DOTHAN: On Sunday Dothan 911 dispatched Dothan Fire Department, Pilcher Ambulance and Dothan Police Department to a structure fire at Stone Creek Landing, South Park Avenue and Taylor Road.
The pool house and community room caught fire. Neighbors saw what was first thought as fog, As they looked closer it was quickly determined the building was on fire.
Neighbors said they heard a loud bang about 45 minutes before the fire was spotted. On the scene the preliminary information is they felt the cause of the fire was a lightning strike. That is NOT OFFICIAL from Dothan Fire Department.
WEBB: 5:27 AM Multiple emergency units are on the scene of a passenger vehicle versus a semi truck in the 6000 block of Highway 52 East in Webb. The 6000 block is just east of Furnie Folks Road intersection with Highway 52.
The accident involves a small passenger car.
Webb Volunteer Fire, Webb Police, Ashford Rescue, Houston County Sheriff Department responded. When emergency units arrived they found one occupant of the passenger car deceased on the scene.
Webb Volunteer Fire Department requested mutual aid assistance from Dothan Fire Department Technical Rescue to assist with extrication on the scene.
7:23 AM Houston County Coroner Robert Byrd is on the scene.
Highway 52 east of Furnie Folks Road is completely closed. Houston County Sheriff Deputies are assisting with traffic control. A certified Reserve Houston County Sheriff Deputy is assisting. Reserve Deputies work for FREE.
Ferguson Wrecker has their heavy duty wreckers on the scene assisting.
Webb Police were assisted in the investigation by ALEA – Troopers.
NOTE: RSN is holding the scene pictures for a period of time. The family has been notified but we feel the scene pictures need to be held until authorities meet with the family.
The victim was identified as 21-year-old Reagan Colleen Brewer.
UPDATED @ 9:15 PM
RSN will not be posting scene photographs. Initially in the preliminary investigation it was thought the passenger car pulled from Furnie Folkes Road onto Highway 52 into the pathway of the east bound semi truck.
After investigating law enforcement officers spoke to the driver of the semi at the hospital, and the family’s LIVE 360 track, the passnger vehicle was wastbound on Highway 52. And the investigation reveals the passenger car apparently crossed the center line into the path of the semi.
RSN left the scene at 7:30 AM. Emergency units from Webb Volunteer Fire Department, Dothan Fire Department and Ferguson Wrecker worked until around 9:00 AM on the extrication from the accident.
Because of the severity of the damage from the vehicle RSN has made the decision not to post the wreck scene pictures.
The victim of the accident was a beautiful young lady who recently was married or engaged to be married. She lived around the Webb – Columbia area. And was on her way to work when the accident occured.
Prayers are with the family.
Ward Wilson Funeral Home will be announcing funeral arrangement at a later time.
HOUSTON COUNTY: This morning in Houston County District Court before the Honorable Judge Benjamin Lewis first appearance was held. In addition to first appearance bond hearings were held.
In the case State of Alabama vs. Victor Newman, a bond hearing was held. Newman is charged with Making A Terrorist Threat and is in the Houston County Jail currently under a no bond. Newman was arrested on February 25, 2025 and booked into the Houston County Jail.
Testimony revealed the law enforcement criminal investigator in charge of the case had received threats on his family. There was testimony that law enforcement had obtained a search warrant for the electronic devices of Newman, specifically his cell phone.
A hidden folder was later found on Newman’s phone, containing pictures of the Criminal Investigator’s residence and family.
The Criminal Investigator has received voice mail messages and text messages left on his phone threatening the Criminal Investigator’s family. The threats made stated they would kidnap members of their family, rape them and kill them.
Newman was not successful in getting a bond and remains in the Houston County Jail. Newman’s son is in the Houston County Jail for shooting into an occupied vehicle last week, Robbery in the first degree, and Attempted Assault in the first degree. He remains in the Houston County Jail under a no bond.
The case is still under investigation by law enforcement.
DOTHAN: The City of Dothan School Board will be creating a job description for Dothan School Superintendent with a specially-called meeting next week to craft the job description.
The Dothan School Board is elected by the registered voters of the City of Dothan. There are 7 school board members, all of which are up for reelection or election on August 5, 2025.
The current school board members are: Scott Childers – Chairman; Brenda Guilford -District1; Franklin Jones – District 2; Melanie Hill – District 3; Brett Strickland – District 4; Amy Bonds – District 5; Aurie Jenkins – District 6.
RSN has been doing some checking, and some of the school board members want the School Superintendent for the City of Dothan to have a doctorate degree. If the school board is successful, it will make the City of Dothan the only school board in the State of Alabama to have this requirement — that’s out of 140 School Systems in the State of Alabama.
For the School Board to add this requirement, it will take only 4 of the 7 school board members to vote YES.
Since the School Board wants this requirement, and if it passes, the registered voters will know those Board Members adding this requirement have someone in mind for the next Dothan School Superintendent. RSN will be watching if the fix is in! Look around the State at the 140 school systems, none require a doctorate; see which systems are doing well.
If you want to seek election to become a member of the Dothan School Board contact the City of Dothan Clerk’s Office. It is time to begin to plan your campaign.
Education is important to the growth and success of the City of Dothan. Having a doctorate degree is not a bonus for the City of Dothan School System. The school system is a huge corporation with a lot of financial components. Just because someone can teach does not mean they can run a multi-million dollar business. Just because you have a doctorate in no way implies that you can manage a huge business like schools, or that you even have common sense to manage the school system. Why would a Dothan School Board Member add a requirement for a doctorate and lock yourself into that requirement? From the applicants you might / might not select someone who has a doctorate. But to write it into the job description and limit yourself to only those only with a doctorate degree is foolish.
