By Stephen Dawkins | Assistant Managing Editor

Chilton County law enforcement has made its first arrest based on the state’s controversial new illegal immigration law.

A Jemison man was deemed to be in the United States illegally and arrested Friday, while a Jemison police officer was acquiring basic information following a minor car wreck in the parking lot of a fuel station just off Interstate 65 Exit 219.

Ruben Gonzalez Ruiz, 44, of Jemison reportedly presented Officer Tera Mayfield with a Mexican passport stamped with a date of 1991.

Alabama’s new immigration bill requires officers unable to determine whether a person is a legal citizen to check that person’s status with the federal agency Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.

Eight minutes after a query was sent to ICE through the National Crime Information Center service, Jemison Police received a reply that Ruiz did not have a valid passport and was “subject to removal proceedings,” JPD Chief Shane Fulmer said.

“So he was arrested for violation of immigration law and transported to Chilton County Jail, where he will be held upon adjudication by the Jemison Municipal Court and turned over to Immigration,” Fulmer said.

Though many have spoken out against the new law—including law enforcement officials concerned about the added workload and costs associated with housing more people in the county jail—Fulmer said he must enforce it.

“I sent three officers to immigration law training Wednesday, and [state officials] made it perfectly clear that there is no option,” Fulmer said. “There is no officer discretion when it comes to applying this law and enforcing this law.

“If I’m put in a situation where a law has been broken and I’m supposed to enforce the law, that’s exactly what we’re going to do, regardless of the situation. We’re going to enforce the law.”

By Stephen Dawkins | Assistant Managing Editor

Jemison Police are looking for a man accused of kidnapping and assaulting a fellow resident of the city and then throwing him out of a moving vehicle.

Rodrigo Aburto Fernandez, 24, is wanted for crimes that allegedly left 18-year-old Jose Alfredo Sanchez bleeding and laying beside County Road 5 on July 31.

Sanchez was transported to UAB hospital via helicopter but first was able to tell officers that his injuries followed him being forced into a vehicle by four masked men on County Road 220.

Sanchez was beaten and cut with a knife and said one of the assailants—Fernandez—removed his mask and told Sanchez the attack was payback for Sanchez signing a warrant against Fernandez in October 2010 for harassment.

“We are 100 percent confident that the motive is that this victim filed charges on him back last year, and [Fernandez] was deported,” JPD Chief Shane Fulmer said. “Apparently the victim was pulled into a vehicle, assaulted and thrown from the moving vehicle onto the side of road, where he was found…bleeding badly.”

Sanchez’s injuries were not life threatening.

The other three suspects in the attack have not been indentified.

A warrant was issued for Fernandez on charges of kidnapping and felony assault.

Fernandez was arrested on Oct. 10 and taken to the Chilton County Jail facing charges of harassment, possessing a pistol without a permit and violation of the prohibition law (having alcohol in his vehicle in a dry county).

“It was determined while he was in jail that the city of Jemison and Clanton had warrants on him as well,” Fulmer said.

Fernandez made bond in January but was turned over to Calera Police Department. He also visited the Shelby County Jail on charges brought by the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department before agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported him to Mexico on Jan. 27.

Fernandez was deported again on April 15.

By Stephen Dawkins | Assistant Managing Editor

Law enforcement officials encourage residents with emergencies to always call 911 instead of a police department.

That point has been made more imperative by the incorrect number for the Jemison Police Department listed in the current Chilton County edition of Yellowbook.

The telephone number for Jemison Middle School is listed for the city’s police department.

The police can be reached at 688-4492, but again, anyone with an emergency should call 911.

“We probably get as many requests for assistance or inquiries within the police department through the front office as we do through our [911] dispatch,” JPD Chief Shane Fulmer said. “But dispatch is more efficient and there’s an accountability there. Call them; that’s what they’re there for.”

JMS principal Mark Knight said an extra 20 or so calls a day have stressed school secretaries that were already stretched thin.

“They’re calling saying, ‘I thought I was calling the police department,’” Knight said. “I called (Yellowbook) and let them know I wasn’t real happy about it. But we just give them the right number. I guess that’s all we can do.”

The publication with the incorrect information was printed in March.

Also, the police department’s address is incorrect, being listed as the location of the old Jemison Middle School.

The correct address is 14 Padgett Lane, Jemison, 35085.

By Stephen Dawkins | Assistant Managing Editor

Jemison Police Department’s planned Citizens Academy has been rescheduled to begin April 12.

The academy was scheduled to begin March 8, but the death of Officer Josh Newman on March 5 and the events that followed forced the postponement of the Academy.

Still, Jemison Police officials said they expect much participation when the academy does get underway.

“We had several signed up before,” Deputy Chief Marc McMinn said. “We’re expecting a lot again. It’s going to be a good thing.”

The dates are the only things that will change about the academy, which will include 10 weeks of training over a one-year period.

