Two suspects taken into custody after a traffic stop escalated into a pursuit and crash have now been identified as brothers from Pensacola.
According to an update released at 3:38 p.m., the suspects are 21-year-old Max Lewisand 26-year-old Blake Lewis.
Earlier Thursday, authorities said the incident began as a routine traffic stop on the Foley Beach Express north of U.S. Highway 98. Baldwin County Sheriff Anthony Lowery said that after the initial stop, the driver fled, leading deputies on a chase before crashing into a motorcyclist.
After the crash, both the driver and passenger ran into nearby woods but were captured a short time later.
The motorcyclist was reported to be conscious and alertwhen taken by ambulance to a hospital in Pensacola.
Sheriff Lowery said both suspects had warrants from other agencies and are not from Alabama. Deputies also found a gun and drugsinside the vehicle during an initial search.
Houston County grand jurors have indicted the suspected shooter in the killing of Dothan businessman Perry Griffin nearly 20 years after the deadly shooting.
Kendrick Bryant, identified by investigators in 2020 as the alleged gunman, was not immediately charged at that time because he was already serving a lengthy prison sentence on unrelated charges.
The case has slowly moved forward in the years since, with one co-defendant already sentenced and another still awaiting retrial.
Kevin Thornton pleaded guilty in December to criminally negligent homicide and was sentenced to one year in prison.
Jessie Jerome Swain’s case ended in a mistrial in January after a judge determined jurors had heard testimony that could have unfairly influenced the case. Swain is awaiting retrial.
Bryant’s indictment marks the latest development in the long-running case surrounding Griffin’s death.
A Tuscaloosa man has been charged with possession of child sex abuse material after authorities say he used artificial intelligence to create an illegal image of a juvenile.
According to court documents filed Monday, the West Alabama Human Trafficking Task Force received a tip indicating that 40-year-old Richard Wayne Smalleywas in possession of an image depicting a child in a state of nudity.
Investigators responded to Smalley’s residence in McCalla and conducted a search of his phone. Authorities say they discovered the image during that search.
Court documents state Smalley allegedly used artificial intelligence to modify a normal photo of the victim by digitally removing the clothing the juvenile was wearing in the original image.
Smalley was arrested Friday and charged with one count of possession of child sex abuse material. He was booked into the Tuscaloosa County Jail with bond set at $30,000.
Captain Phil Simpson, commander of the West Alabama Human Trafficking Task Force, said the case is among the first the unit has encountered involving AI-generated images.
However, Simpson noted that the Alabama Child Protection Act of 2024makes the creation or possession of such material illegal.
“Even when these images are created using artificial intelligence, the victim is still being exploited, and it’s something we’re taking very seriously,” Simpson said. “We want people to understand that this can and will lead to criminal charges.”
Authorities say the investigation remains ongoing.
The man previously accused of kidnapping a Theodore mother and her two children is now facing multiple capital murder charges after three bodies believed to be the missing family were found buried in Baldwin County.
During a press conference Wednesday morning, Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch said investigators recovered three bodies Wednesday afternoon in a lightly wooded area off Downing Road in Summerdale during what he described as a routine follow-up search.
Authorities believe the bodies are those of 40-year-old Aurelia Choc Cac, 17-year-old Niurka Zule-Ta Choc, and 2-year-old Anthony Garcia Choc, who had been missing since Friday, Jan. 30from their home in Theodore.
Sheriff Burch said investigators have enough evidence to determine the bodies are the missing family, though official identification will not be made until autopsies are completed.
Hector Gamiliel Argueta Guerra, also known as “Gama,” a 27-year-old from El Salvador, had already been in custody at Metro Jail on kidnapping charges in connection with the family’s disappearance. He is now being charged with:
three counts of capital murder during the course of a kidnapping
three counts of capital murder during the course of a burglary
capital murder for the death of two or more people
capital murder for the murder of a child under the age of 14
three counts of abuse of a corpse
obstruction of justice for allegedly giving law enforcement a false identity to hinder the investigation
Investigators previously said they found signs of a struggle inside the family’s home, including blood. Testimony during a pre-trial hearing revealed the blood belonged to 17-year-old Niurka.
An Ozark man has been charged with assault after police say he stabbed a family member in the back with a kitchen utensil during a domestic dispute.
According to the Ozark Police Department, Isaiah McGuire, 32, was arrested Wednesday, March 10, and charged with Second-Degree Assaultfollowing an incident at a residence on Will Logan Road.
Officers were responding to a report of a dispute at the home when the caller told dispatch the argument had escalated and that a possible stabbing had occurred.
Police arrived around 12:45 p.m.and determined that two individuals had been involved in an altercation. Authorities say one of the individuals had stab wounds to his back.
The victim’s injuries were not considered life-threatening, and he received medical treatment.
McGuire was taken into custody and charged in connection with the incident.
All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Police say Jordyn may still be in the Dothan or Headland area, but she also has ties to Maryland. Anyone with information about her whereabouts is urged to contact the Dothan Police Departmentat:📞 334-793-0215or 334-615-3632
