Top stories of 2011

2011 was a very eventful year in Enterprise and Coffee County. The Enterprise Ledger staff has selected the top 15 stories of the year. 

15. Four die in New Brockton wreck 

What is believed to be the deadliest accident ever inside the New Brockton city limits occurred July 1 when four people died in a wreck at the intersection of U.S. Highway 84 and state Highway 122.

According to coroner Tim Whitehead, 78-year-old John C. Danley, 71-year-old Raynell Danley, 43-year-old Dianne Spurlin and 21-year-old Brandy Nicole Danley all died when their Buick sedan collided with an APAC dump truck. All four were related. 

The truck driver suffered minor injuries in the crash.

14. Coffee County establishes ‘drug court’

Even though former Circuit Judge Robert W. Barr officially retired in January, it did not take him long to find something to keep him busy.

Barr orchestrated the county’s first drug court program in an effort to save the state in court and prison costs. 

Those facing misdemeanor drug charges and those with drug problems who are on probation can enter the program if selected. Those facing misdemeanor drug charges have their cases handled before going to the grand jury or reaching circuit court, where costs skyrocket. 

Once in the program, participants must obey several rules. They must not test positive for drugs and alcohol, associate with people or places with drugs and alcohol, must attend all meetings and must not lie to the court. Failure to follow these rules between drug/rehabilitation court meetings results in sanctions, which in turn equals jail time.  

Participants pay all fees associated with testing, counseling and the court.  

Jail time increases for each sanction, and after the fifth or sixth sanction, participants will likely be ejected, Barr said. 

Barr’s salary is minimal, limited due to his retired status. He said preventing one prisoner from going to jail for one year pays for 85 to 90 percent of his salary.

One prisoner costs state taxpayers $15,000 to $17,000 per year to house, depending on health costs, Barr said. 

13. 10-year-old girl savagely attacked

A 44-year-old Enterprise man was arrested Aug. 31 and charged with attempted murder after he allegedly brutally attacked a 10-year-old girl as she slept in her home.

The 10-year-old girl suffered stab wounds and had her throat slashed in the early morning hours of Aug. 31. Henry Louis Thompkins was arrested shortly after the attack occurred. 

During the initial bond hearing, District Attorney Tom Anderson called the scene of the crime one of the worst he had ever seen. 

At 6 a.m. as she slept in her bed … (Thompkins) sliced her with a butcher’s knife, cutting through her esophagus,” Anderson said. “Then he dragged her into the hallway and left her to die. This was a horrifying act … one of the most violent scenes I’ve ever seen,” Anderson said. 

Thompkins had bond denied on two separate occasions. 

The girl underwent several major surgeries in Birmingham hospitals and recovered quickly. She returned to school within a month of the attack.

12. BamaJam Farms undergoes image remake 

Without a BamaJam Music & Arts Festival for the first time in three years, a large Coffee County field remained pretty lonely. 

That was until developers decided to change the field’s purpose.

In September, Keystone Land, LLC, a land development company which owns the property, with the help of country music star Darryl Worley, announced the inaugural Fall Festival at BamaJam Farms, which occurred Oct. 29 and 30. 

The festival, plus future events at the land located 7 miles north of Enterprise, are now geared toward providing a family-friendly atmosphere. 

“I am excited to be back in Enterprise,” Worley said.  “It’s time for the community to have an event like this, where God and country coincide.” 

The event featured Dove Award winning Christian group MercyMe, plus Worley and country star John Rich. The festival also coincided with the opening of all-terrain vehicle trails and featured a nine-hole golf course. 

The trails and golf-course are open weekly. An estimated 10,000 people attended the first large festival in the new family-friendly format. 

11. Bingo trial ends in no convictions 

It was one of the largest corruption trials in state history, if not the nation, but after 17 witnesses and the playing of 125 tape-recorded conversations, not one person facing charges was convicted of anything. 

A jury returned 81 not guilty verdicts and no verdicts on 43 other charges against nine people. The charges stem from an alleged vote-buying scheme as those supporting bingo interests tried to get the practice legalized. 

In fact, the only people who may serve or have served jail time in alleged scandal so far are former lobbyist Jarrod Massey, former state Rep. Terry Spicer and Enterprise businessman Ronnie Gilley. 

