DOTHAN: This morning Dothan Commissioner of Disrtict 4, Dave Stock, spoke at the Dothan Commission Meeting about Blake Bowen. He was brutally murdered this past Friday when he was shot and killed during an armed robbery while GIVING a man a ride. The man was needing a ride from Trawick Road to Day Break Suites, which is a motel with an iron fence just past Fortner Street intersection at Ross Clark Circle.
Just before Fortner Street and Ross Clark Circle the man brandished a gun, shooting and killing 33 year old Blake Bowen, causing Blake to leave the road and go into a holding pond. The suspect fled and was apprehended by Dothan Police Department within a couple of hours withing a few blocks of the scene.
Dothan Police, through heavy police prescence on the streets in the area. by the WASP-Dothan Police Helicopter, that was brought into service by Dothan Police Chief Will Benny, by the drone units brought into service by Dothan Police Chief Will Benny, by the Dothan Police K-9 units on the ground, the suspect was held to a small area between Hartford Highway and Fortner Street. The supect looked west on Fortner Street from Stonewood to attempt to cross Fortner Street, and little did he know from the east direction traveling west was a Dothan Police Patrol Officer who quickly jumped from his patrol vehicle and took the suspect into custody.
While ALL CRIME and VICTIMS has bothered D4 Commissioner Dave Stock, this one especially hit home. A pilot who taught flying, Dave Stock met Blake Bowen about 5 years ago when Blake took flying lessons from Dave. As he taught Blake, he like many others who came in contact with Blake, immediately was drawn into a very respected friendship with Blake. So this hit D4 Commissioner Dave Stock hard. And the murder was of a personal friend, which also took place in the district that Dave Stock took Oath of Office some 3 months ago ( November 2025 ) to serve as a Commissioner.
So today, D4 Commissioner Dave Stock made comments that some, and perhaps a fellow Commissioner, has attempted to turn racial. Because D4 Commissioner Dave Stock used the word “ELEMENT” and held up the photograph of Blake Bowen. Some are saying that Stock was grandstanding and it was racial. HOW? D4 Commisioner Stock said “Blake and others” amd reference Houligan’s. D4 Stock said at his Twon Hall meeting he is making people aware of things whenhe speaks at the Commission Meetings. Not afraid of mentioning taboo items.
STOP THE CRAP – THAT WAS NOT TRUE AT ALL
ELEMENTS – I think an ELEMENT is a white male who is alleged to have killed his wife, then dumped her body off, under a bridge, in Geneva County. He had been on the same job for at least two decades. He has remained in jail. That ELEMENT is a white male.
ELEMENTS – I think an ELEMENT is aa black male who alleged to have killed a black male in Houligan’s parking lot over a car door bumping his car. The suspect had prior charges in Coffee County, incidentally for murder.
Some are saying the D4 Commissioner Dave Stock said no one deserves probation. LISTEN AGAIN. D4 Commissioner Dave Stock said “repeat offenders”. However, because Dr Dave Stock is a pilot and not raised in the criminal justice system, Alabama has a sentencing worksheet and the Alabama Legislature and Sentencing Commission have somewhat tied Judges hands. Like now to revoke Probation, they have to give DIPS AND DUNKS, and about 4 chances before revoking someone’s probation and sending someone to jail. SO WAIT, before people jump on Judges.
D4 Dave Stock praised law enforcement, Dothan Police Chief Will Benny and the men and women in law enforcement. He urged more support for law enforcement, the District Attorney and Judicial System. D4 Dave Stock said time to be proactive and not reactive.