In closing, would it be wonderful if the School Board did something highly unusual?
And that is select someone local to be the next Dothan School Superintendent. Someone that was not “paid” to come to Dothan, but someone that has lived and worked in Dothan. Who truly has a heart for Dothan and not someone moving here because at least 4 elected School Board Members paid them six figures to move to Dothan, Alabama (and when their tenure is over move away from Dothan). They are only here to collect the six figures of “other people’s money” at least 4 or the 7 School Board Members gave away.
RSN will be watching and is not afraid to call each of you out for your decisions. NO SECRET VOTES, open discussion — which RSN is committed to letting the public know.
UPDATE: The meeting on this matter is Tuesday, March 11, at 5:30 p.m.
PICTURED BELOW DOTHAN SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS
ROW 1: Chairman Scott Childers, D1 Brenda Guilford
GENEVA COUNTY – SLOCOMB: 7:44 PM Geneva County Central 911 dispatched Slocomb Fire – Rescue to a structure fire at 1490 White Oak Road at Slocomb.
At the time of dispatch it was a working structure fire, unknown if everyone had evacuated, and caller had disconnected.
Slocomb Fire Chief Kyle Hovey advised water would be a issue, that no fire hydrants were near. Chief Hovey requested mutual aid assistance from Malvern Volunteer Fire Department and Fadette Volunteer Fire Department.
7:49 PM Geneva County 911 paged all Slocomb Fire – Rescue members that any off duty members which were close and able to respond additional manpower was needed. There were no fire hydrants and water was going to have to be shuttled.
8:23 PM Slocomb Fire Chief Kyle Hovey reported fire under control and checking for extensions.
Slocomb Fire – Rescue has been hammered since March 2025 arrived. A structure fire on Saturday, multiple medical calls, patient transfers, outdoor fires. The east end of Geneva County is well cared for with Slocomb Fire – EMS, Malvern Volunteer Fire and Fadette Volunteer Fire. The men and women involved do a great job in serving the citizens and guests in Geneva County.
DOTHAN: In June 2024 Dothan Police Chief Will Benny assembled his command staff. The Command Staff consists of Dothan Police Major Will Glover, Captain Rachel David – Training Center; Captain Jason Penn – Investigative Bureaus; Captain Thomas Davis – Patrol Uniform Division; Captain Lynn Watkins – Administrative Division.
Chief Will Benny instructed the command staff to begin preparations for Mardi Gras 2025, which took place this past weekend. The command staff, people under their command, Lieutenants, Sergeants and Corporals began developing plans.
Within those plans, training and scenarios were developed. In the 28,130 square foot Education and Training Building of the Wiregrass Public Safety Center, which includes an array of scenario-specific resources designed to simulate, with crucial accuracy, the emergency situations first responders are likely to face, training was conducted.
As the command staff developed those specific plans, Chief Will Benny was briefed and interjected his thoughts. Finally the plan was developed.
On Saturday morning some 100 law enforcement officers, combined agencies of Houston County Sheriff Department, ALEA – Troopers, Governmental Specialists from the U.S Government assembled earlier for a detailed briefing.
While law enforcement developed their plans, Dothan Fire Chief Larry Williams and his command staff, Deputy Fire Chief’s Chris Etheridge, Deputy Fire Chief David Hasty, Deputy Fire Chief Pete Webb, and the different Battalion Chief and Captains along with Pilcher Ambulance. Southeast Health and Flowers Hospital developed emergency medical procedures. With each plan how to manage the huge volume of people and regular fire and EMS calls. Also how to navigate the downtown area to respond to routine emergencies.
Then the Dothan 911 Center in how to manage the routine dispatch and response of emergency calls because of different areas being barricaded.
CHECK, RECHECK, DOUBLE CHECK … all plans developed, rehearsed and all systems ready for implementation.
Saturday morning, early, over 100 assembled for the final briefing. Dothan dump trucks were positioned to assist in blocking intersections along with Dothan Police units. What Chief Benny and Command Staff was not going to allow was a New Orleans situation of a vehicle crashing into the crowds of people. There were true “undercover officers” in different places with beads and a hidden radio ear piece in their ears, stationed strategically in places to observe. Officers were not allowed to talk with these “undercover officers.” There was a display of officers in uniforms and tactical gear. Sometimes visual presence is a deterrent.
The overall commanders, Dothan Police Major Will Glover and Captain Thomas Davis. With confidence in his command staff, Dothan Police Chief Will Benny backed off in the background and let the command staff manage the operation.
At the close of the Mardi Gras parade, which was attended by hundreds of hundreds of people, the only two problems to my knowledge, were two fights that broke out. And the law enforcement officers were on top of it, quickly. Those were about the only ones arrested.
The crowd felt safe and behaved really well. A smooth safe event.
But a well planned out event. Wiregrass Public Safety Director Jason Wright commented on Facebook, that watching the training at Wiregrass Public Safety Center and then seeing the plan implemented, all involved did an excellent job. While Wright is not over the actual training implementation, but seeing and being involved at the center he was proud of all agencies and officers involved.
Following the day Dothan Police Chief Will Benny, Dothan Police Major Will Glover, Dothan Police Captain Thomas Davis expressed their gratitude to all law enforcement and emergency responders with fire and EMS. A job well done, a event concluded with no major issues and everyone worked together as designed.
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