Classes will start at 6 p.m. on Tuesdays at the Jemison Municipal Complex courtroom.

Topics covered will include: patrol operations and policy, understanding citations, accident investigation, vehicle inspection, use of force, firearm safety, narcotic investigation, evidence collection and traffic stops.

Special demonstrations will include: a facility tour, mock crime scenes, Chilton County Jail tour, K-9 demonstration, a Taser demonstration, a visit to a firing range, and possibly the opportunity to ride along with officers on patrol.

Instructors will include Jemison Police Chief Shane Fulmer, Deputy McMinn and other Jemison officers, plus an Alabama state trooper, local judges, the jail warden and others.

Fulmer stressed to The Clanton Advertiser in an initial interview that every instructor is affiliated with Chilton County law enforcement in some way.

The idea isn’t to teach participants how to do everything—that would take a more extensive course—but rather what is going on during police activity and why officers do the things they do.

“We’re excited about it, being able to do this with the general public,” Fulmer said in February.

Participants will also have the opportunity to share thoughts they have about JPD.

“We want feedback from the public,” Fulmer said.

Class size will be limited to 20 people, and slots will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. Those interested should pick up an application at the Municipal Complex during business hours.

Applicants should be at least 18 years old and without a criminal background.

At least eight classes will have to be attended for a participant to graduate from the academy.

At the end of the course, graduates will be declared academy alumni, and Fulmer said there is even the possibility an alumni group could be formed that would assist Jemison officers with their work, such as providing a presence at sporting events.

By Stephen Dawkins | Assistant Managing Editor

Support continues to pour in for the family of Jemison Police Officer Josh Newman, who died in a car wreck over the weekend while on duty.

Jemison Police Chief Shane Fulmer said local residents have brought gifts by city hall, emails offering condolences have been received from as far away as Canada, and Jemison Elementary School students wrote hundreds of letters to Newman’s family.

“I’ve got people coming by the office and leaving stuff, leaving gifts, leaving cards, and I’m getting everything together every evening and taking it to the family,” Fulmer said.

In order to give some direction to those wanting to help, the city of Jemison set up the “Officer Josh Newman Memorial Fund” at BB&T bank branches.

Fulmer also encouraged people to visit the Officer Down Memorial Page at odmp.org and write on Newman’s memorial book.

Contact the Jemison Municipal Complex at 688-4492 or BB&T at 688-4186.

Newman’s funeral will be Thursday, March 10 at 2 p.m. at Jemison Municipal Complex at 14 Padgett Lane. Burial will follow at New Hope Community Cemetery on County Road 42 East in Jemison. Food and refreshments will follow the services back at the municipal complex.

Visitation will be Wednesday, March 9, starting at 5 p.m. at the Jemison Municipal Complex. Ellison-Mims Funeral Home of Clanton will direct the services.

Fulmer said many people and churches have contacted the department about bringing by food. He said the best time to do that would be for the gathering following Newman’s funeral and burial Thursday. Contact Councilwoman Faye King to help with food at 688-2059 or 287-1786.

By Stephen Dawkins | Assistant Managing Editor

A Jemison man has been charged with assault after striking pedestrians with his vehicle for the second time in three months.

Thomas Brackin Jr., 74, was charged with second degree assault, a Class B felony, and arrested about 6:30 p.m. Tuesday after an investigation by the Jemison Police Department.

“Throughout the investigation, evidence that was obtained contradicted the original statements given on the scene of the accident,” JPD Chief Shane Fulmer said.

At about 6:05 a.m. on Jan. 27, a 60-year-old Union Grove man was struck by a pick-up truck on County Road 42 near Interstate 65 Exit 219.

The man suffered internal injuries that required surgery but were not life-threatening.

The driver told police he was traveling west and turned slightly off the road to keep from hitting a tractor-trailer coming from the opposite direction. When he did, he instead hit the man, just off the bridge that crosses over 65.

But video from a gas station near the site of the incident contradicted Brackin’s claim, as did eyewitnesses who came forward after the incident.

Fulmer said no motive is apparent, and no medical condition has been discovered that would impair Brackin’s driving ability.

Brackin is out of jail on bond.

Brackin also struck a fifth grader on the same road, near its intersection with Highway 31, on Nov. 10, 2010.

The earlier incident was ruled an accident, and Fulmer said he remains confident with that ruling.

By Stephen Dawkins | Assistant Managing Editor

Jemison Police Chief Shane Fulmer wants city residents to feel more like part of the force.

What better way than to put them through the Academy?

While different than the training police officers receive, graduates of Jemison’s first Citizens Academy will still gain great knowledge of the jobs officers perform.

“There’s a lot that the general public doesn’t know,” Fulmer said, and the academy is an effort to offer some insight.

The program will include 10 weeks of training over a one-year period.

Classes will be start at 6 p.m. on Tuesdays at the Jemison Municipal Complex courtroom.

