SPORTS: Cox named Greco All-American, B1 Deputy recovering after being shot in Claud standoff, B8 INSIDE: Wetumpka Publix to open today, A5 WEDNESDAY, JULY 31, 2024 | VOL. 125, NO. 31 | $1.00
Juries convict 2 in relation to juvenile deaths Holtville High School basketball coach arrested WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2022 | VOL. 123, NO. 5 | $1.00
STAFF REPORT TPI Staff By Cliff Williams Staff Writer In Elmore County, two defendants convicted in jury trials A were virtual teacher at Elmore forCounty two separate incidents involvSchool’s Edge program inghas children. been arrested and charged According a press release with schoolto employee distribfrom 19th Judicialmaterial Circuit district uting obscene to a stuattorney dent. CJ Robinson, a jury found Shirley Matthews guilty of aggraElmore County Sheriff Bill vated child abuse which caused the Franklin said Emmanuel Andre Wilson II, 32, of Montgomery turned himself into authorities Tuesday afternoon.
death of her two-month-old son, Karson. Aggravated child abuse is Wilson was the head basketa Class A felony, which is punishball coach at Holtville High able by 10 to 99 years in prison. School and was Karson on Matthews placed ad- was born in July 2018, weighing 6 pounds, 2 ministrative ounces and in September 2018, he leave Jan. 13 was taken unresponsive to Elmore according to ElCommunity Hospital, weighing more County 4Schools pounds, 13 ounces. An autopsy superdetermined intendent Karson’s Rich- cause of death to be negligence and the ard Dennis. WILSON “We had a report,” Dennis said. “We had a preliminary
manner of death to be homicide, the press release stated. investigation and handed it off In an interview with law to the appropriate authorities. enforcement, Shirley admitted to He was also placed on adminishaving never taken trative leave at thatKarson time.”to the doctor after being released from Dennis said school officials the hospital after his birth. She follow the same procedure claimedadministrators to be feeding him regu- a when receive larly andofthought he would evenreport allegations against tually gain weight. However, school staff and employees.the jury heardwe overwhelming medical “Once hand it over, we testimony child’s mal-is know veryabout littletheabout what going on,” Dennis said. “We cooperate with authorities if necessary.”
thews, was indicted for the same charges as his wife Shirley and his Franklin said investigators Wilson was released on a case is still pending. with the Elmore County Sher- $6,000 bond 90 minutes af“It is never easy to try cases on iff’s Office have the alleged vic- ter turning himself in accordbehalf of Elmore innocent County children who tim’s phone. Authorities collect- ing to the Jail senselessly suffer because of the ed Wilson’s phone as well. website. choices ofsaid the adults who are sup“You could see a conversaDennis Wilson also posed toother protectsports and love them,” tion between the two,” Frankcoached at HoltMATTHEWS ROBINSON Robinson said. “This week we sat lin said. “Mr. Wilson is going ville schools including being which to thewith thetrack families of three victims tonourished contendcondition someone hadledthe head coach and assishis death.code to his phone and tant football coach. security Karson’s father, Kristopher Mat- Dennis said other See DEATHS, Page A6 he was not responsible. There staff would is other information we can’t fill in for the duties of Wilson at disclose now but I don’t think Holtville while he is on adminit’s beneficial to Mr. Wilson.” istrative leave.