WELL, here are some facts, that perhaps D4 Dave Stock was talking about: (1) You have to guess when, but Dothan Police Chief Will Benny and WASP ( Wiregrass Aviation Support Program ) have a partnership in the Dothan Police Helicopter. A great support system that routinely flies over Dothan on routine patrol watching from the sky. And it was deployed Friday. But the aircraft is close to about a $ 100,000.00 expense to rebuild the engines. To valuable of a tool to not have and helped keep the area hot and the suspect contained Friday. A PROACTIVE TOOL. (2) The Houston – Henry County District Attorney has started a foundation for tax deductible donations. The state does not fully fund the District Attorney Office. A local benefactor has pledged several years of about $ 400,000.00 a year so the District Attorney can afford to hire qualified attorneys to prosecute cases. In Mobile Alabama, they have just committed or about to committ $ 3.3 million dollars to the Mobile County District Attorney to help Mobile County. And the Mayor of Mobile is a Dothan Alabama native!!! So perhaps D4 Commissioner Dave Stock was referring to that. Does Houston and Henry County, and all municipalities contained within need to step up to the plate to help fund the District Attroney Office for qualified people to prosecute?
NOW, one murder is to many. Other than pressure to keep ELEMENTS, regardless of race, under a firm grip, how could law enforcement predict what was going to happen Friday and prevent it? A Dothan Police car had rode through Houigan’s minutes before the firearm assault, and was on the scene within 2 minutes of the call being dispatched because I was listening. How could that firearm assault be prevented? The murder last year where the man is alleged to have killed his wife in their home and then dumped the body in Geneva County under a bridge, how could law enforcement have prevented that muder? How could law enforcement have prevented the four persons charged with murder in Cowarts who are alleged to have fired through the windown and killed the man?
NOW, there are some saying Dothan and Houston County has gotten bad. That Judges are not strict on crime. Some officials have threatened the Judges in the Houston County Courthouse about the jail being 100 or more over capacity and attempted to blackmale the Judges into letting people out of the jail. NOT THE SHERIFF, but another official. Accusing the Judges of not working based on key fobs into the courthouse. Not realizing the Judges cover Houston and Henry County, and can work from whereever they are. And that Judges are woke up in the middle of the might to sign search warrants. One Judge was woke up almost every hour from midnight to 5 AM to sign search warrants on a hot investigation that was being conducted by law enforcement. How dare someone try and blackmail the Judges. When they hear a case, the Judge has to review the evidence, craft orders that affect people’s lives in domestic cases, civil cases, criminal cases, review reports. Often times it is more productive to do that from home then interruptions in the office when attempting to study evidence, be fair and lawful in their rulings and read reports. That official had no clue what he was talking about, which is normal. And it was not and Dothan Commissioner, BTW.
Dothan Police and Houston County Sheriff have done a great job in serving and protecting. Actual murders are down from what they were. Cases are solved. And quickly. A firm grip has been placed on ELEMENTS that cause issues. And those elements are all colors. So when people make reference to “Little Chicago”, fact check me and see if I am not right.
OK, to the fellow Dothan Commissioner trying to get crap started concerning D4 Dave Stock comments, as I have heard. KEEP ON. Because I WILL CALL YOU OUT.
‘Freedom Fighters’: Organizing Justice Reform From The Inside Out Delivers A Ground-Level Blueprint For Systemic Change
Distributed by EIN Presswire
New book by Dr. Kenneth Sharpton-Glasgow offers a powerful, experience-driven roadmap for justice reform rooted in grassroots leadership and lived reality.
NEW YORK CITY, NY, UNITED STATES, January 27, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — In Freedom Fighters: Organizing Justice Reform From the Inside Out, Dr. Kenneth Sharpton-Glasgow presents a bold and deeply practical framework for transforming the justice system from within. Drawing on more than three decades of firsthand experience on both sides of incarceration, Dr. Glasgow moves beyond abstract theory to offer real-world strategies for reform led by those most impacted.
The book centers on the power of incarcerated voices, emphasizing how legal literacy, mental health advocacy, and educational organizing can serve as foundational pillars for sustainable change. Rather than positioning reform as an external intervention, Freedom Fighters highlights how movements built inside correctional systems can connect meaningfully with community organizers, policymakers, and advocates on the outside.
