Stanhope Elmore falls to PCA in tiebreak
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SATURDAY-SUNDAY • SEPTEMBER 3-4, 2016
THEWETUMPKAHERALD.COM
VOL. 11, NO. 33
‘Winston’s Law’ mom pleads guilty
By COREY ARWOOD Staff Writer
A Wetumpka woman at the center of a notorious child abuse case made a “blind” guilty plea Wednesday to aggravated child abuse that could carry a maximum penalty of 20-years in prison. Now her sentencing will be held October 12 to determine whether the mother of the child that inspired
“Winston’s Law” will be behind bars until she is nearly 50. That is what a local DA and “Winston’s Law” sponsor wants. He said it was “unfortunate” the law which held a potential 99-years’ sentence on such charges could not be applied retroactively. The incident was reported around mid-September of 2015 as details emerged about the conditions of the
4-year-old son of Hallee Ann McLeod. The story is now widely known how he was found in Bay County, Florida as McLeod’s then partner, Scott T. Hicks, also of Wetumpka was reportedly dealing with legal issues at a courthouse in Panama City. Reports are that the child was found unresponsive after having been left under a blanket in the backseat of a vehicle in September for about an hour-and-a-half. See PLEA • Page 3
Car chase ends in fiery crash
Inmate dies in stabbing incident
By COREY ARWOOD Staff Writer
By COREY ARWOOD Staff Writer
The Elmore County Sheriff’s Office has reported a cross-county highspeed chase that ended in an airborne fiery crash killing the 28-year-old female passenger of the vehicle, which was said to have been largely travelling over 90-miles per hour. The driver of the vehicle, Wesley Kyle Phelps, also 28, sustained extensive injuries and was ultimately taken to UAB Hospital for treatment, an ECSO official said. However the victim, Melissa New, of McCalla, was pronounced dead on the scene, he said. The driver was said to have admitted to paramedics he had used heroin and cocaine. The chase began just before 4 a.m. Wednesday, Sheriff Bill Franklin said See CHASE • Page 3
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William C Willi Carroll ll / Th The Herald H ld
Elmore County Highway Department employees now have new office and meeting spaces thanks to a $1.2 Highway Department Administrative Building that was officially opened on Thursday morning.
County unveils new highway building By WILLIAM CARROLL Managing Editor
Elmore County cut the ribbon on its newest addition, its $1.2 million Highway Department Administrative Building Thursday as part of a ceremony recognizing Elmore County Highway Department employees. The building is a component of “Blueprint 2020” the Elmore County Commission’s $38 Million total investment plan created by the County Commission to improve county roads, bridges and buildings. During the presentation, Elmore County Engineer Richie Beyer pointed out that the
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See INMATE • Page 3
SUV collides into store front of local doughnut shop By COREY ARWOOD Staff Writer
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plan to build the new facility dated back to 2003 when he first came on board with the county. “That (2003) was when we started putting money aside to do this,” Beyer said, noting that the original cost to construct the facility went from $500,000 in 2003 to $1.2 million. Beyer added that $24.5 million of the $38 million in county improvements went specifically to road and bridge projects throughout the county, while $13.5 million went to upgrading county buildings. Since 2003, he said $125 million dollars has been utilized or secured for the purpose of improving and maintaining the county’s See BUILDINGS • Page 3
Another stabbing has occurred at the Elmore Correctional Facility after an “altercation” was said to have broken out between two inmates leaving one dead from multiple stab wounds, according to the Alabama Department of Corrections. An AL DOC press report said the incident occurred in the Gladney afternoon during an “altercation” between Davieon Cotez Williams, 24, and Jonathan Gladney, 41. Williams was pronounced dead by a prison doctor nearly 30-minutes later at roughly 5 p.m., according to the report, which stated that officers took Williams his body to the infirmary. According to the report, Gladney
An SUV smashed into the store front of a local donut shop Tuesday afternoon sending glass and bricks flying as the vehicle lodged itself halfway in the store. There were no injuries with the shop closed at the time of the impact. It is unclear if the driver of the vehicle was injured in the incident, or why they ran into the building. The owner of the shopping center, Tom Overton, said he was notified by Wetumpka Fire Department around 1:30 p.m. He said he was told that the driver was a woman who was trying to get
to the adjacent nail salon at the time. Just on the other side of the wall, employees in the business to the right of Donuts D-Lite described what they heard and saw at the time of the crash. One of the women said it sounded just like a car crashing into a building. She heard the boom and the tires squealed, albeit “after the fact,” she added. A post on the Donuts D-Lite, LLC social media page showed the footage from what was said to be the security camera running in the store at the time of the impact. In the video a newer model red SUV can be seen swinging right and fast into the parking space but did not See COLLISION • Page 3
pka m u t e W
Corey Arwood / The Herald
A local doughnut shop had most of its store front wiped out by a SUV that drove into the building Monday.
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