 5
Corey Arwood / The Herald
REMEMBERING 9 -11 A ceremony to add about 230 names to the Elmore County 9-11 Memorial was held Monday. The organizer of the event on behalf of the Elmore County Commission was Chief Warrant Officer 4, Gardner Perdue, as pictured. A number of military personnel, and families representing the names placed on the monument were said to have been present at the ceremony. He said another event was held as well by local Boy Scout troops 13, 50 and 429 in which a half-circle of flags was dedicated in memory of a local World War II veteran
See COUNCIL • Page 3
School board approves 2016-17 budget Redland Elementary expansion approved By WILLIAM CARROLL Managing Editor
After two public meetings to discuss the budget on Friday morning and Monday afternoon, the Elmore County Board of Education voted unanimously to approve the fiscal year 2016-2017 budget at its Monday afternoon meeting. According to the budget, a copy of which was provided at the meeting, the district is anticipating $98,068,669.54 in revenues and $98,160,359.44 in expenditures. Of the revenues, $63,953,033 will
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come from state sources, $8,462,507 from federal sources and $25,383, 613 will come from local sources, $287,516 will come from other sources. $55,123,611 of the expense is directly tied to instructional services, with an additional $12,751,523 being tied to instructional support. Operation and maintenance fees account for $7,936,839 of the costs while $12,298, 959 is tied to auxiliary services. The remainder of the expenditures are for administrative services, capital outlay, See BUDGET • Page 3
By WILLIAM CARROLL Managing Editor
Redland Elementary School will be getting a few more classrooms after the Elmore County Board of Education approved a recommendation from the superintendent to hire the architectural/engineering firm of Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood of Montgomery to proceed with the design of a four classroom addition to the school, during the board’s monthly meeting Monday.
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Elmore County Schools Superintendent Dr. Andre Harrison had originally suggested the idea of the four-classroom expansion at Redland Elementary during a board work session Friday morning. Harrison pitched the idea as part of an overall master plan for facility needs throughout the county. “We want to look at all of our facilities here in Elmore County,” he said. “We vwould like to look at having a See EXPANSION • Page 5