A Georgia trucker was killed Friday night in a fiery crash at the interchange of Interstate 85 southbound to Interstate 65 northbound. Witnesses said the 18-wheeler plunged off the interchange ramp and onto the street below and exploded into flames. The driver of the 18-wheeler, 41-year-old Donald Clark of Georgia, was killed. The accident occurred Friday just after 7:30 p.m.
Child Porn Arrests
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency's Internet Crimes Against Children unit have arrested five men and seized digital devices containing child pornography. The Secretary of ALEA, Spencer Collier, said in a statement the statewide operation occurred last week and resulted in the arrests of five men in Barbour, Etowah, Jefferson, Limestone and Morgan counties. All the men are charged with various counts of possession and dissemination of child pornography.
Deadly Weekend Shooting
A 39-year-old male is in police custody after a weekend shooting left a Montgomery man dead. Montgomery police arrested Demetrius Lamar on Saturday several hours after 25-year-old Cordarryl Foxhall was shot in the head just before 1 a.m. Saturday in the 1900 block of Hilldale Drive. Authorities said a second person, whose name was withheld, also was shot and sustained injuries that were not life threatening. Lamar is being held in the Montgomery County Detention Facility.
MPD is also investigating a Sunday night shooting that sent a victim to the hospital with a life threatening injury. Officers responded around 10:30 Sunday night to the intersection of Drivers Row and North Decatur Street where they found the gunshot victim. No other information has been immediately available; police said no arrests have been made.
Officers Honored
The names of four fallen Alabama law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty last year will be honored during National Police week that begins Monday in the nation's capital. The fallen officers are Covington County Sheriff's Deputy William Kelley; Butler County Sheriff's Deputy John Williamson; Dothan Police Sgt. Jeffery Garrett and Elmore County Deputy Sheriff James Hart. Their names will be added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C. 117 law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty in 2014.
Boating Accidents
Separate boating accidents on Lake Jordan and Lake Martin left two teenagers seriously injured. According to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, 18-year-old Destiny Page Knight of Wetumpka was seriously injured Saturday afternoon at about 4:00 p.m. in an accident that involved a boat and a personal water craft. Marine police said the mishap occurred in the canal area of Lake Jordan. The teen was airlifted to UAB Hospital in Birmingham. Another boating mishap occurred Sunday afternoon on Lake Martin and put a Birmingham teenager in the hospital. State Troopers said 15-year-old William Wade was seriously injured when he fell out of a bass boat and was struck by a propeller. The Marine police said the accident happened around 4 p.m. in the "Narrows Section" of Lake Martin on the Coosa County side of the waterway. The 15-year-old was transported to Children's of Alabama Hospital.
Voting Technology
New technology at the voting booth will be tested in Montgomery mayoral election this summer. Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill said the Montgomery City Council has agreed to participate in the pilot program. Merrill said the system, an electronic poll book, will modernize the process by speeding up the check-in process for voters. The system is already in use in Georgia and Maryland and the secretary of state hopes to use the technology statewide for the 2016 presidential election. Legislation is pending in the Alabama House that would allow the use of electronic poll books.
Weekend Graduations
Hundreds of college graduates received their diplomas over the weekend. The oldest grad is civil rights icon, 85-year-old Jean Ellis Graetz. She was among several hundred students who received their degrees from Alabama State University on Saturday. Hyundai Motor America CEO Dave Zuchowski delivered the commencement address. At Tuskegee University, First Lady Michelle Obama invoked the history of Tuskegee as she urged graduates to soar to their futures. Mrs. Obama said the defining story of Tuskegee is that of rising hopes for all African-Americans. Also on Saturday, U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions delivered the commencement address at Jones School of Law at Faulkner University.