Grand Jury recommends the Alabama police station “immediately removed”

The big jury in Alabama recommended that the City Police Department be “immediately removed”, finding that there was a “angry culture of corruption,” said officers on Wednesday while announcing five of the agency’s employees, including his police chief.

Five Hansville police officers were arrested and charged against a study in the department, said Corman Crocker district prosecutor. The husband of one of the officers was also accused, he said.

“This is a sad day for law enforcement agencies, but at the same time it’s a good day for the rule of law,” Croker said during a briefing at the press on Wednesday.

Crocker provided limited details on the case. Although the investigation covered the evidence hall of the department and the death of Hansville dispatcher, 49-year-old Christopher Michael Willingham, who was found dead by a combination of toxic drugs at work, staff said.

The large Cullman County jury found that the Hansville Police Department “failed to report, preserve and maintain evidence and thus failed the victims of crimes and in general the public” by making the evidence “unusable,” Croker said.

The big jury also found that the death of Willingham was “the direct result of the negligence of Hansville’s police department, the lack of a procedure, the general incompetence and the neglect of human life,” Croker said.

None of the defendants is accused of Willingham’s death, Croker said. Although “unlimited access that many people had” in the evidence hall is at the heart of the big jury’s finding regarding the death of the dispatcher, Croker said.

“One of the most concerned things we found in this process is that the Hansville Police Department’s evidence was not provided,” Croker said.

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Croker said Willingham gained access, “like many other people,” at the evidence, including on his last day of work. The dispatcher died on August 23, 2024, with the cause of death being designated “combined toxic effects of fentanyl, gabapentin, diazepam, amphetamine, carizoprodol and methocarbamol” and the way of death, according to the state medical report on autopsy of the inspector.

Asked if Willingham could have been exposed to fentanyl, who was not kept in a safe place, Croker said, “Nothing was certain about the evidence room. And when G -n Willingham was found, there was evidence in his office. “

A municipal judge entered an order on Wednesday, calling for an audit of the evidence room, Croker said.

The accused are the head of Hansville police Jason Shane Marlin, who was accused of failure to commit ethics crimes and forged physical evidence, Croker said.

Employees Cody Alan Kelso and Jason Scott Wilbanks were accused of seasoning a computer, forged physical evidence, conspiracy for committing a controlled crime of substances and using an official position for personal gain, Croker said.

Officer William Andrew Shelnut has been accused of forgery of physical evidence, Croker said.

Eric Michael Kelso, who was a reserve officer, and his wife, Donna Reed Kelso, were accused of unlawful distribution of a controlled substance and conspiracy for the unlawful distribution of a controlled substance, Croker said. Distribution fees are not based on the distribution of anything within the evidence and they are “accused of distributing certain medicines by other persons, including some of these other defendants,” he said.

All charges are crimes, with the exception of the forgery of physical evidence, which is a crime, Croker said. This accusation claims that the defendants “incorrectly processed or removed evidence from the evidence,” he said.

The accused employees’ employment status was unclear, Croker said.

The defendants surrendered on Wednesday and since then made Bond, said Country Sheriff Matt Gentry. The lawyer’s information was not available immediately.

“There is nothing more important to us in the law enforcement agencies than good, honest enforcement. When we have those who are wrong, it hurts all of us,” Gentry said during a briefing on Wednesday.

Among the nearly dozen points raised from the big court hearing, he found that the department was a “specific and constant threat to public safety”, there is an “angry culture of corruption” and “recently acting as a more criminal endeavor than a law agency -an enforcement agency -an enforcement agency -an enforcement agency -a law. Croker said.

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Croker said the large jury recommended that the Hansville Police Department “be removed immediately” and another law enforcement agency to be charged with the protection of Hansville citizens, which has a population of about 3000.

Gentry said the sheriff’s office did not receive a formal request to take over the Hansville region in Kulman County, “But we are preparing.”

“We will do everything we need to protect our citizens in Hansville,” he said.

Hansville Mayor Jim Sawyer said he and the City Council are fully cooperating with the investigation.

“The Council will carefully consider all the recommendations and will act quickly and decisively to deal with police problems,” he said in a statement on Wednesday. “Our citizens, industries and businesses deserve a resolution and we will pursue and apply the necessary corrective actions openly and aggressively. We are deeply sorry for the negative impact that this situation has exerted on our community and the hardworking employees of our city.”

“It is a pity that the actions of several have downplayed the good name of our city,” he added.

Grand Jury recommends that the Alabama Police Department be “immediately removed” originally appeared on abcnews.go.com