Latest news with #Aniah'sLaw
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Decatur police officers testify in court about DUI crash that killed 17-year-old
Jun. 4—At a preliminary hearing Tuesday, officers testified that a Decatur man charged with DUI and murder admitted to drinking and claimed he had a high tolerance after crashing into another vehicle at more than 80 miles per hour and killing the driver. Kevin Jay Penich, 35, sat beside his court-appointed attorney, Patrick Caver, in the courtroom of Morgan County District Judge Shelly Waters. He watched silently as Caver and the prosecutor, Assistant District Attorney Courtney Schellack, questioned three Decatur police officers on the witness stand. Penich has been held without bond in the Morgan County Jail since his arrest on May 17 following an Aniah's Law hearing. According to an affidavit, he was detained after allegedly slamming his Toyota Camry into a Chevrolet Equinox driven by 17-year-old Chloe Hastings at Beltline Road and Westmead Drive Southwest. Hastings' vehicle burst into flames after the impact, and she was pronounced dead at the scene. The families of both Penich and Hastings were present at the hearing. Officer Grant Jones was the first witness to testify. "By the time you get there, the suspect is detained in the back of the patrol car?," Schellack asked. "That's correct," Jones replied. Jones said he consulted with other officers who were present at the scene about conversations Penich had with them. "They said he was slurring his words, stumbling around, and smelled of alcohol and had glassy, bloodshot eyes," Jones said. Jones said he then spoke with Penich to get his side of the story and Penich admitted to being drunk and driving under the influence, telling him he had several beers and several shots. Schellack then asked how compliant Penich was through the arrest process and Jones said he became "overly aggressive." "He blew kissy faces through the bars of the patrol car and called me a b**** and asked if I was married or single," Jones said. Jones said he had executed a search warrant to test Penich's blood but said it could be months before the results are returned. In the affidavit, it said Penich refused to perform any field sobriety tests or a breath test. Chad Chapman was the second officer to take the stand and told Schellack that Hastings was traveling north on Beltline Road and Penich hit her vehicle in the rear and sent her in the southbound lane. "He was traveling at a high rate of speed and appeared to break slightly before impact," Chapman said. Chapman said video footage of the crash was obtained from a nearby business, though he did not name the location. He testified that Penich was traveling over 80 miles per hour at the time of impact and had reached approximately 111 miles per hour shortly before the crash, according to data from his vehicle's onboard computer. The speed limit on that section of Beltline Road is 45 miles per hour, according to Schellack. Schellack then questioned Chapman about where Penich had been drinking prior to the wreck. "He went to Alfonzo's (Pizza & Italian Restaurant) and had two beers and four shots," Chapman said. "Then he went to Logan's (Roadhouse) and had two beers and four shots, and finally to Buffalo Wild Wings, where he had two beers and four shots." Schellack noted that Penich had posted pictures of himself drinking at Alfonzo's on Facebook earlier that day. "He left Alfonzo's at 5 and left Logan's at 7 to head to Buffalo Wild Wings," Chapman said. The wreck occurred shortly after 9 p.m., according to Decatur police. Chapman said witnesses at the establishments confirmed Penich had been drinking there and that police used receipts to determine the number of drinks he consumed. The final officer to testify, Matt Young, said he interviewed Penich at the jail on May 19. "(Penich) said he had a high tolerance for drinking and probably had too much to drink," Young said, adding that the case remains under active investigation. Waters concluded the hearing by finding probable cause to bind the case over to a grand jury. She said Penich will remain in custody following the court's previous decision under Aniah's Law. — or 256-340-2442.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Decatur man facing domestic violence charge after alleged assault
Jun. 2—A man was arrested early Sunday morning and charged with first degree domestic violence after allegedly breaking into an apartment in Southwest Decatur and physically assaulting a person inside, according to the Decatur Police Department. Kobe Malik Cowan, 20, of Decatur was being held in Morgan County Jail with no bond pending an Aniah's Law hearing. Police said they responded to a domestic disturbance at 2222 Acadia Drive S.W. around 12:53 a.m. and determined that Cowan had unlawfully entered and remained inside the apartment before assaulting the victim. He was later located by a patrol officer and taken into custody. Cowan has been out on bond for a prior felony charge of second-degree receiving stolen property involving a firearm stolen from Bama Pawn, according to a police affidavit. — or 256-340-2442.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Tennessee man jailed following I-65 shooting incident
Jun. 1—ATHENS — A Tennessee man was in Limestone County Jail on Sunday after his arrest following a shooting incident Saturday on Interstate 65. The Limestone County Sheriff's Office said a 911 caller reported Saturday that a man on a motorcycle fired shots at him and his family while they were traveling north on I-65 in the area of mile marker 347. The gunfire struck the victim's vehicle, endangering the lives of the occupants, the Sheriff's Office said. An alert was issued, and troopers with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency located the motorcyclist about 10 miles from the incident scene. Limestone County deputies responded to assist with the traffic stop and identified the suspect as Jason Jermain Johnson, 30, of Centerville, Tennessee, the office said. The Sheriff's Office alleges that during the arrest, Johnson was found to be in possession of a loaded pistol with two additional loaded magazines and was wearing a bullet-resistant vest beneath an Outcast Motorcycle Club vest. Johnson was charged with shooting into an occupied vehicle and three counts of attempted murder, and he remained jailed Sunday with bail not set pending an Aniah's Law hearing, according to the Sheriff's Office.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
Man responsible for Misty Forest Drive standoff denied bond
COLUMBUS, Ga. () — A Phenix City man accused of kidnapping his wife and holding police at bay for hours appeared in Russell County Circuit Court Friday morning. Michael Deshun Jones, 36, was denied bond for his role in the Monday afternoon standoff on Misty Forest Drive. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Phenix City Standoff ends in arrest Police say Jones' wife and children were able to escape the home, however Jones refused to come out, causing a standoff that lasted for more than five hours. An Aniah's Law hearing was held and Jones was denied bond on the kidnapping and other charges. Police and prosecutors say Jones made statements on body camera that indicated he would be a threat to the community. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Yahoo
Sage Park shooting suspect held without bond, pleads not guilty
MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — One of the six suspects arrested in a deadly shooting at Sage Park was in court Wednesday morning and pleaded not guilty. UPDATE: Mobile police investigating deadly crash as homicide; man found with gunshot wound 23-year-old Quinterious Jamario Parker was denied bond during his hearing, and his Aniah's Law hearing was scheduled for May 28. In Alabama, Aniah's Law makes it harder for people charged with violent crimes to be eligible for bail, leaving the decision up to a judge. Parker was originally arrested in Ohio for his alleged involvement in the April 17 shooting and death of 28-year-old Frenicka Craig. Parker was extradited to Mobile and booked into Mobile Metro Jail on May 19. He is charged with murder and first-degree assault. Family speaks out about Mobile shooting, calls for safety improvements The five other suspects, Jaquentine Brantley, Roderiquez Holifield, Ladarius Moore, Mykael Kimbrough, and a juvenile, were previously denied bond under Aniah's Law. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
