DOTHAN: D5 School Board Member Amy Bonds is not seeking re-election. As the meeting began Board Member Amy Bonds stated that she felt the employment of the new school Superintendent needed to be made by the school board members which would be elected on August 5. Chairman Scott Childers and D6 Board Member Aurie Jenkins agree.
When the item came up D3 Board Member Melanie Hill, who is not seeking re-election, made the motion for the board to select two finalists for the new Superintendent. Tonight was the least meeting of Dr. Dennie Coe who is retiring after 36 years in education. Coe will officially retire in 7 days.
D4 School Board Member Brenda Guilford requested go down the line one by one of who each wanted as finalists to interview.
Strickland: Dr. Garrick Askew and Dr. Kari McGann: Hill: Askew and McGann Jones: Askew and McGann
Guilford: Askew and Dr, Charles Corbitt Childers: Dr. Donnie Chambers No second choice
Bonds: Chambers Jenkins: Chambers and McKann
Then there was confusion on how many votes each person received. D4 Brenda Guilford was totally confused and confusing. D6 Jenkins withdrew her second choice and went with only Chamers, which was allowed because of discussion. A second time each school board members named their choices. Board Members Strickland, Hill, Jones and Guilford named: Askew and McGann, and Chairman Childers, Bond and Jenkins named Chambers.
So on a 4 to 3 vote the two finalists to be interviews are Dr. Kari McGann ( Supt. in New Jersey ) and Dr. Garrick Askew ( Athens Georgia ).
Strickland and Hill, who are not seeking re-election and have no children in the school system, and Jones and Guilford who are seeking re-election but have no children in the school system, are bound and determined to name the new school Superintendent before they leave office. Interviews will be upcoming.
Current Superintendent Dennis Coe thanked everyone who worked with him in the system. After 36 years he is retiring. He then stood, shook every school board members hands, hands in the audience, received an applause, he was able to walk out and leave the school board meeting at the beginning.
They named an acting Chairman but did not catch the name.
Dothan School Board Chairman Scott Childers has withdrawn seeking re-election as Dothan School Board Chairman. Scott Childers has qualified as District 4 School Board Member. Childers is unopposed as no one was running for District 4.
Julia Turner has qualified as Chairman of Dothan School Board. Turner and Wes Grant will square off for Chairman of Dothan School Board.
Qualifying ended at 5 PM today. All municipal offices are officially OFF AND RUNNING!!!
DOTHAN: The deadline to qualify for Mayor of Dothan, Associate Commissioners, Dothan School Board Chairman and School Board Members is TODAY, June 24, 2025 at 5:00 PM. You must qualify with the City Clerk Office in the Roy M. Drigger’s Municipal Building ( Dothan Civic Center ).
As of this writing NO ONE has qualified for District 4 Dothan School Board.
List of Candidates who have officially qualified to run in the City of Dothan Municipal Election to be held on August 5, 2025. Official qualifying began on June 3rd and ends at 5:00 p.m. on June 24th
Those who have qualified are:
The candidates listed below have completed all requirements for placement on the ballot, and
names are printed in the order received. The official ballot will be printed in alphabetical order
by last name.
________________________________________________________________________
6/20/2025 12:29 PM Mayor
Mark Saliba – INCUMBENT
Jimmy McCray Associate Commissioner District 1
Kevin Dorsey – INCUMBENT
Vivian K. Daniels Associate Commissioner District 2
Dorinda P. McGowan
Phillipe Kirksey
Derrick Tiller Associate Commissioner District 3
David Haight
Bradley Bedwell – INCUMBENT
Kyle Scott Associate Commissioner District 4
Dave Stock
Josh Chapman Associate Commissioner District 5
Gantt Pierce – INCUMBENT Associate Commissioner District 6
David L. Crutchfield – INCUMBENT
.
The candidates listed below have completed all requirements for placement on the ballot, and
names are printed in the order received. The official ballot will be printed in alphabetical order
by last name.