HSEC on lockdown withPolice canine Chamber holds luncheoninfluenza continue in the air
welcoming members
investigation, man no longer suspected
By LIZI ARBOGAST GWIN Managing Editor
By Cliff Williams Staff Writer
‘THREAD MY NEEDLE’ The Wetumpka Chamber of Commerce held its annual luncheon to install new officers and board members for the first time in a while Thursday. The COVID-19 pandemic put a hamper on gatherings but the chamber celebrated the successes of business in Wetumpka. “We haven’t been able to do this for the last couple years,” chairperson Clay McConnell said. “Your attendance is an indication people want to get back together and have these opportunities to see each
Members After the COVID-19 of the pandemic, humans are used to hunkering down Wetumpka Chamberand of going into quarantine. Commerce But dogs — not so much. attend the chamber’s “A Taste of Our Home Town” By Jake Arthur luncheon. CLIFF WILLIAMS/
See HSEC, Page A8
Chief Videographer
THE HERALD
Police are still investigating the fatal shooting in the Wetumpka Walmart parking lot on Jan. 20. Police were dispatched to the parking lot around 10:45 p.m. for a “shots fired” call. Once there, they found Centell Winston, 42 of Tallassee, dead of a gunshot wound in the driver seat of his vehicle. According to Wetumpka police chief Greg Benton, this was not a random shooting. “This was not random, not a random act,” said Benton. “We believe the victim and the perpetrator knew each other.” This is the first homicide in Wetumpka SUBMITTED | TPI in over three years. The last homicide in Dogs at the Humane Society of Elmore County are undergothe city took place in 2018. ing quarantine after an outbreak of the canine influenza virus. “It’s not a good way to start out the new year,” said Benton. Benton didn’t want to speculate on the
See CHAMBER, Page A3
Keeping traditions going one stitch at a time By CLIFF WILLIAMS News Editor
J
acqueline Lacey and Martha Piner share a love of quilting. They are part of the founders of Thread CLIFF WILLIAMS | TPI My Needle Quilters in TOP: Martha Piner pushes a threaded needle through three layers Wetumpka. But it might be in the quilting frame at the Elmore County Black History Museum. the camaraderie surroundPiner is part of a group of about 10 that meet every Tuesday to quilt ing the generations old traand chat. dition they love better. ABOVE: Jacqueline Lacey, 95, chats with Martha Piner as they quilt “We like to sit around at the Elmore County Black History Museum. Lacey and Piner are and talk,” Lacey, 95, said. founding members of the Thread My Needle Quilting group that “We will pick up the neestarted in 1997 in Lacey’s home. Staff Report dle and thread and share schoolwide assembly at Holtville the school culture from that of a School. Elmore with low mostories of the week as we High something to do.County Su- school The struggling group grew quickly Thequilt.” Alabama Association of perintendent Richard Dennis was rale, achievement and attendance “Ms. Lacey and I both and a year later in 1998 Secondary School Principals in attendance for the presentation. to a school that Elmore strives for excelLacey first welcomed love crafts,” Piner said. moved to the (AASSP) named Holtville High “Kyle Futral is an exceptionlence. By collaborating with staff, a small group interested “We decided we would get County Black History School principal Kyle Futral the al principal and is very proacmany of the school’s issues were in quilting to her home in together and she would Museum. Since, the Thread 2022 Alabama High School Printive and innovative in his thinkidentified and addressed. Futral’s 1997. She and Piner were teach me how to quilt. We cipal of the Year. and approaches to managing leadership See style of listening, enretired and searching for ingstarted at her house.” STITCH, Page A8 The High School Principal of his school,” Dennis said, couraging, supporting, organizing the Year award was presented to As principal of Holtville High and challenging the staff and stuFutral on Friday, Jan. 28 during a School, Futral has transformed dents, caused the school culture to
That’s what the Humane Society of Elmore County is up against right now, though, as there has been an outbreak of the canine influenza virus. “It’s a respiratory
Millbrook considering rezoning for duplexes Holtville’s Futral Alabama principal of the year
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By CLIFF WILLIAMS News Editor shift in a positive direction. The school experienced a 62 percent Duplexesreferrals, could be comdecrease in discipline ing to the intersection 50 percent decrease in chronic of Streetincrease and Graff Road absenteeism,Main 7 percent in Millbrook. in the graduation rate, 33 percent increase in CCRProperty rate and aowners 20 per-of acres are asking the cent increase3.88 in ACT proficiency in the last fiveMillbrook years. City Council to rezone the parcel from familyPage dwellings to See single PRINCIPAL, A3 multi-family designation. It
would allow the construction of proposed 12-single floor duplexes. The issue came up in last week’s Millbrook City Council meeting during a first reading of the ordinance. “I wasn’t there to hear the public comments,” Mayor Al Kelley said. “I was at a conference.” FUTURAL See REZONING, Page A6
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