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McDaniel found guilty of traffic offenses Charges that prompted bond revocation on murder charge in municipal court
By CLIFF WILLIAMS Staff Writer Accused killer Matthew Clate McDaniel is due in court Wednesday for a motion hearing in advance of his trial in the Jan. 17, 2016 shooting death of Norman Dean Crayton. But Monday he appeared in Alexander City Municipal Court on new charges of running a red light, improper tag, driving while suspended and arrested for attempting to elude
law enforcement – charges that landed him back in jail for violations of his bond conditions on the murder charge. McDaniel was found guilty of running a red light, driving with improper tag and driving without a license from a Jan. 17 incident Monday by Alexander City Municipal Judge Randy Haynes. McDaniel was transported from the out of county where he was being held Monday after his bond was revoked for murder charges following the traffic incident. McDaniel’s attorney Davis Whittelsey admitted that McDaniel was driving with an improper tag and without a license but those charges would never have happened if he didn’t run the red light. Whittelsey’s argument was that
McDaniel never ran the red. Whittelsey’s argument was on his interpretation of video from the Alexander City Police Department Police vehicle used to chase the green truck McDaniel was driving. “If you conclude that the light was green, we never get to the stop,” Whittelsey said. The video turned on as Officer Jeremy Hamlet began to pursue McDaniel for running the red light. Whittelsey argued the video showed there was a green arrow when McDaniel turned. Hamlet was being escorted by ACPD Training Officer
See MCDAMIEL • Page 3
State GOP drops Tapley
Schools celebrate black history By DONALD CAMPBELL Staff Writer In recognition of February being Black History Month, schools in the Alexander City and Tallapoosa County systems have been holding special programs. Featuring music, art and student projects, these presentations help celebrate the contributions members of the AfricanAmerican community have made to American and world history. In recent weeks, Reeltown Elementary School and Alexander City Middle School have held their respective Black History Month programs, while other schools are planning to host events during the final days of February. During Friday’s program at Alexander City Middle School, the choir presented special musical selections, the drama department gave a special dramatic reading and the middle school band performed “Ain’t Misbehavin” and “When the Saints go Marching In.” 2012 Benjamin Russell graduate Chris Graham was the special keynote speaker for the event, and a step team gave a special stepdance presentation, “A Stroll Through Black Greek Fraternities.” See HISTORY • Page3
File / The Outlook
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ABBY
Complete with thousands of cards, tiara, gifts and cupcakes, teen battling illness enjoys a 17th birthday fit for a queen
Benjamin Russell student Abby Brown celebrated her 17th birthday Monday in a big way. The young lady who is battling was diagnosed with a rare disease called Mitochondrial Disease, became the center of attention when her family asked friends to send birthday cards to make the day. The request went viral and she has received more than a thousand cards and Monday she was serenaded by the entire student body at school, got a police escort to Alexander City Hall where she was the guest of honor at a gathering to celebrate the day. “I can’t believe everybody is doing all this for me,” Abby said. Above, Abby opens cards and gifts at a party at city hall, while right she gets a hug from Alexander City Fire Department Chief Reese McAlister. “The show of support and love has been overwhelming,” Abby’s mom Shawn Brown said. “We can’t thank everyone enough. Se had an incredible day.”
Former Commissioner Frank Tapley said he was given very little information on what led the Alabama GOP Candidate Committee to deny him a spot on the primary ballot for the District 3 seat after a meeting Saturday.
Candidate says details of allegations were not disclosed at meeting By MITCH SNEED Editor
Mitch Sneed / The Outlook
The Alabama Republican Party told Frank Tapley Saturday that he can’t run in the GOP Primary for the District 3 seat on the Tallapoosa County Commission. Tapley was informed of the decision after a Saturday evening meeting. He had been asked to appear before the state party after a challenge to his candidacy, which was denied at the county level, was appealed to the state panel. “They told me they didn’t want me,” Tapley said. “They didn’t tell me much. They gave me a letter that Joseph Fuller sent them challenging my candidacy. He said that before the election four years ago that I had gone to the Outlook and said some bad things about the party. That’s not true. “I even had a letter from paper saying that wasn’t the case. I asked See TAPLEY • Page 3
AU’s Hansen tells Horizons Unlimited about Neil Armstrong By DONALD CAMPBELL Staff Writer Retired Auburn history professor Dr. James Hansen closed out another exciting semester of Horizons Unlimited, talking to the seniors gathered at the Alexander City Board of Education building about Neil Armstrong, the astronaut’s biography Hansen wrote in the early 2000s and the recent efforts to turn this book into a movie. “I’ve been pretty busy the last six to eight months, which mainly has centered on work with this film,” Hansen said. Having always been interested in historical drama, Hansen said he wanted as many people to hear Armstrong’s story, which led to him writing the first and only authorized biography of the Apollo 11 astronaut, “First Man.” “‘First Man’ has been through three editions,” Hansen
Today’s
said. “There will be a new edition coming out around the time the movie does. Through the first three printings, around a quarter of a million copies have been sold.” What makes getting this story out there even more important, Hansen said, is not only the fact that 2019 will mark the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing, but also the fact that a number of the NASA officials and astronauts involved with the Apollo program have been dying in recent months, estimating that only five of the 12 men who walked on the moon are still alive today. “Making this film will bring in so many more people,” Hansen said. “I want people to pay attention to these men and their stories.” Hansen said efforts to turn Armstrong’s story into a movie began even before he had written the astronaut’s biography. Early on, Warner Bros. and director Clint Eastwood exercised an option to make the film, but let See HORIZONS • Page 3
Lake Martin
Weather Lake Levels
71 54 High
Low
483.96 Reported on 2/26/18 @ 6 p.m.
Donald Campbell / The Outlook
Retired Auburn history professor Dr. James Hansen educated the Horizons Unlimited group about the life of astronaut Neil Armstrong.
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