________________________________________________________________________
6/20/2025 12:29 PM Board of Education Chair
P. Scott Childers – INCUMBENT
James Wesley “Wes” Grant Board of Education Member District 1
Michelle Beacham
Donald A. Hogans
Brenda C. Guilford – INCUMBENT Board of Education Member District 2
Franklin Jones – INCUMBENT
Justise Black Board of Education Member District 3
Jason Falls
Taiisha Walton
Jillian Kemp Board of Education Member District 4
Board of Education Member District 5
Beverly Jones Lampkin
Ashley Whitfield Davis
J.T. Carroll Board of Education Member District 6
Aurie Jenkins – INCUMBENT
If no one qualifies for District 4 then the newly elected School Board will appoint or the State School Supt. will appoint.
DOTHAN: In a swift and aggressive search by Dothan 911, Houston County Sheriff 911, Dothan Police Patrol and Houston County Sheriff Patrol, a stolen truck and suspect were quickly recovered and apprehended.
The stolen Southeast Gas truck was spotted in Headland Avenue. The vehicle was located about the same time by Dothan Police Patrol Division and Houston County Sheriff Patrol Division.
The suspect was sandwiched in by multiple Dothan Police Patrol and a Houston County Sheriff Deputy at Leona Street and Wilson Street.
Once sandwiched and stopped the suspect was non compliant for a brief period of time. When the suspect realized he was vastly outnumbered he made the correct decision and gave up.
The stolen vehicle and suspect in custody. Dothan Police Criminal Investigation Division is in charge of the investigation.
OZARK: 01:53 AM. Ozark – Dale County 911 dispatched Ozark Police and Ozark Fire – Rescue to 150 Aventura Court in Ozark to a person unresponsive and not breathing.
On the arrival of Ozark Police the Patrol Division found a male subject unresponsive and blood everywhere. The male subject was deceased on the scene.
Ozark Police Criminal Investigation and Crime Scene Investigation units were dispatched to the scene and Dale County Coroner John Cawley. The 33rd Judicial Circuit District Attorney Kirke Adams was notified.
The suspect fled on foot. WASP ( Wiregrass Aviation Support Unit ) was requested and deployed for air support. Later a Dale County Sheriff Deputy encountered a suspect near the scene on Apple Circle in Ozark.
WASP was cancelled as the person of interest was detained. The person detained was transported to Ozark Police Department for questioning.
Ozark Police Criminal Investigation units is in charge of the investigation.
DALE COUNTY: On Saturday, June 21, 2025 the family, friends, fellow law enforcement, fellow first responders and citizens of Dale County came together to pay tribute to a man who devoted 28 years to serve and protect others.
The Celebration of Life Services for retired Dale County Sheriff Wally Olson.
As Retired Dale County Sheriff Bryant Mixon described, at about age 14, Wally Olson met him and said that he wanted to one day be the Sheriff of Dale County. Sheriff Mixon gave to Wally Olson a badge. One he kept shiny. Several years later Sheriff Mixon hired Wally Olson beginning in the jail. From that point, and working with Ariton Police Department, Wally Olson worked his way through Alabama Police Academy , as class President, on through the ranks to become the elected Sheriff of Dale County.
In 2013, just 5 years after becoming Sheriff, Wally Olson was faced with something no other Sheriff has been faced with. Jimmy Lee Dykes, a 65-year-old Vietnam War-era veteran, boarded a Dale County school bus, killed the driver, and took a five-year-old boy hostage. On the afternoon of February 4, law enforcement agents entered the bunker, killed Dykes, and rescued the child. Midland City, Alabama, U.S. When Wally Olson arrived on the scene, he never left for the 6 day stand off. Area law enforcement responded and assisted. Sheriff Olson never hesitatted to call in state and federal resources to assist. But Sheriff Wally Olson remained on the scene and in command. The child was removed safe.
