Reports indicate Katorrean Thomas turned himself in to Henry County Sheriff Eric Blankenship and is in the Henry County Jail.
ORIGINAL:
A suspect has been identified in connection with a shooting at a Dothan bar.
The suspect is identified as Katorrean Thomas.
The shooting happened early Sunday morning at The Crazy Monkey Bar and Grill, where police say Thomas and the victim were in an argument before Thomas pulled a gun and shot the victim once in the upper torso.
Call Dothan Police with any information on where Thomas may be.
HOUSTON COUNTY: This morning the Fire/EMS Task Force appointed by the Houston County Commission met at 10:00 AM in the Dothan – Houston County Emergency Management Office.
The Task Force Chairman is Dothan – Houston County Emergency Management Director Mark Powell. At the beginning of the meeting EMA Director Powell stated to the task force members an appointment was made on July 22, 2024 to in 12 months to present a plan or plans to the Houston County Commission concerning Fire and EMS across Houston County.
THIS TASK FORCE, BY DESIGN, IS NOT TASKED WITH OR
CHARGED WITH THE DISMANTLING OR TAKING OVER THE
CURRENT VOLUNTEER FIRE / EMS IN HOUSTON COUNTY
The purpose is to look at the big picture because volunteers are hard to find. The purpose is to look at enhanced services across Houston County, get better response times, and to help the emergency services better serve those in need.
Some have wanted to focus primarily on fire services and not EMS service. But as explained by Rehobeth’s Todd Phillips, the matter has to be a combination of fire and EMS. Phillips has developed a plan working from Rehobeth which serves Rehobeth and Taylor with full time fire and EMS. It is a dual team where the men and women working serve as EMS and fire, whichever the call is.
In Houston County, currently, 87% of the calls are EMS-related, with only 13% being fire-related calls.
Across Houston County there are some unique situations. But as EMA Director Powell explained, the Task Force is to provide to the Houston County Commission “options,” with cost and control. What is the minimum plan, maximum plan and reasonable plan. A fire plan. An EMS plan. A combined fire and EMS plan. Once the commission decides on the option most favorable, which could be none of the plans, it is then the decision of the board appointed to draft the detailed plan. The board appointed would be the governing body of the fire and EMS.
DO NOT GET ALARMED – CURRENT FIRE AND EMS
The Houston County Commission has ZERO AUTHORITY to take over the current fire and EMS stations. Houston County owns ZERO fire trucks or ambulances. A fire truck, equipped, is a minimum of $700.000 and an ambulance, equipped, is at least $250,000.
The fire and EMS stations across Houston County, are as follows: owned by a municipality – Rehobeth Fire – Rescue; Columbia Fire – Rescue; Ashford Fire; Cottonwood Fire, Cowarts Volunteer Fire. The municipal government has authority, but the Houston County Commission has ZERO control or authority.
Non-profit corporations of which Houston County Commission has ZERO control or authority:
Kinsey Volunteer Fire, Webb Volunteer Fire, Gordon Volunteer Fire, Lucy Volunteer Fire, Ashford Rescue, Pansey Volunteer Fire, Lovetown Volunteer Fire, Hodgesville Volunteer Fire, Madrid Volunteer Fire, Southern Junction Volunteer Fire, Taylor Volunteer Fire, Bay Springs Volunteer Fire, and Wicksburg Volunteer Fire – Rescue.
FOR HOUSTON COUNTY TO PURCHASE FIRE TRUCKS AND AMBULANCES
For Houston County Commission to purchase a fire truck, equipped, would cost around $700,000, each. Then they would have to construct buildings for the crews to stay in and keep the fire trucks in.
For one full-time person, the estimated costs are about $60,000 per person, with benefits.
For the Houston County Commission to purchase an ambulance, it would cost around $250,000 each. Then they would have to construct buildings for the crews to stay in and keep the ambulances in.
To have separate crews would mean the firemen would sit at the station 87% of the time with no runs while EMS would be covering 87% of the 911 emergency calls. That is the reason this plan must be a dual fire and EMS system. The Houston County Commission has ZERO choices, financially, but to sit down with all Non-Profit fire and EMS, and each municipality, and work out a true partnership. Houston County can not afford to pay for the manpower and purchase all the required equipment.
IN CONCLUSION
This task force will present to the Houston County Commission multiple options with anticipated costs. These options will be general in nature and not specific where and how many at each station across Houston County.
The specifics will be determined by a board if the commission selects a particular option.
This issue is one of importance, because volunteers are harder to come by. A topic that needs discussion and planning for the future.
In May the task force will meet with Houston County Commission Chairman Brandon Shoupe. Unless the task force decides to meet in June, they will present their final plan in July to the Houston County Commission.
Here’s a further breakdown of the topics discussed:
The need for every viewpoint and perspective to be addressed and recognized
How plans can include both fire and EMS
Increasing personnel without additional facilities or equipment
The concerns on adding personnel without addressing the underlying issues
Fairness of funding
The need to support EMS while also considering the broad impact on the county
The idea of having personnel certified as both firefighters and EMTs to improve response times
Employment, as some departments want personnel to be exclusive to their department
Programs to receive additional funding
Having two crews in the same area, especially during peak times
As of May 7, 2025, every air traveler aged 18 and up will need a REAL ID compliant license (STAR ID) or another for of identification for domestic air travel.
The Houston County Probate Office DOES NOT issue STAR ID. They only renew or duplicate driver’s licenses, ID cards and STAR IDs.
STAR IDs are only issued at Alabama Law Enforcement Agency exam offices — you can visit the Alabama State Troopers office at 5679 Montgomery Highway in Dothan from 8 to 4:30 to get your STAR ID.
To get your STAR ID, you must provide one of the following documents:
Valid, unexpired United States Passport
Certified Birth Certificate issued by a State Office of Vital Statistics
Consular Report of Birth Abroad (Form FS-240, DS-1350, or FS-545
Valid, unexpired Permanent Resident Card (Form I-551) issued by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS)
Unexpired employment authorization document (EAD) issued by DHS (Form I-766 or Form I-688B)
Unexpired Foreign Passport with a valid, unexpired U.S. Visa affixed, accompanied by the approved I-94 form documenting the applicant’s most recent admittance into the United States.
Certificate of Naturalization issued by DHS (Form N-550 or N-570)
Certificate of Citizenship issued by DHS (Form N-560 or N-561)
DOTHAN: 08:57 AM Dothan 911 dispatched Dothan Fire, Dothan Police and Pilcher Ambulance to 901 Montezuma Avenue, Calvary Baptist Church. A vehicle hit the church building.
Initially dispatched as Critical Injuries, on the arrival of Dothan Fire Engine 10 (West Main Street), the call was downgraded and ambulance response cancelled.
A vehicle apparently did not stop in the handicapped parking and over shot the parking spot, striking the side of the church building. There was damage to a window on the front of the family life center.
This is a private property accident. Dothan Police does not complete accident reports on private property wrecks.
Dothan has secured millions of dollars to get to work building a new community center on the east side of town near the Wiregrass Public Safety Center.
Mayor Mark Saliba thanked Senator Tommy Tuberville for helping secure $7.7 million in Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grant funds.
The location on Ennis Road will allow local emergency response teams to hold events, and the community center will also have the opportunity to be rented out.
The city is in the design phase now, but completion is estimated to be in the next couple of years.
