Woman and two children killed in Shelby County wreck identified

Published: Saturday, November 13, 2010, 4:16 PM ??? Updated: Saturday, November 13, 2010, 5:09 PM

Authorities today released the names of three people, including two children, who were killed in a two-vehicle wreck Friday night in Shelby County.

The Shelby County Coroner's office identified the victims as Jessica Wyatt Fields, 32; Tony Ray Fields, 9, and John Clay Fields, 8, all of Sylacauga. A third child, a 12-year-old girl, was flown to Children's Hospital in serious condition following the accident that occurred at the intersection of U.S. 280 and Shelby 55 about 10:30 p.m.? They were riding in a 1995 Chevrolet Lumina.

The Shelby County Sheriff's office said the driver and passenger of a 2004 Ford Mustang were taken by ambulance to a local hospital for treatment. The State Department of Public Safety identified the driver as Manley Williams, 19, of Leeds. The passenger was identified as Joshua Stokes, 21, of Pell City.

Authorities said today the driver of the second vehicle is in custody? and charges are pending.

Sheriff Chris Curry said his office will assist the Alabama Department of Public safety with the investigation.

"I would like to extend my deepest sympathy to the families who lost loved ones in this accident," Curry said in a statement.

Anyone with information about the accident is asked to contact the sheriff's office at 205-669-4181, through the Secret Witness line at 205-669-9116 or its website at www.ShelbySO.com, and then click on the "report criminal activity link and the "general information" category.
?

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php
Five Filters featured article: Beyond Hiroshima - The Non-Reporting of Falluja's Cancer Catastrophe.

View the original article here

Trial to begin today in Shelby girl's slaying

Published: Monday, November 08, 2010, 6:30 AM

A 37-year-old man charged with the 2008 slaying of an 11-year-old girl in Inverness is set to go on trial today on a charge of capital murder in Shelby County Circuit Court.

Ryan Gerald Russell, who has been in custody since his arrest, is accused of shooting and killing Katherine Helen Gillespie, a relative who was living with him in a rented home on Kerry Downs Road.

Authorities say Russell shot the girl in the head with .40-caliber Glock handgun on June 16, 2008, and stuffed her body in a trash can, which was found inside an SUV in the garage of the home.

Shelby County prosecutors are seeking to send Russell to Death Row in what will be the first death penalty case to be tried in the county in a little more than a decade, according to a county prosecutor.

The last person to stand trial on capital murder charges, with a possible death penalty in play, was Alan Eugene Miller, a delivery driver who was convicted and sentenced to death a year after shooting and killing three people at two businesses in Pelham in 1999.

Shelby Chief Assistant District Attorney Bill Bostick said he expects jury selection in Russell's trial to start today and wrap up by Wednesday. With Veteran's Day being Thursday, Bostick said he expected opening statements in the trial to start Friday.

Russell, a homebuilder at the time of his arrest, has pleaded not guilty in the death of Katherine, who had just finished the fifth grade at Oak Mountain Intermediate School prior to her death.

Russell was in the process of trying to adopt the girl, according to records that have been sought by prosecutors and sealed by Circuit Judge J. Michael Joiner, who will preside over Russell's trial.

Meanwhile, Mickey Johnson and Rick Vickers, Russell's court-appointed attorneys, have asked Joiner to block prosecutors from introducing "certain documents and photographs" that the defense argues would be prejudicial to their client's case.

Efforts to reach Russell's attorneys for comment were unsuccessful.

Testimony at Russell's preliminary hearing in October 2008 showed that Katherine's body was found just hours after Russell allegedly hit another vehicle on Inverness Parkway and fled the scene. Authorities said at the time that the hit-and-run was unrelated to the slaying of the 11-year-old.

Hoover police went to the house after three teens reported the hit-and-run, but left after no one came to the door.

Deputies were back at the scene later after Russell's ex-fiancee went to the home at the request of some out-of-town relatives who could not get in touch with Russell.

The ex-fiancee was accompanied by a boyfriend who called authorities after they looked into the garage and saw the airbags deployed in Russell's SUV.

After entering the home and finding Katherine's body, Russell was found by deputies semi-conscious in a shower, with the water running, according to testimony.

He was arrested and charged with capital murder a few days later after being discharged by a hospital, where he had been taken for treatment.
Join the conversation by clicking to comment or e-mail Daniels at

mdaniels@bhamnews.com

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php
Five Filters featured article: Beyond Hiroshima - The Non-Reporting of Falluja's Cancer Catastrophe.

View the original article here

Shelby County School Board requested a commission special election on the extension of the tax

Published: Monday, October 25, 2010, 9 H 25 updated: Monday, October 25, 2010, 9: 26

Shelby County Commission was invited to call a special election on the extension of a tax 30 schools mill that has defined item to expire in 2017.

County School Board asked that an election is set for 8 February 2011.

Tonight, Shelby County School Superintendent Randy Fuller has applied an election to the Board on behalf of the Commission scolaire.

"We not asking for an increase in taxes," said Fuller, who recommended that the application of the school board election.

30 Plants means that a person who possesses a $100,000 House pays $300 in annual property taxes that go to the school system, which does not change, he said.

If the commission agreed set an election, County School Board would ask voters to expand 30 plants in school property taxes year 2041.

Commission comtée vote at the request of the school system to an election in its meeting of 8 November.

Fuller told Commissioners "" this decision is one of the most important in the history of our school system.""

"Without renewal, we cannot build any new schools or to make additions or renovation plans to our existing schools," he said in a prepared statement."By organizing a special election, we will ask the Shelby County residents make an investment of 30 years so that we can maintain the high level of education that we all came to expect lekeage include our ability to finance essential capital improvement projects in some of our higher growth areas."

Bond companies will not that the school system to any new links with school taxes expire in six years, says Fuller.

He said Commissioners school system increased by 8,000 students in the last décennie.Le system is expected to add a further 3,000 students over the next six years, he said.

Calera, Chelsea, Helena and alabaster are areas of growth in the county where the system looks to build new schools or add additional classroom tax should be extended, Fuller said.

The system would also make "improvements and upgrades" in schools in other areas in the County, he said.

Fuller said money generated by the tax is used to pay for music, art teachers and other courses as well as the conseillers.Il serves also to pay for other things such as utilities and repay the obligations taken by the system during the years, he has dit.La tax of 30-factory generates 75 million per year for the school system, which is 28% of the budget of the school system.

This entry transmitted via the service for full-text RSS - if this is your content and you read on someone to another site, please read our FAQ page fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php
Article five filters features: After Hiroshima - non-rapport Cancer Catastrophe of Fallujah.

View the original article here

Shelby County will hold a drive-through clinical influenza in Verizon Wireless Music Center

Published: Friday, October 22 2010 7 H.

Shelby County Health Department will hold a drive-through Tuesday flu clinic in the West parking lot Veri-zon wireless music centre.

Clinical visitors can give their information to the Ministry of health staff and get a shot without having to leave their voiture.Il runs from 8 am to 6 pm and no appointment is necessary.

The shot expenses of $5 (which can be thrown if necessary) and includes three types of influenza, in-cluding H1N1 or swine flu coverage.

The Centers for Disease Control recommended to everybody over 6 months get a vaccine against seasonal influenza, especially children, adults over 50, people with disorders chro-nic, nursing home residents and preg?-nant women.

This entry transmitted via the service for full-text RSS - if this is your content and you read on someone to another site, please read our FAQ page fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php
Article five filters features: After Hiroshima - non-rapport Cancer Catastrophe of Fallujah.

View the original article here