Latest news with #LauderdaleCountySheriff'sOffice
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Former Killen police officer federally sentenced for sexual assault, sexual exploitation of child
WASHINGTON D.C. (WHNT) — A former Killen police officer was federally sentenced on May 21 following a plea agreement. The sentencing was handed down to the Alabama courts on May 28. Federal court documents show that Jarrod Gailen Webster was sentenced to 180 months, or 15 years, in prison following his plea agreement. The document says that he is also sentenced to a term of supervised release. The time frame for the supervised release has yet to be set, but is recommended to be at least five years. On Nov. 12, 2023, the Lauderdale County Sheriff's Office received a call from Crestwood Medical Center stating that a female patient disclosed that a Killen police officer had sexually assaulted her during a traffic stop early that morning. Due to the allegations, including a police officer being involved in a sexual assault while on duty, Lauderdale County investigators began a joint investigation with the FBI. Killen Police Chief Bryan Hammond told News 19 on Nov. 16, 2023, one of his officers was on leave during the investigation. After investigating the incident and after hearing evidence, a Lauderdale County Grand Jury, which was currently in session, issued an indictment for Jarrod Gailen Webster on Nov. 17, 2023 for first-degree sodomy and first-degree rape. Hammond said the mayor and town council accepted Webster's resignation during the special meeting on Nov. 20, 2023. He appeared in court the same day, and court records showed he pleaded not guilty to both charges. On March 4, 2025, as part of a plea agreement, Webster admitted that he 'violated the civil rights of a woman after initiating a traffic stop on the woman's vehicle.' The U.S. Department of Justice said Webster asked the woman to step out of her vehicle and asked her what she wanted to do to 'get out of this.' When the woman told Webster she was not going to do anything for him, Webster handcuffed the woman and sexually assaulted her. Furthermore, on March 4, Webster admitted that between June 2016 and October 2018, he was in contact with a child on a phone via the social media app called Snapchat. The DOJ said Webster asked the child to produce and send him sexually explicit images of herself. The DOJ said the victim sent multiple photos to Webster, at least one of which was categorized as child sexual abuse material. Webster pleaded guilty to one count of deprivation of rights under color of law and one count of sexual exploitation of children. 'Jarrod Webster took an oath to protect and serve citizens of his community. He violated that oath when he sexually assaulted a woman and exploited a minor to produce and send sexually explicit images,' said U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona for the Northern District of Alabama. 'We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure that those who violate positions of public trust are held accountable for their actions.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pre-trial conference reset for Lauderdale Co. judge charged with misuse of office, perjury
LAUDERDALE COUNTY, Ala. (WHNT) — The status/pretrial conference date has been reset for June for the Lauderdale County judge indicted for misusing court funds and perjury, according to court records. Court documents show that on March 14, both the State and the defense agreed to continue and reset the pretrial conference for Gilbert Self. It was previously set for March 17. Lauderdale County Judge Tim Jolley filed the order to reset the pretrial conference for June 3. Self was indicted in January 2024 on more than a dozen criminal counts of using his office for personal gain, perjury, and false statements. Self surrendered himself to the Lauderdale County Sheriff's Office, said Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall. Most of the charges relate to accusations that while he was presiding judge from April 2020 to February 2023, Self used court system money for travel and personal items. He's also accused of spending $50,000 to hire his son for a law library job in Lauderdale County without approval. State financial records show he has been paid $131,583 since his indictment. That includes $7,294, twice a month. While he is not able to work as a judge, he's already been paid $14,879 for the current fiscal year that began in October. The indictment shows Self used public funds for the following: A double reclining console sofa To pay Hobby Lobby to frame his son's college diploma Two grab-and-go beers from Hotel Indigo, and/or a glass of Gramona, Tito's, a Cahaba Blonde and a chocolate martini from Chez Fonfon Prescription eyeglasses 'He is further charged with using his office to reimburse himself with public funds for a variety of vacations, including a ski trip to Montana, a beach trip, a cycling trip across three states, and a trip to St. Ignace, Michigan. The indictment also charges him with paying himself out of public funds for travel to events he did not attend in Reno, Nevada; Duck Key, Florida; Mackinac Island, Michigan; and Alabama,' the announcement from Marshall's office states. The indictment also accuses Self of 'double-dipping' for per diem and mileage and making false representations to the Examiners of Public Accounts during an audit. It also charges him with making a false statement during sworn testimony in front of a Lauderdale County Grand Jury in 2024. Following his January arrest, Self issued a statement saying he made honest but correctable mistakes using two court bank accounts he supervised. You can read that statement here. On March 11, 2024, Self's attorney filed a motion stating 'the indictment sufficientlystates the offense as required by Rule 13.2, and because the defense is already in possessionof all of the information that they seek.' The motion also says that, in addition to the discovery provided, the indictment is quite clear as to what is alleged to be criminal. Prosecutors say in Self's grand jury testimony, he claimed that he spoke to a law library board member about the job for his son. An April 2 hearing was centered around the perjury charge. Self's lawyers argued the indictment failed to clearly describe what he did wrong and asked for a 'more definite statement.' The defense asked prosecutors from the Alabama Attorney General's Office to provide what part of his testimony was false, who gave the approval for the hiring, and how his conduct violated the law. Judge Tim Jolley denied Self's claims. The judge's order said he found prosecutors did provide the defense with details of the charge and that the charge was clear enough to present at trial. On Dec. 26, Self's attorneys filed a brief arguing that evidence regarding Self's possibility of being unaware of the illegality of his actions is relevant because it could rebut the intent argued by prosecutors. The defense argues that, while ignorance of the law is not usually a valid criminal defense, Self acted while relying on an official statement of the law, namely the Alabama Law Code. The defense cites an exemption in the code allowing for the defense if the person's 