A key focus of the book is the role of Southern-based grassroots organizing and regional assemblies. Dr. Glasgow explores how local leadership, storytelling, and coordinated political engagement can unite communities across state and institutional boundaries, forming coalitions capable of challenging long-standing systemic inequities.
Through compelling analysis and actionable guidance, Freedom Fighters underscores the importance of narrative power in reform work, showing how personal stories can bridge prison walls, humanize policy debates, and mobilize public support. The book serves as both a strategic manual and a call to action for individuals committed to building justice-centered movements that endure across generations.
Dr. Kenneth Sharpton-Glasgow’s lifelong dedication to justice reform has also been prominently featured in the Academy Award-nominated HBO Max documentary series The Alabama Solution, further cementing his role as a leading voice in the national conversation on incarceration, rehabilitation, and systemic change.
Freedom Fighters: Organizing Justice Reform From the Inside Out is now available in Kindle format and is positioned as an essential read for activists, educators, policymakers, and anyone seeking a grounded, experience-driven approach to justice reform.
Beyond its strategic insights, Freedom Fighters stands out for its emphasis on dignity, agency, and collective responsibility. Dr. Glasgow challenges readers to reconsider who is best positioned to lead reform efforts, arguing that sustainable change must be informed by those who have lived the realities of incarceration. By centering collaboration between incarcerated leaders, community advocates, and policymakers, the book outlines a path toward reform that is not only effective, but deeply human and enduring.
LUCY – HOUSTON COUNTY: Houston County 911 dispatched Lucy Volunteer Fire Department, Cottonwood Volunteer Fire Department, Cottonwood Volunteer Fire Department, Pansey Volunteer Fire Department, Ashford Volunteer Fire Department, Cottonwood Rescue – two ambulances and Houston County Sheriff Department to a structure fire.
The fire location was 2115 Fire Department Road in Lucy. At the time of dispatch Houston County 911 was advised smoke and flamers visible from the ceiling.
The departments did an offensive attack on the fire.
ABBEVILLE: In the City of Abbeville, the county seat of Henry County, the Henry County Commission and Henry County Sheriff are in the midst of a complete jail overhaul and additions to the jail.
In the construction, they are adding an enclosed sally port to drive in and doors be closed for inmates which will not allow inmates to escape before being carried inside the jail.
Before the construction the jail capacity for women was 12, and total full is 90 inmates. When the new construction is complete the Henry County Jail will be up-to-date to current standards.
The former Henry County Sheriff’s: Sheriff Welcher, Norman Holman, Lawton Ed Armstrong, Will Maddox and Eric Blankenship. At the time of Sheriff Welcher’s death, he was living in the Henry County Jail. The front of the jail was Sheriff Welcher’s house and the back of the house was the Henry County Jail. Sheriff Welcher’s died of cancer during his time as Sheriff. During those times the Coroner was automatically Sheriff until the Governor appointed a Sheriff.
During that time James Golden and Lawton Ed Armstrong were seeking the Office of Henry County Sheriff. Because the election was contested, then Alabama Governor Guy Hunt appointed Henry County Coroner Norman Holman as Henry County Sheriff. The election was in November and Lawton Ed Armstrong was elected. That was years ago.
Well, Henry County Coroner and now Henry County Coroner/Henry County Sheriff Norman Holman enjoyed being Sheriff. So Sheriff Norman Holman remained in office until Sheriff Welcher’s term ended in January ( years ago ).
The law changed several years ago and now if something happens to the incumbent Sheriff the highest ranking officer in the department is automatically Sheriff until the sitting Governor appoints someone as Sheriff.
Then Henry County Coroner/Henry County Sheriff Norman Holman and Sheriff Elect Lawton Ed Armstrong wives said NO WAY, I am not living in the jail!!!! So the jail was remodeled and size increased.
Other than camera updates during Sheriff Will Maddox tenure and Jail Administrator Lee Padgett, not much any construction work has been done to the Henry County Jail. That May 16, 2019.