Current Sheriff, Mason Bynum, was also a Dale County native who came to Wally Olson and, like Olson, wanted to become Sheriff of Dale County when Sheriff Wally Olson retired. Sheriff Olson hired Mason Bynum, who was hired as a jailer. And Mason Bynum worked his way through the department to become Chief Deputy under Sheriff Olson. On the retirement of Olson the dream of Mason Bynum became reality.
Sheriff Bynum said that Wally Olson never could get his phone on silent. He would have ring tones like ducks. Sheriff Bynum related that when one person called, no matter what, Sheriff Wally Olson would answer. And that was his mother. Sheriff Wally Olson served as President of the Alabama Sheriff Association. At one particular event Alabama Governor Ivey was speaking and Sheriff Olson was on the stage. The ducks started and Sheriff Olson answered during the Governor’s speech because it was his mother calling.
While Wally Olson loved his job as Sheriff, and the people of Dale County, his first love was in Jesus Christ followed by his wife, two daughters, his mother and dad. They were his pride and always lighting up when speaking of his wife and two daughters. Sheriff Mixon said that they had to get him married to Brandy to get him back to work because he was so in love.
Sheriff Wally Olson never met a stranger. No matter who you were, no matter your color or economic status, Wally Olson was there for you. He would always tahe time to talk to you and help as best he could, anyone. He loved people and serving which he did with compassion, fairness and an unwavering belief in doing the right thing.
He worked at Ft. Novosel and Fuqua – Bankston Funeral Home after retiring from serving as Dale County Sheriff.
The Ozark Civic Center was filled with people from all walks of life paying tribute to Wally Olson.
THANK YOU to Sheriff Olson’s wife, Brandy, two daughters Emma Claire and Ellie Grace, his parents Gary and Alice Olson. You gave your husband, dad, and son to the people of Dale County and guests who served and protected.
Bradley Bedwell the District 3 Commissioner, during his comment section of the June 17 commission meeting, states city manager Randy Morris Even though the actual numbers show a drop of 20% in crime, the public doesn’t feel safe due to recent gun shots fired in public places. This I would like this real time crime center open sooner than later, if we can afford it. As a police force we are very reactive as of now, it is time for us to be proactive as we can as a police force.
Well Bedwell has requested and with full support of the rest of the commission, City ManagerRandy Morris has greenlighted the Real Time Crime Center. Renovations are underway in the old e911 building as we speak. The technology expense will be added to the budget and should be opened shortly after the new year in 2026.
What is a real time crime center. This is the ability to use technology to fight crime. This center will be set up like a command center at any army base with a staff of the command center tapped into all 2000 of the cityof Dothan’s cameras. If an event occurs, staff can deploy additional technology and police officersas soon as an event happens in real time. Additional technology will start in the forms of high tech drones with infrared capabilities, livestream, and recording capabilities. These drones will be housed on top of all the fire stations, that can be deployed remotely by the staff at the real time crime center. Another layer of technology that Bedwell and the rest of the commissioners will approve will be the Shotspotter technology that will pinpoint any shot fired at the city limit, which will give the staff the ability to deploy a drone by the crime center, and record and follow the shooter, until the real police officers arrive. Commissioner Bedwell says if you shoot into the air in Dothan Alabama, you aren’t going to be able to get away with it anymore. He also said when I was running uncontested at the end of this May, this is the reason I asked for an opponent. One of my opponent was stating crime was higher, even though official dothan reports doesn’t show that in the numbers. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter that crime is down 20 percent compared to 2020, it pointed to a perception that people don’t feel safe. Although the realtime crime center would have been built eventually, we couldn’t wait on it Bedwell said, not with people not feeling safe. It may cost money to get started, but it people don’t feel safe to go out and go shopping, the difference in loss of sales tax will cover the entire cost of the realtime crime center. He has an idea to bring all the schools by when it opens, so our kids can see if they commit a crime, they will not get away with it. He finished with if you are in the crime business in Dothan, you may want to find a new occupation.
