INSIDE: n Obituaries, page 2 n Religion, page 6 n Classifieds, page 9 n Sports, page 12
Weekend
OPINION, PAGE 4: ADDED MARINE POLICE PERSONNEL IS GOOD NEWS
The Outlook
Lighting the way for Alexander City & Lake Martin since 1892
June 10-11, 2017 Vol. 125, No. 115 www.alexcityoutlook.com 75¢
Woman mauled by son’s dogs By MITCH SNEED Editor
A 70-year-old Alexander City woman remains hospitalized following surgery after she was brutally attacked for almost 30 minutes by two bulldogs that belonged to her son. Alexander City Police Department Animal Control Officer Scott Wright was the first officer on the scene at 5:40 p.m. Thursday evening and encountered the dogs still actively mauling the woman
and threating fire department personnel who responded to the Old Kellyton Road home. “It was the worst dog attack situation that I have ever encountered,” Wright said. “It appears to be a totally unprovoked attack on a woman who was known to the animals. For almost 30 minutes they continued to bite and maul her despite her attempts to fight them off. “She used her hands, legs, a brick and two-by-fours to try to keep them away but they just
Residents question Stillwaters property sale
kept coming.” Wright said that when he arrived he tried to restrain the dogs with a catchpole and get between them and the victim. He said that no matter what he tried, nothing seemed to faze them. “I have seen aggressive dogs, but never anything to this level,” Wright said. “I had no choice but to fight back to the truck and get my weapon. I fired and struck one, but even though the dog was injured, they both ran off into some
neighboring woods.” At that point paramedics were able to get to the victim. Wright said the woman had puncture wounds, bite marks from her shoulders all the way down to her feet. “She was going into a surgery Friday afternoon,” Wright said. “I don’t want to get to graphic, but by the time we were able to get to her, there were places that the skin had been ripped so severely you could see muscles, tendons and bones. I can’t imagine how
2017 JAZZ FEST
Data shows many sides to Tallapoosa County
By CLIFF WILLIAMS Staff Writer
The purchase of a Lake Martin waterfront lot by a Stillwaters Residential board member for what seems like an incredibly low price has prompted a group of residents to cry foul. Stillwaters Residential Association Board Member Pamela Alexander and her husband John purchased .59 acres of waterfront property from the Stillwaters Residential Association in December 2015 for $1,000. The property is adjacent to 1.48 acres of non-waterfront property the Alexanders have owned for several years. The combined properties were listed for sale June 7 as 2.07 acres with 204.90 feet of waterfront for $225,000 with no home and a dock that was constructed since the 2015 purchase and the combined lots were listed in May of 2015 for $359,000, just five months after the new deed of the waterfront lot was recorded in the Tallapoosa County Probate Judge’s office. The property is under the power See STILLWATERS • Page 3
traumatizing that was for her.” Wright said that the animals did return to the home and after two trips, both were eventually put down. They will be tested for rabies, Wright said. In addition to those two dogs, there were three others on the property. Wright said it appeared that some were improperly chained and that the dogs’ shots may not have been up to date. “It’s still an open investigation,” Wright said. See ATTACK • Page 3
By DONALD CAMPBELL Staff Writer
Cliff Williams / The Outlook
Randall Bramblett performs on stage at the 27th Annual Alexander City Jazz Fest Friday night at Strand Park. Members of the community were once again treated to delightful music as the Sofia Goodman Group opened the annual festival and Delta Rae closing out the night. Tonight at the Lake Martin Amphitheater shadowood opens at 6:30 p.m., The Stooges Brass Band takes the stage at 8 p.m. with Paul Thorn closing things out at 9:30 p.m.
What is an average Tallapoosa County resident? According to data gathered by benchmarking search engine OnlyBoth, an average resident of the county is a white high-school graduate who is likely Southern Baptist faith who makes $21,034 from a manufacturing job, lives in a home that they own with a median household income of $36,779. That’s just a portion of the data that OnlyBoth has collected from literally thousands of sources to produce thumbnail data not only states and county, but for business and other entities as well. In 2012, the software technology OnlyBoth began to be perfected, allowing for a wide variety of statistical trends to be easily compiled and analyzed. Nearly two years later, its creators, Raul ValdesPerez and Andre Lessa officially founded OnlyBoth LLC and started See DATA • Page 7
Fidget spinners: latest fad around By DONALD CAMPBELL Staff Writer
In recent weeks, it seems like you can’t go anywhere without seeing someone with a fidget spinner on their finger. Fidget spinners have become the latest must-have item, joining such an illustrious list as Cabbage Patch Kids, Pokémon cards and Furbies. Stores everywhere carry them, while children and adults alike are finding themselves enthralled with the relatively simple item. Here in the Lake Martin area, some stores have been carrying them for quite a while, while others have made fidget spinners a recent addition to their inventory. “We’ve had them for about two months now,” said Dadeville Fred’s Assistant Manager Michelle Bolan. “People have been coming in looking just for them.”
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“We first got them in about a month ago,” said Jackson Drugs employee Karen Hall. At the same time, both Greg Sweetwine at Rite Aid and Kevin Adair at Cherokee Quick Stop in Alexander City said their stores only started carrying them within the past week. At all four locations, the majority of available inventory are solid colored spinners, though people interested in more elaborate ones will be able to purchase those at places like Fred’s and Jackson Drugs. “We have glow in the dark ones as well as camouflage ones,” Bolan said. “Yesterday, we got a new one in, called gyro.” These new arrivals at Fred’s are different from traditional fidget spinners. Rather than having rounded arms, the gyro spinners at Fred’s look See SPINNERS • Page 3
86 67 High
Low
Lake Martin
Lake Levels
490.59
Reported on 06/09/17 @ 2:00 p.m.
LACEY HOWELL 256.307.2443
laceyshowell@gmail.com 5295 Highway 280, Alex City, AL
Staff / The Outlook
Lucas Williams enjoys playing with his fidget spinner.
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54708 90050 USPS Permit # 013-080
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