The following is an activity report of the Jemison Police Department from Wednesday, Dec. 23 through Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2009:

Wednesday
No documented activity

Thursday
No documented activity

Friday
No documented activity

Saturday
•Harassing communications — 9000th block of County Road 42

Sunday
•Motor vehicle accident involving deer — County Road 42 and 25 (damage to vehicle)

Monday
•Hit-and-run — unknown location (damage to vehicle)
•Arrest warrant served for failure to appear in court on traffic violation
•Arrest for public intoxication (County Road 25)
•Arrest for reckless endangerment (County Road 42 East)

Tuesday
•Drug-related arrest made during traffic stop — County Road 51

The following is an activity report of the Thorsby Police Department for the month of December 2009:

Offenses
Misdemeanor assault (4), felony assault (1), misdemeanor domestic violence assault (4), sexual offenses (1), misdemeanor thefts (2), felony thefts (1), misdemeanor criminal mischief (1), driving under the influence (1), drug possession (1). Total reported offenses: 15.

Service calls
Alarms (8), animal control (32), citizen-assisted (3), disturbances (8), property-related (1), public service (3), suspicious activity (6), threats/harassment (1), traffic-related (3), other (25). Total calls for service: 90.

Arrests
Misdemeanor (3). Total arrests: 3.

Traffic enforcement
Speeding (24), no tag (2), no insurance (8), no driver’s license (5), warnings (16). Total citations: 55.

Motor vehicle accidents
Accident/no injury (2). Total accidents: 2.

Investigations
New cases (3), cases cleared (2), inactive cases (1).

The following is an activity report of the Thorsby Police Department for November 2009:

Offenses
Misdemeanor assaults (6), sexual offenses (1), residential burglary (1), misdemeanor theft (1), felony theft (3), misdemeanor criminal mischief (1), DUI (2), public intoxication (2). Total reported offenses (13).

Service calls
Alarms (1), animal control (9), citizen-assisted (15), disturbances (2), juvenile-related (2), public service (2), suspicious activity (4), threats/harassment (5), traffic-related (3), other (21). Total calls for service: 64.

Arrests
Assault (3), misdemeanor total (7). Total arrests: 7.
Traffic enforcement
Speeding (21), running stop sign (2), no tag (2), no insurance (10), no driver’s license (4), warnings (18). Total citations: 57.

Accidents
Offense related (1), accident/no injuries (3). Total accidents: 3.

Investigations
New cases (3), cases cleared (2), inactive cases (2).

By Justin Averette

A new car is patrolling the streets of Thorsby, thanks to a $25,000 grant from the U.S. Justice Department.
The 2010 Ford Crown Victoria replaced an older model that kept having mechanical problems.
Police Chief Rodney Barnett said the car will be a great benefit to his department.
“We have been incurring high maintenance costs with the older Crown Vic that has been in service,” said Barnett. “The new car will ensure a more timely response to emergency calls that we receive, and allows us to serve the citizens of Thorsby more efficiently.”
The new car also has a more modern stripe package, which will eventually be put on the entire fleet.
The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs administered the grant from funds made available by the Justice Department.
The town committed matching funds of $2,500 toward the vehicle purchase.

By Stephen Dawkins

It might not be the renovation we’ve been waiting for, but it might be a step in the right direction.
The Thorsby Town Council at its scheduled meeting Monday at the town annex voted to allow the town’s historical preservation committee to renovate the old lunchroom building that stands behind the old Thorsby school.
“If we can complete something like this, make it look nice, we’ll be able to get more people on board to renovate the big building,” committee chairwoman Tracia Bussey said.
Bussey told the council her committee is about $1,000 short of the $10,000 needed to renovate the building, which could then be rented out, similar to how the town uses Helen Jenkins Chapel.
Bussey asked the council to allow the committee to keep income from the building to use for the renovation of the school building.
Council members expressed concern over the cost of utilities and finally voted to allow the committee to keep whatever income was left after the bills had been paid.
City Clerk Denise Gunn told the council that Helen Jenkins Chapel is rented almost every weekend, which seemed to further convince the council members that renovating the lunchroom building would be worthwhile.

In other business, the council:
• Agreed to open a $50,000 line of credit, in part to pay for a new patrol car for the police department
• Allowed the town’s fire department to purchase a refurbished defibrillator for $3,600.
• Decided the town’s Christmas parade would be held beginning at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 12. Council members expressed concerns about the parade being held on the night of Dec. 11 because of poor lighting in the town and the possibility the parade could cause problems with a live nativity scene planned for that night.

By Scott Mims

Saturday night’s tragic wreck on Alabama Highway 145 was the only known major event in Chilton County over Labor Day weekend.

Both Jemison and Thorsby were quiet, police say. The wreck, which claimed three lives — that of two Clanton area teenagers and a Columbiana man — occurred about 9:15 p.m.

The victims included John Carter Mitchell, 50, of Columbiana; Zachary Ryan Ellison, 18, of Clanton; and Kayla Leeann Brackin, 19, of Clanton.Mitchell was driving a 2004 Ford F-150 truck, and Ellison was driving a 1998 Ford Ranger.

The crash is still under investigation by Alabama State Troopers.

The remainder of the weekend, including Labor Day, was uneventful for Chilton County, according to police officials.

“It was kind of an uneventful Labor Day,” Thorsby Police Chief Rodney Barnett said.

Jemison Police Chief Shane Fulmer added that all was quiet in the city.

“There were no major incidents,” Fulmer said.