BOMBING SUSPECT Apprehended and Arrested In A Combined Multi Agency Investigation

Rickey Stokesi

Viewed: 14723

Posted by: RStokes
Date: Oct 27 2017 7:34 PM

DOTHAN - HOUSTON COUNTY:     Each day in law enforcement you never know what will happen.

That is the way Houston County Sheriff Department, Dothan Police Department, ATF and the FBI were this week.

On Monday morning 911 calls came in where a man had been injured on South Park Avenue. The man was driving a work truck and there was an explosion that occured causing serious physical injuries to the man. Emergency units responded to the scene and the patient was transported to a Dothan hospital by Pilcher Ambulance.

That is the point that Houston County Sheriff Donald Valenza and multiple Sheriff Investigators and Dothan Police Chief Steve Parrish and multiple police investigators kicked off a multi agency criminal investigation.

As we understand, the chain of events "started" outside the city limits of Dothan and "ended" inside the city limits of Dothan. That is the reason for the Dothan Police and Houston County Sheriff to launch the investigations. Also both Houston County Sheriff Donald Valenza and Dothan Police Chief Steve Parrish and their teams work hand in hand for the protection of the citizens and guests of Dothan - Houston County.

Since Monday morning the team of investigators, combined with state and federal resources, have worked around the clock working leads and information.

Last evening the results of that work came to the evacuation of Medical Center Terrace Apartments on Sixth Avenue. That was the residence of Sylvia King, born in 1973.

The multi agency unit carefully worked the scene on Sixth Avenue. Taking every pre-caution necessary in order to protect the officers and civilians. The combined agency effort ended with the officers making the arrest of Sylvia King. The officers arrested King sometime late last night or early this morning.

Today Houston County Sheriff Cpl. Ricky Herring obtained warrants of arrest on King in Houston County District Court. The charges are Possession / Transporting Bio Hazard Materials, no bond per Houston County District Court Judge Benjamin Lewis. 

Sheriff Corporal Ricky Herring also obtained Attempted Murder, Breaking and Entering A Motor Vehicle, and Criminal Mischief on King.

In the narrative of the arrest warrant for Attempted Murder, Cpl. Herring stated "on October 23, 2017 defendant King placed a pipe bomb in the work vehicle Of the victim".

While Houston County Sheriff Department obtained arrest warrants it is expected that federal charges will be lodged against King. Some ask if double jeopardy will apply with the same offenses being both state and federal. In the past experiences a person can be charged both in the local jurisdiction and federal jurisdiction with the same offense.

King will appear before Houston County District Court Judge Benjamin Lewis on Monday morning at 8:30 AM for arraignment. The appearance will be via video from the Houston County Jail to the courtroom. 

King will be assigned a attorney if he can not afford one. While I suspect he will not be able to afford an attorney and one will be appointed, King's cases will be assigned to 20th Judicial Circuit Court Judge Brad Mendheim when the cases report out of Grand Jury.

NOTE:   Cases with an arrest before indictment begin in District Court. The first court appearance is referred to as an arraignment. At that court appearance a person is advised what they are charged with, the range of punishment, they are told they have a right to remain silent ( which is normally to late ), do they expect to hire an attorney, if not their financial condition is discussed, and if the Judge determines they are indigent then a court appointed attorney is assigned to them.

The second step in the judicial system is if the defendant or his attorney asks for a preliminary hearing. That is a probable cause hearing, which means probably a crime was committed and probably the defendant committed the crime. Hearay is admissible and the burden of proof in a preliminary hearing is not the same proof required for a conviction. Most people are indicted.

Then the case moves to Grand Jury. A group of 18 men and women randomly selected, which in secret, takes testimony. Normally a defendant does not testify before Grand Jury because their attorney can not be present in Grand Jury but the prosecutor is present. Anything a defendant says can be used against them.

If the Grand Jury indicts, which a ham sandwich can get indicted, the case then moves into Circuit Court. That is when the case becomes assigned to 20th Judicial Court Circuit Judge Brad Mendheim.

Once the indictment is issued, another arraignment date is scheduled. That arraignment is to inform the defendant of what the Grand Jury has indicated them on, the range of punishment, do they have a lawyer, do they want the indictment read to them. Then the case moves towards trial, plea or dismissal.

The above is the Reader's Digest of the movement of felony cases in District and Circuit Court in Alabama.

1. This defendant will not get out of jail before trial.

2. This defendant will remain either in the Houston County Jail or Montgomery City jail until trial. The reason Montgomery City Jail, that is where defendants are held "pre trial" for Federal Court of the Middle District of Alabama.

We do not know all of the circumstances and what investigators found that led them to King.

Houston County Sheriff Donald Valenza and Dothan Police Chief Steve Parrish will hold a joint press conference sometime Monday. More details, but I promise you not all details, will be released then.

The picture below came from King's FACEBOOK on October 24, 2017, the day after the pipe bomb exploded. 

Another picture below is from King's FACEBOOK which is a picture of him.

GOOD JOB to the combined officers and deputies of Dothan Police and Houston County Sheriff Department, and the state and federal partners which assisted them in this investigation.

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