Gilley and Massey both testified for the federal government in the summer-long trial after reaching plea deals. 

10. New Brockton mayor, animal control officer face animal cruelty charges 

A harrowing discovery on May 19 at the New Brockton Animal Shelter eventually led to the indictment of New Brockton Mayor Lenwood Herron and New Brockton animal control officer Tony Bloodsworth. 

In May, it was discovered that five dogs were in poor conditions, according to Coffee County Sheriff Dave Sutton. 

There was little food inside and all kinds of gnats and flies. There were also feces in the pen, and two puppies looked like they were so sick, they wouldn’t even move,” Sutton said in describing conditions at the town’s pound.  

“We also found one dog that had a chain so tight it dug into its skin. This dog was chained improperly outside without any food or water.”  

One dog was euthanized due to poor health. 

Authorities sought an indictment against Herron because, as mayor, he is ultimately responsible for town-related incidents. 

“The law says the mayor is in control of daily activities of the city,” Coffee County Chief Deputy Ronnie Whitworth said. “In questioning the animal control officer, (he) would ask for food, and (he) may go a long time without getting it. They always had to go to (Herron) to get it.”  

A Coffee County grand jury issued the indictments for second-degree cruelty to a dog or cat in May. In December, motions to dismiss in both cases were denied. 

Both are scheduled for trial in January, according to court records.

9. Elba Tigers win 2A football title 

They came into the season as one of the most talented teams in the area, and they left as champions.

Behind the play of an explosive offensive led by Darrean Burks, Austin Johnson and Michael Lindsey, the Elba Tigers went 15-0 and captured the 2A football state title with a 34-14 win over Tanner Dec. 2. 

Last year’s squad was about as talented, but injuries hampered the Tigers late in the playoffs. In 2011, Elba managed to stay healthy enough to put up impressive offensive numbers and win the school’s first football title since 1992. 

In the course of winning 15 games, the Tigers scored 752 points, an average of 50 per game. 

8. City undertakes massive sewerage project 

The City of Enterprise began work on the largest sewerage projects in its history as officials try to comply with an Alabama Department of Environmental Management request to upgrade its system. 

In 2003, ADEM told city officials to fully mechanize all sewage treatment plants. At the time, the College Street plant was the only one fully mechanized. 

Instead of mechanizing two full plants, city officials elected to decommission the Southeast Wastewater Treatment Plant and fully mechanize the Northeast plant.

In order to do this, the city awarded a contract of about $10.8 million to mechanize the Northeast plant and one of about $900,000 to build a force main between the Southeast and Northeast plants in February. 

The force main will pump the 750,000 pounds of sewage the Southeast plant currently handles to the Northeast plant. The northeast plant will get the capability to handle more sewage once it is fully mechanized. 

The city also awarded a contract to upgrade the College Street plant.

The projects are slated for completion by September or October 2012. 

7. Collins resigns, Faulkner hired as EHS football coach 

Another disappointing season for Enterprise High School’s football led to head coach Kevin Collins’ resignation and the subsequent hiring of David Faulkner of Fairhope.

Under Collins, the Wildcats struggled to their second consecutive losing season, finishing with a 3-7 record. Just before Enterprise’s last game, Collins emailed a letter of resignation to media outlets, citing the reason for his resignation. 

“There is a certain standard that I expect any team under my direction to achieve and maintain,” Collins said in the letter. “Recently, we have not reached that standard. This, most of all, is not acceptable to me. I am responsible for our production - the buck stops with me.”

After a month-and-a-half search, the Enterprise Board of Education hired Faulkner, who led the Pirates to a 28-9 record in three years. Fairhope reached the quarterfinals before losing to eventual state champion Prattville.

Faulkner will begin his duties as football coach and physical education teacher Jan. 2. He will be paid between $95,000 and $100,000, according to superintendant Aaron Milner.

6. EHS Performing Arts Center opens

One of the most highly anticipated structures of the new Enterprise High School opened in May and has already attracted some big performances. 

The EHS Performing Arts Center opened with several performances from school groups, but since then, the U.S. Marine Corps Band, the U.S. Army Soldier Show and the Southeast Alabama Dance Company have all displayed talents there. 

The new facility seats 1,850 people and has a 60- by 50-foot stage. Its features also include the best in Yamaha digital sound equipment, a professional digitally-mastered lighting system, a high-definition rear large screen and an orchestra pit. 

