Cullman Co. officials provide update on Rock the South ahead of event
CULLMAN, Ala. (WHNT) – Several Cullman County officials held a news conference on Friday ahead of the upcoming Rock the South event beginning on June 19.
The Cullman County Sheriff's Office, Cullman Police Department and District Attorney Champ Crocker provided safety and traffic information for those planning to attend the festival.
News 19 attended this morning's news conference. You can watch it in the video player above.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
Law enforcement preparing with less than a week until Rock the South
CULLMAN, Ala. (WIAT) – The annual country music festival, Rock the South, is less than a week away. As thousands of people get ready to attend the event, local law enforcement agencies want to bring safety to the front of everyone's mind. Headliners like Hank Williams Jr., Kid Rock and Nickelback will draw a large crowd to Cullman County. Cullman Police estimate between 12 and 13 thousand people will be at the event each night. With that many people in one area, it can be easy for things to get rowdy quickly. 'What happens in an event like that is everybody is shoulder to shoulder, right next to each other, and all it takes is an intoxicated person pushing, hitting, elbowing, doing something inappropriate to a lady, and then there's a fight,' said Cullman County Sheriff Matt Gentry. Two years, a fight broke out that sent one man to the hospital and put three more behind bars. 'I think everybody saw the footage, of course it made the news, and hopefully it was a wake-up call,' Cullman County District Attorney Champ Crocker said. 'A wake-up call that you just shouldn't act that way and a wake-up call that there can be consequences if you do.' Concerts coming to Birmingham area in June According to the Cullman County Sheriff's Office, at least 250 law enforcement officers from sheriff's deputies to police officers to state troopers will be patrolling Rock the South. 'Main thing I want to tell people is you're in the county. So, we have people from all 50 states and other countries that come here, and they think because it's a venue inside that can sell alcohol that they can do things outside, well that's not correct. The outside is dry. A lot of people have never been part of that, so we try to educate them,' Gentry said. 'We're not going to put up with nonsense. When you're outside that venue, if you're going to be a knucklehead, then we're going to deal with you. We will have a mobile jail on site, so if you're going to be doing knucklehead things, you know, aggravating the neighbors in the area. If you think it's ok to go and urinate around their house or just cause problems, then we're going to put you in that mobile jail and that's where you'll be, so you won't get to attend the concert.' Cullman Police Chief Joey Duncan says most of the calls during Rock the South are dehydration and medical related. He encourages everyone to drink water before and during the event and to take advantage of the water stations around the venue. 'If an individual becomes highly intoxicated or displays disruptive behavior, they're going to be escorted outside the event. They're not getting a refund, and they're probably going to face criminal charges,' said Duncan. 'We need everybody to act like an adult.' Rock the South is June 19-21. The sheriff's office says traffic information will be released next week. You can find ticket information, the lineup and more at the link here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Yahoo
Judge denies request for new trial after State finds Red Bay daycare worker's credentials were forged
RED BAY, Ala. (WHNT) — Attorneys for a Red Bay daycare worker motioned for a new trial, saying the State introduced forged credentials as evidence. Judge Brian Hamilton has denied the motion. Payton Gann's trial for her alleged role in the death of 4-month-old Autumn Wells began Monday. She is facing a manslaughter charge. The State introduced the forged certificates into evidence during the testimony of a DHR investigator on Thursday. The investigator said Gann's DHR file showed that she completed the state-required childcare training of 21 and a half hours. According to court documents, after the close of evidence in court on June 12, the State disclosed to Gann's attorneys that the certificates showing the completion of several training courses were 'in fact, forgeries.' The prosecutors said they were unaware at the time they were brought into evidence that the certificates were forged. 'Whether or not Gann received training on the prevention of SIDS and sleepingenvironments for infants is material evidence that would aid the jury in determining herguilt,' Gann's attorney wrote. He added that the introduction of the forged evidence violates his client's rights to due process and a fair trial under the Fifth Amendment and Section I, Article 6 of the Alabama Constitution. In August 2022, Gann filed a motion for discovery to request that the State provide any information, material, possible testimony, potential evidence or evidence that may be helpful to the defense. Gann's lawyers said that the information about the forged certificates was suppressed until after the close of evidence, even though it was helpful to Gann 'for impeachment of the State's witnesses.' The document continues, saying that the DHR investigator who testified on Thursday said she had gotten the forgeries as part of her investigation for the State of Alabama. She also said that the certificates were for seminars conducted by DHR as part of the policies and procedures. 'The [DHR] worker either knew or should have known the certificates were fraudulent if she had cross-referenced the certificates found in Gann's file at Tiny Tigers with the state system,' Gann's attorneys added. In response, the State noted the 'overwhelming evidence of the Defendant's guilt… inclusive of, but not exclusive to, evidence of numerous false statements given to laypersons as well as investigators.' The prosecutors also spoke with the Autumn Wells' family, who said they did not wish to endure the retrial. Prosecutors stated in the court document that they deny that any evidence was 'suppressed,' saying that the State and DHR were both unaware that the certificates were forgeries. The efforts to prove whether they were forged or not began on June 12 after it was suggested they were fake. The State contacted the vendor that provided the online training. Late Thursday afternoon, after testimony for the day had concluded and jurors had been dismissed, the vendor reached out to prosecutors to tell them that the 'certificates could possibly have been forged by the daycare owner.' Following that, the State said they had a conference call with the Defendant's counsel and the Court to inform them of what the vendor said. The State then issued a subpoena to develop more information. The motion, filed June 12, 2025, was denied by Judge Hamilton on June 13. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Cullman authorities hold news conference ahead of Rock the South
CULLMAN COUNTY, Ala. (WIAT) — Members of the Cullman Police Department, Cullman County Sheriff's Office and Cullman County District Attorney's Office are holding a news conference ahead of next week's Rock the South festival. The news conference is scheduled for 10 a.m. and can be seen in the video player above. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
