1:45 PM: Local Coroners Attend Continuing Education

by Rickey Stokes | Mar 19, 2025 | News

ORANGE BEACH AL:     Alabama law requires a Coroner to be at least 25 years of age and attend 12 hours of continuing education a year. The continuing education is at the Coroner’s expense and not at the expense of the county, unless the county decides to pay it.

Today, March 19, 2024, in Orange Beach, Alabama, at Jacksonville State University, coroners and law enforcement attended continuing education. The course was RESPONDING TO FENTANYL AND OTHER DRUG TRENDS.

Coffee County Coroner Arnold Woodham, Chief Deputy Coroner Mark Kelley, Patrick Arnold; Houston County Coroner Robert Byrd; Dale County Coroner John Cawley, Chief Deputy Coroner Adam Bruhn, Deputy Coroner David Grubbs were all in attendance.

Educators said fentanyl often comes from Mexico into the United States in many different ways, often disguised under things such as gasoline tanks.

Today, the victims of overdose are no longer in the back alleys. They are your children, neighbors, friends, and co-workers. Today, 42% of the people respond they personally know someone who have died from an overdose.

METH creates severe mental illness.

METH – the use of meth for 5 years can cause cell death in the brain, memory loss, other potentially permanent problems. Using meth is like inflicting a traumatic brain injury on yourself.

The METH, in Atlanta Georgia, costs about $ 1,800 a pound. In Mexico, the price is about $ 150 a pound. Someone smoking METH gets it into their system in 7 to 10 seconds. Taking it orally, it takes 20 to 40 minutes to get into your system.

METH is in your blood for 4 to 6 hours. It contains an ingredient that makes you itch, so constant itchiness can be a sign of using. It makes a person overly frightened and paranoid. It makes one hear voices that are not really there, excessive sweating, nervous, and increases sexual activity.

Every 5 minutes someone dies from a drug overdose. The CDC has stated that drug overdose claims more lives then auto accidents.

In 2018 there was a drop in the number of deaths. That was the year NARCAN was introduced; it can be purchased over the counter for around $60. However, some think this product is their life saver, when that is not always the case.

The training also informed the Coroners of potential exposure which could cause symptoms that could cause their death and how to prevent exposure.

Coroners make less money then others, but have I laugh… no law degree required to be Attorney General; you can be elected Sheriff at age 18, but you can not buy alcohol, cigarettes or a gun, but you can command a 200-person department. You can not be Coroner until age 25, and continuing education is mandated. No education is required for a Sheriff.

DCS superintendent requirements change, hiring firm proposed; issue may be kicked to next board

by Emma Daniel | Mar 19, 2025 | News

The Dothan Board of Education has walked back its requirement that the incoming superintendent has previous superintendent experience, voting to change the language to “superintendent experience preferred.”

However, the requirement for a doctorate degree is currently staying in place.

D1 Brenda Guilford proposed the adjustment to the superintendent experience requirement, as she was one of the yea votes in the initial proposal.

Toward the beginning of discussion, Chairman Scott Childers asked the roomful of attendees if they were in favor of the new requirements; the “nays” had it, a larger group of people raising their hands in opposition to the requirements.

D4 Brett Strickland proposed using an outside hiring firm to find a superintendent candidate, but D6 Aurie Jenkins pushed back against the matter, saying an outside firm would not necessarily know what is best for Dothan City Schools.

Strickland said hiring an outside firm may have its costs, but it would take a burden off the board.

Childers pushed back: “I don’t need my burden lessened.”

Jenkins said she believed the job of hiring a superintendent should fall on the board’s shoulders, so they can hire someone with longevity.

She said she had seen examples of outside hiring firms recommending superintendents who had been fired from their previous jobs or some using their new position as a launching-off point to spend a couple years at before getting another job.

Strickland said there would be cost either way: if they hired someone from the outside to recommend candidates, or if they searched for those candidates themselves.

Childers noted that in the past, when dealing with a split board and being so close to elections, the board had to kick the can down the road.

D5 Amy Bonds, who will not be running again unlike her colleagues on the board, said she would feel better if the board who actually had to work with the superintendent got to make the decision on who would take up the mantle.

“It might not be some of us, so how could that be our decision to make?” she said. “I just think it’s only fair to let the elections happen and then let them make that decision.”

Childers said he worried a good candidate would see the conflict within the board and be dissuaded from the job.

“I don’t see another candidate being interested, and I don’t see us in a good situation for them to take this job.”‘

Eagle Eye Distributes over $32k to Local Nonprofits

by Emma Daniel | Mar 19, 2025 | News

Eagle Eye’s Change for Good initiative raised over $32,000 to support six local charitable organizations.

Dare to Hope, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Love in Action, The Ark, Wired Ministries and Wiregrass Hope Group will receive $5,416.49 each.

Eagle Eye got $16,249.45 worth of donations from customers, so they’re matching that number to provide $32,498.90 to each nonprofit.

“We are continually amazed by the generosity of our customers and the power of working together to create meaningful change,” said Mark Anderson, Owner and CEO of Eagle Eye Outfitters. “Our Change for Good
initiative proves that even small contributions can make a big difference in our community.”

Eagle Eye Outfitters remains steadfast in its commitment to giving back, ensuring that the six selected organizations will continue to benefit throughout 2025. In 2026, a new group of six nonprofits will be chosen, with applications opening in Fall 2025 for organizations interested in being considered.

For more information about Change for Good and Eagle Eye Outfitters’ ongoing community efforts, visit shopeagleeye.com/change-for-good.

Henry County K9 Rudy sniffs out first drug case

by Emma Daniel | Mar 19, 2025 | News

The Henry County Sheriff’s Office would like to congratulate K9 “Rudy” in his first drug case!

The Sheriff’s Office acquired 2 new K9s last year and the K9 teams began their training in Dothan in early January. Rudy and his partner Deputy LaRose and K9 “Hamu” and partner Deputy Fisher, completed their 3 month long training and certification at Dothan PD on Friday.

On March 18, 2025 at approximately 6:47pm Deputies with the Henry County Sheriff’s Office S.P.A.D.E. Unit, conducted a traffic stop on US Highway 431 near County Road 212. As a result of the traffic stop, Deputies seized approximately 30lbs of Marijuana. Alfedan Akinlosose, age 32, of Atlanta, Georgia, was arrested and charged with Drug Trafficking. He was booked into the Henry County Jail on $150,000 bond.

“I would like to commend the work of our K9 team. These dogs are amazing, in their 1st week they are already proving how valuable they will be to our agency. The Sheriff’s Pro-Active Drug Enforcement (S.P.A.D.E.) unit will continue to do everything we can to keep our streets drug free and keep drugs out of the hands of our children.”- Sheriff Eric Blankenship