Under Sheriff Welcher through Sheriff Maddox, the Sheriff was personally responsible for feeding the inmates. If there was a profit that went to the Sheriff and if a loss the Sheriff was personally responsible. That has since been changed and the cost for the operation of the jail is a county responsibility.
FUNNY HISTORY: When Sheriff Welcher was living and residing in the jail, someone stole his newspaper. Sheriff Welcher had him arrested. Then one got mad at the Sheriff because he would not let him visit someone in the jail. The guy spun his tires and threw rocks under the carport at the jail. Sheriff Welcher had him arrested.
Sheriff Welcher loved playing domino’s. In his office was a side office where he and others would play domino’s.
Under those times, the Sheriff was god of the county. What he said went. If the Sheriff sent word he wanted to see him, you went to see the Sheriff without questions or warrants.
A former Red Level woman has been sentenced to the maximum prison term after pleading guilty to aggravated child abuse in a case involving two young children.
According to the Covington County District Attorney’s Office, Melinda Chance Lee, 60, entered a guilty plea as the child victims were preparing to testify. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison and is currently incarcerated at Tutwiler Women’s Prison under the Alabama Department of Corrections.
The investigation began in 2022 after the Covington County Sheriff’s Office responded to Andalusia Health, where a six-year-old child was found to be severely malnourished, badly bruised, and suffering from significant burns. The child was later transferred to USA Children’s and Women’s Hospital for extensive medical treatment.
Investigators said a second child in Lee’s home, a nine-year-old sibling, had also suffered severe mental and emotional abuse. Authorities reported that both children described repeated and extreme abuse, and search warrants executed at Lee’s residence recovered items that supported the children’s accounts.
Court records show Lee admitted to some of the conduct but attempted to place blame elsewhere. She later filed a motion to withdraw her guilty plea, which was denied, making the conviction final.
Officials said both children have since been adopted and are now doing well.
CLAYTON AL: Clayton Alabama, established in 1935 and home of one of the two courthouses in Barbour County. The Mayor is Kathy Thomas.
Recently saw a post of EMS, persons with criminal records welcome to apply.
Tonight, via TEXT RICKEY 334-790-1729, RSN is receiving word that all EMS have walked out. Multiple text messages.
Clayton has no EMS crews as of right now. If anyone has the letter submitted or additional information TEXT RICKEY 334-790-1729.
I think Baker Hill has a rescue. If that does not work, the Barbour County Coroner is Chip Chapman. Hate to be so blunt but sometimes Mayors and Council Members do not care about the citizens.
Good Luck to the people in and around Clayton.
UPDATED @ 8:04 PM
Baker Hill VOLUNTEER Rescue has one full time ambulance and some days two. They are stepping up to the plate and filling the void to provide the Baler Hill and Clayton area with Emergency Medical Services.
CITIZENS, please note- Baker Hill has NO MUNICIPAL FUNDING. They are a 501 ( c ) ( 3 ) non profit entity. It costs money to operate and provide Emergency Medical Services. If you have insurance, GREAT. If you do not have insurance, you are treated the same as the person with insurance coverage.
So if financially able ( and I was not asked to include this ), make your tax deductible donations to Baker Hill Volunteer Rescue.
They are currently your lifeline to emergency medical services.
UPDATED @ 9:24 PM
VIA TEXT RICKEY 334-790-1729, I was informed Baker Hill Rescue is a NON PROFIT, 501 ( c ) ( 3 ), however those making the EMS runs are compensated. They still operate on donations, transport regardless of your insurance.
Those who resigned from Clayton Rescue are now with South Barbour EMS d/b/a Clio Rescue. As of this writing, via text, RSN was advised it is a volunteer service as of right now.They intend to run a day crew, Monday – Friday and on weekends. They will be looking to getting a station built.
So those who have provided the service, the boots on the ground, are working to still provide EMS coverage. Just they can not tolerate the leadership of Clayton Alabama anymore.
