SPORTS, PAGE 8
OPINION: KEEP WORKING TO BE AN INFORMED VOTER, PAGE 4.
FRIDAY
THE
Wildcats aim for three in a row as they head to Opelika for the Bulldogs!
Lighting the way for Alexander City & Lake Martin since 1892 September 16, 2016 Vol. 124, No. 187 www.alexcityoutlook.com
Murder case may have had racial motive
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story contains a derogatory racial term that was a direct quote from testimony in this courtcase. Readers who may find this offensive are cautioned in advance.
By MITCH SNEED Editor
The case against a man accused of shooting his neighbor to death while he was mowing his grass on a riding lawnmower is headed to the grand jury. Judge Kim Taylor bound the case
Former Tallassee police officer arrested for assault
against accused killer Franklin Price Jr. following a preliminary hearing Thursday. The state, led by Tallapoosa County Assistant District Attorney Jeremy Duerr, presented evidence discovered in the investigation of 49-year-old Elbert Clyde Wilson’s death on April 20. It was an emotional day, especially for the 24 friends and family members who filled five rows of courtroom benches, many wearing royal blue t-shirts with Wilson’s face on the front.
Wilson died shortly after being shot on his property at 3823 Highway 63, just outside the Alexander City City limits. Price lived across the street. While some information on the case had come to light, people wanted to know why would Price shoot his neighbor, especially when he told investigators shortly after the shooting that he saw a red truck pull up in front of Wilson and fire a shot in his direction? Testimony indicated that Price finally
admitted to the shooting, but said it was an accident in a signed statement. However, two men who spent time in jail with the accused killer said it was racial hatred that drove Price that day, Price according to testimony given by Alexander City See MURDER • Page 3
BYTE OUT OF CRIME
By CARMEN RODGERS Staff Writer
By DAVID GRANGER Staff Writer
A member of the Tallassee Police Department found themselves on the wrong side of the law Wednesday after the Tallapoosa County Grand Jury filed an indictment against 23-year-old Brandon Smirnoff for assault. The alleged assault occurred earSmirnoff lier this year after Smirnoff assisted other officers in the pursuit of a suspect who was attempting to elude police on an ATV. “The vehicle was eventually stopped and the driver was taken into custody,” Police Chief Jimmy Rodgers said in a statement to The Tribune. “It was at this point, while the individual was being transported back to a patrol vehicle, that he alleges that See ASSAULT • Page 3
Lake Martin
Lake Levels
487.58 Reported on 9/15/16 @ 6 p.m.
Cliff Williams / The Outlook
Investigators warn of the severity of internet threats and worked together to solve cyber crimes. Recently local officials worked to seek the source of an online threat to Benjamin Russell High School.
Investigators track ‘digital footprints’ to find source of internet threats By MITCH SNEED Editor
An obscure social media post caught the attention of Alexander City Schools and Alexander City Police Department officials on the morning of Saturday Sept. 3. The the post was made on the social media site IFunny by an individual with the screen name “Blackyard_V2” saying that “Benjamin Russell high school will be shot up on 9/6/2016.”
LACEY HOWELL 256.307.2443
laceyshowell@gmail.com 5295 Highway 280, Alex City, AL
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The post went on to mention the name of a student and closed with the letters “lol.” In the aftermath of deadly school shootings, those words typed from an unknown person, from some keyboard that could have been located anywhere in the world, touched off alarms, bells, whistles and a flurry of activity as investigators worked to find out who was responsible and if the threat was credible. Investigators started to interview people, including the student who was mentioned in See DIGITAL • Page 3
The Tallapoosa County Sheriff’s Office recorded among the most impressive clearance rates of crimes of all county sheriff’s offices in Alabama, according to the annual report Crime in Alabama, released on Wednesday by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA), “We try on that,” said Tallapoosa County Sheriff Jimmy Abbett. “It’s like anything else, sometimes our numbers don’t agree with theirs. And it’s also just major crimes. But I’ve started to look at the report and I’m proud of what we did as far as the major crimes. “We’ve got dedicated people that are working really hard. Sometimes it’s a solvability issue where you have no evidence. But on the ones that are solvable where we have evidence, our rate on those has been good.” A criminal case is considered cleared when it is solved for crimereporting purposes either by the arrest of a suspect or by exceptional means (provides a solution to a crime See CLEARANCE • Page 3
Benjamin Russell NJROTC to compete in Gator Games By DAVID GRANGER Staff Writer
High
Sheriff’s crime clearance rate among best in Alabama
Twenty-five cadets from the Benjamin Russell High School Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC) will leave Friday afternoon to compete in the Gator Games, a series of competitive events that will take place Saturday at Pensacola, Florida’s Escambia High School. Capt. Matthew L. Leahey said the games attract schools from around the Southeast, including the states of Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas. He said cadets compete in 10 competitive events, ranging Cadets will be competing in events ranging from knot-tying relays, track competitions, and even team-building events such as wheel barrow races and Australian shuttle races. This year, 18 schools will compete, Leahey
said, with a total of approximately 400 students. Each school will bring 25-40 students each. “It’s a great way to start off the school year,” Leahey said. “It allows some of the kids who may not have seen other parts of the country to do so and it allows our kids to interact with those from throughout the Southeast.” This marks the 14th time that Benjamin Russell has competed in the Gator Games, Leahey said. “We will be taking 25 students to the games,” said Leahey, who is in his first year at Benjamin Russell. “We’ll be leaving Friday, the games take most of the day on Saturday and we will return Saturday night. “Our trip will include the appropriate number of chaperones and is funded by the Navy. We appreciate the Board of Education, Benjamin Russell High School and the Navy for making this trip possible.”
File / The Outlook
Tallapoosa County Sheriff Jimmy Abbett addresses the media at a recent press conference about the war against meth in the area. Abbett’s department ranked among the state’s best at clearing crimes last year.
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