'mistaken belief is founded upon an official statement of the law contained in a statute or the latest judicial decision of the highest state or federal court which has decided on the matter.' Self's attorneys argue he believed he was acting under the statute that allows circuit courts to use money from a judicial administration fund for 'other expenses as individually determined necessary by the presiding circuit judge or any circuit clerk to promote efficient administration of justice.' In its response filed on Dec. 31, court documents show the prosecution argued that Self's behavior may have been excusable under the law if, as an example, he unknowingly hired a long-lost family member it does not cover him knowingly hiring a family member because he believed he could. The state argued that there is a similar issue with personal purchases in the case. They said that instead, Self argues that he believed 'he had the right to expend State funds on vacations, alcoholic beverages for himself and his family, and personal items.' Prosecutors said that is an 'ignorance of the law' defense, not a factual mistake like Self is arguing. The state also said that no reasonable reading of the law would permit a judge to use funds for trips, personal purchases or alcohol. Prosecutors argue that the legislature could have chosen to carve out a legal right for judges to use funds for vacations, but did not. If Self is convicted, the attorney general's office said he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years of imprisonment and a $30,000 fine for each of the sixteen charges for violating the Ethics Law and up to 10 years of imprisonment and a $15,000 fine for making a false statement to the Examiners and for perjury. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Yahoo
Florence man arrested when authorities find 57 grams of meth, other drugs during search
FLORENCE, Ala. (WHNT) — The Lauderdale County Sheriff's Office arrested a man on drug charges during a search of a home Thursday. LCSO said agents searched a home on Crown Street. The search warrant was obtained by deputies because of the 'drug-dealing activities' of one of the residents of the house. When deputies searched the home, they found around 57 grams of methamphetamine, marijuana, Suboxone, cocaine, scales, meth pipes and other drug parpahernalia. Authorities arrested 58-year-old Robert Taylor Russell. He was charged with trafficking methamphetamine, unlawful possession of a controlled substance, second-degree unlawful possession of marijuana and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia. LCSO said additional charges on more suspects involved in this case are expected. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Yahoo
Married Alabama School Employee, 41, Allegedly Confessed to Having Sex with a Student on More Than 1 Occasion
An Alabama school employee has been charged after allegedly confessing that she had sex with a student on two separate occasions. According to court documents, 41-year-old Amy Nicole Wigginton of Rogersville, Ala., was recently charged with two counts of a school employee engaging in a sex act, per local news outlet Fox 34. The newly released court documents allege that Wigginton waived her Miranda rights when questioned by police and confessed to having sex on school grounds with a Lauderdale County School District student 'under the age of 19' on both March 7 and March 31, per ABC affiliate WAAY 31. While the age of consent in Alabama is 16, sexual abuse charges involving victims up to the age of 18 can be filed if the suspect is a school employee, per Alabama state law. In a statement to WAFF 48, the Lauderdale County Sheriff's Office said the matter is still under investigation and they have no further comment. In response to the charges, the Lauderdale County School District provided the following statement to the outlet: 'The Lauderdale County Board of Education is aware of the allegations, and the employee has been placed on administrative leave. We will continue to cooperate with law enforcement officials, and have no further comment on this matter.' Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. PEOPLE reached out to the Lauderdale County School District and the Lauderdale County Sheriff's Office for comment on Saturday, April 5, but did not receive an immediate response. The Daily Mail reported that Wigginton is active on Facebook and regularly posts photos of herself with her husband and children. Wigginton was booked into the Lauderdale County Jail and is currently being held on a $100,000 bond, per the outlet. If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor. If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to Read the original article on People
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Yahoo
Kentucky man charged with rape of 15-year-old to be held without bond following Aniah's Law hearing
COLBERT COUNTY, Ala. (WHNT) — During his Aniah's Law hearing, a Kentucky man charged with rape in 2024 is now being held in the Colbert County Jail without bond. During his Aniah's Law hearing Wednesday, a Colbert County judge said Justin Stephens is to be held without bond. Stephens, 43 of Kentucky, was arrested in October 2024, and charged with second-degree rape, traveling to meet a child for sex and enticing a child to enter a vehicle or house. Court documents show Stephens called a Lauderdale County school to check out a 15-year-old girl. Stephens claimed to be the girl's father and that she needed to be checked out of school. Sergeant Casson with the Lauderdale County Sheriff's Office said Stephens had been messaging with the girl for a while. Casson said the girl was using a phone she was not supposed to have. Court documents state that the school's security cameras caught the girl leaving school around 9 a.m. and entering a black Dodge truck. The documents state Stephens took the girl to an abandoned residence in Florence. Security footage from the school shows her returning back to school around 2 p.m. that day. The girl's father told investigators he found a phone in her room. He said she had never had a phone before so he and the girl's mom began questioning her. The parents looked through the teenager's phone and found various messages and photos between the girl and Stephens. Srgt. Casson said the two used an app called 'wakie.' Casson said it is a chatting platform that allows people to talk to strangers. Casson said that when the girl's father saw everything, he called the police. Stephens was arrested at a VA hospital in Ohio and was transported to the Lauderdale County Detention Center on a bond of $365,000. Records show he was indicted on January 17, and on March 7, a Lauderdale County Circuit Court Judge granted that Stephens be transferred from the Lauderdale County Detention Center to the custody of the Colbert County Sheriff's Office. Once in the Colbert County Jail, Stephens was given additional charges. According to jail records, Stephens now is charged with: First-degree rape Second-degree rape Two counts of electronic solicitation of a child Second-degree sodomy Interference with custody Two counts of travelling to meet a child for unlawful sex act Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