Topics covered will include: patrol operations and policy, understanding citations, accident investigation, vehicle inspection, use of force, firearm safety, narcotic investigation, evidence collection and traffic stops.

Special demonstrations will include: a facility tour, mock crime scenes, Chilton County Jail tour, K-9 demonstration, a Taser demonstration, a visit to a firing range, and possibly the opportunity to ride along with officers on patrol.

Instructors will include Fulmer, Deputy Chief Marc McMinn and other Jemison officers, plus an Alabama state trooper, local judges, the jail warden and others.

Fulmer stressed that every instructor is affiliated with Chilton County law enforcement in some way.

The idea isn’t to teach participants how to do everything—that would take a more extensive course—but rather what is going on during police activity and why officers do the things they do.

“We’re excited about it, being able this with the general public,” Fulmer said.

Participants will also have the opportunity to share thoughts they have about JPD.

“We want feedback from the public,” Fulmer said.

The course is scheduled to begin on March 8.

Class size will be limited to 20 people, and slots will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. Those interested should pick up an application at the Municipal Complex during business hours.

The deadline for applications to be returned is Feb. 25.

Applicants should be at least 18 years old and without a criminal background.

At least eight classes will have to be attended for a participant to graduate from the academy.

At the end of the course, graduates will be declared academy alumni, and Fulmer said there is even the possibility an alumni group could be formed that would assist Jemison officers with their work, such as providing a presence at sporting events.

Such a group would further strengthen the connection between residents and their police force.

“It’s a good time to bond with the people,” Fulmer said. “You have to have community involvement and community trust in managing a city police department.”

By Stephen Dawkins

A convenience store in Jemison was robbed Monday evening.

The suspect made off with an undetermined amount of money after striking the clerk at B-Mart with a handgun, Jemison Police Chief Shane Fulmer said.

The store is located south of Jemison off Highway 31,

The clerk, who was the only person in the store at the time of the crime, suffered minor injuries.

No arrests have been made, Fulmer said, though police are following several leads.

Officers are looking for a black male in his mid-20s who was wearing a black toboggan hat and a black jacket. He was described as about 6 feet tall and weighing about 165 pounds.

Anyone with information about the crime or the suspect should call Sgt. Jeff Manasco or Deputy Chief Marc McMinn with JPD at 688-4492 ext. 7.

“We’ll work diligently and do everything we can to find the person responsible,” Fulmer said.

The suspect fled the store on foot heading south along 31.

He entered the store about 6 p.m. and demanded money. The clerk opened the register, and then the suspect grabbed the drawer and made off with what he could.

“The whole ordeal probably didn’t last a minute, a minute and a half,” Fulmer said.

Fulmer said occurrences of these types of crimes almost always increase around the holidays.

“Business owners that stay open late into the night, I’d like to express to them, be cautious and report suspicious activity to us as soon as possible,” Fulmer said.

By Stephen Dawkins

Jemison’s city council on Monday approved a bid to enter into a contract for garbage pick-up with Longwood, Fla.-based Waste Pro.

The contract is dependent upon approval from Jemison’s attorney, but Waste Pro’s bid, the lowest of four entered for the service, was approved unanimously by the council members present, which did not include Sam Reed, who was absent because of medical reasons, Mayor Eddie Reed said.

Waste Pro’s service would begin at the beginning of the 2011 calendar year, and the council requested that residential trash be picked up on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, which Waste Pro representative Todd White said could be accommodated.

White said his company could remove Jemison’s trash in less than two full days, though there would likely be an initial transition period, with pick-up possibly taking all week, while routes are determined and all customers located.

Waste Pro entered a bid of $12 per standard residential customer pick-up. More would be charged for businesses and for customers who require more than one 95-gallon bin or who desire “backdoor pick-up.”

Jemison residents will see no change in their garbage bill.

The council agreed to a three-year contract.

Mayor Reed said the three city employees responsible for collecting garbage would remain employed and assigned to other duties.

In other business, the council:

•Approved a one-year, $1,075 contract with Active Air to service the Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning system in the city’s Municipal Complex.

Reed said the contract covers all work and parts associated with the system.
•Canceled the council meeting scheduled for Dec. 20. The next regularly scheduled meeting is Jan. 3.

•Added Byron Lindsey Oliver to the police reserve, with the recommendation of Police Chief Shane Fulmer and dependent on Oliver completing the necessary training requirements.

•Recognized councilwoman Faye King for her work in organizing the city’s Christmas parade, which was held on Dec. 4.

From staff reports

René Gigandet, a Jemison fifth grader who was struck by a vehicle near her home in Jemison on Nov. 10, has continued to improve during her stay at Children’s Hospital, according to Clanton Police Chief Shane Fulmer.

Gigandet, 10, was responsive Monday but is still in critical condition.

She was struck while crossing County Road 42 to her home near Dollar General about 5 p.m. on Nov. 10.

According to an initial investigation by the Jemison Police Department, the driver was not at fault.