LOCAL, PAGE A6
MIDSEASON AWARDS
Anna’s Place opening in memory of owner’s daughter
Patrick, Rawls lead the way after the first half of the season
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THE WETUMPKA HERALD Elmore County’s Oldest Newspaper - Established 1898
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WEDNESDAY • OCTOBER 3, 2018
THEWETUMPKAHERALD.COM
VOL. 120, NO. 40
Man sentenced for murder, burning body in Redland By AMALIA KORTRIGHT Bureau Chief
A Montgomery man was recently sentenced to decades in prison for killing a man and attempting to dispose of the body in Elmore County, according to a recent announcement by the Montgomery County District Attorney’s office. Christopher Brian Cearley, 34, who lists an address on Hialeah Lane, was convicted of capital murder and
flames. Cearley was arrested the following day. “This was a truly despicable crime, and I am extremely pleased that justice was served in this case,” Montgomery District Attorney Daryl Bailey said. “The length of Christopher Cearley’s sentence ensures that he will never be able to harm anyone else, and our streets are a little safer now that this violent criminal has been removed from our community.”
semi-automatic weapon into sentenced to 85 years in prison Dubose.” by Judge Johnny Hardwick on In an effort to conceal the Sept. 20. As part of his sentence, murder, Cearley then took Cearley was also ordered to pay a Dubose’s body to a hay field in $5,000 fine. the Redland community and set Cearley killed John Dubose, it and surrounding hay bales on of Hayneville, by shooting him fire. from behind on July 22, 2015. According to a 2015 story According to the Montgomery Cearley published on The Herald’s DA’s Office, Dubose had been website, firefighters discovered Dubose’s sitting at Cearley’s house when Cearley body when they arrived to extinguish the came up behind him and “emptied his
City votes to vacate Gaddis Street
Police: Millbrook officer nearly struck during car chase
By AMALIA KORTRIGHT Bureau Chief
Wetumpka officials unanimously voted to vacate undeveloped parts of Gaddis Street during a regularly scheduled city council meeting Monday. Officials voted on the resolution after Keith Taylor requested the action. Taylor said Gaddis Street runs through a commercial piece of property that he owns, and vacating the street will allow room for future development on the lot. “We (couldn’t) do anything with it until those things are closed, because of the way the street and the alleyways run through it,” Taylor said. “It’s all one big block of property now.” The decision came See GADDIS • Page A2
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By AMALIA KORTRIGHT Bureau Chief
Amalia Kortright / The Herald
CTEC student Ricardo Hoath examines the school’s recently donated Challenger II airplane with his classmates.
Deatsville couple donates plane to tech center By AMALIA KORTRIGHT Bureau Chief
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local couple donated a valuable piece of equipment to students of the Elmore County Technical Center’s newly established aviation program Friday. Elmore County Career and
Technical Education Director Jimmy Hull and aviation students met with James and Faye Hester, of Deatsville, at the Wetumpka Municipal Airport to thank them for the Challenger II airplane that was gifted to the school. “I just want to emphasize how grateful we are to Mr. and Mrs. Hester for giving us the plane,” Hull said. “We just want to use it to help the kids.” See AIRPLANE • Page A2
A local man was recently jailed after police said he almost hit a Millbrook police officer with his car. Cleveland Wallace, 33, was arrested by the Millbrook Police Department and charged with attempted murder on Wallace Sept. 26. Police identified Wallace as a Prattville resident. However, court documents list Wallace’s address on Covered Bridge Parkway in Millbrook. According to Millbrook Police Chief P.K. Johnson, police were called to help See OFFICER • Page A2
‘Ms. Myrna’ retires as Wetumpka children’s librarian By AMALIA KORTRIGHT Bureau Chief
Wetumpka children’s librarian Myrna Hays, affectionately known by many as “Ms. Myrna,” worked more than 20 years, two months and three days before her retirement Sept. 26. A celebration was held in her honor that afternoon. “I’ll miss it, but it’s time to go,” Hays said.
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During those two decades, library director Susan Hayes said Hays has been successful in one of the library’s most important goals: to make reading fun at an early age. “It increased the love of reading, and the love of coming to the library. There’s a lot of laughter and a lot of fun,” Hayes said. “She has crafts all the time, and brings in special guests.” See LIBRARIAN • Page A3
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Community members gathered at the Wetumpka library to honor children’s librarian Myrna Hays, who held the position for more than two decades before retirement.
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