5. Construction begins on Park Place – home of Publix 

Construction on one of the largest commercial real estate developments in Enterprise history began in May and is still projected for a March 2012 completion date.

Park Place, located at the intersection of Lee Street and Boll Weevil Circle, will have a 46,500 square-foot Publix plus five other businesses – Cheeburger Cheeburger, Suga Berries Frozen Yogurt, Cuts By Us, Nail Boutique and Spa and Club Sun. 

The shopping center around the Publix will contain 61,500 square feet of retail space.

City officials are proud of the new development, especially the jobs it will bring. Publix alone is expected to provide 75 to 100 jobs. 

“The creation of jobs means so much to this community,” Enterprise Mayor Kenneth Boswell said at the ground-breaking ceremony. “This today shows that Enterprise is a place people want to open up business and I believe this Park Place Shopping Center will add to the quality and variety of life for citizens.”

Enterprise developer Bill Ware and Harbert Realty Services of Birmingham are funding the development.

4. Controversies surround New Brockton administration

Several major issues arose for the Town of New Brockton administration, including some major financial issues and problems with the Internal Revenue Service. 

In July, the IRS seized one New Brockton bank account since the town owed about $44,000 in unpaid federal payroll taxes. The IRS imposed a levy of more than $13,000, as well.

As of mid-November, the town still owed the IRS about $33,000, payable in $2,000 installments each month, town clerk Lisa Pannell said. 

The unpaid payroll taxes also led to another issue for New Brockton as the Southeast Alabama Regional Council on Aging terminated its contract to provide food service and funding to the town’s senior citizen center.

SARCOA Executive Director Robert Crowder sent a letter to the town in April notifying of the move. He said since the funding SARCOA supplies is from the state and federal governments, all laws must be kept. Failure to pay federal payroll taxes is a violation of the contract. 

New Brockton Mayor Lenwood Herron said he had anticipated the termination and had arranged for food service to continue with another organization.  

The town also had internal strife as the Water Works and Sewer Board of New Brockton sued the Town of New Brockton over a land dispute. 

At issue was 37 acres where the town’s sewer treatment plant is located. In order to obtain a $600,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture grant to update the facility, the water board needed to show proof of land ownership. 

The grant was needed to satisfy Alabama Department of Environmental Management orders to upgrade or face stiff fines – up to $25,000 per day for each of the seven violations.

Even though the town’s 1988 ordinance creating the board specified that the town would give all necessary deeds and equipment for the water board to operate, an official deeding was believed to have never occurred, and the deed could not be located.

This forced Water Works and Sewer Board of New Brockton attorney Rick Hollingsworth Jr. to file a “quiet title” suit. 

In September, 12^th Circuit Judge Jeff Kelley ruled the land belonged to the water board. Town of New Brockton attorney Letta Dillard Gorman filed a consent order to a summary judgment in favor of the water board two days before the hearing. 

The lawsuit had been filed based on the premise no deed for the property existed, but in late July, New Brockton councilwoman Kathy Holley located the deed. It had been improperly filed in the county’s probate offices.

The deed had been executed to the water board.

3. Immigration law causes problems locally 

The passage of Alabama’s new tough immigration law may be one of the most-discussed stories nationally, but it also had some real effects on the local level. 

The Enterprise City Schools system lost 55 Hispanic students in the immediate aftermath of Gov. Robert Bentley’s signing the law into effect as many Hispanics fled the state. About two weeks after the law was signed, the number had tapered off to about 30. 

The law caused immediate changes in probate offices also as anyone conducting business there had to show proof of U.S. citizenship or they were a legally present alien. 

Long lines formed due to the new process, and the Coffee County Probate Office had to update computer software to meet the new requirements.

Coffee County Probate Judge Steve Blair said the county’s upgraded computer system is working well, and once U.S. citizens verify their citizenships the first time, they do not have to go through the process again. Legal aliens must prove citizenship from year to year.  

2. Census shows substantial growth, redistricting controversy ensues 

The 2010 Census results were revealed in February and confirmed what many people suspected – Enterprise is one of the state’s fastest-growing cities.

Enterprise has more than 26,000 citizens and experienced a 25.4 population increase from 2000 to 2010. Overall, the county grew 14.5 percent to about 50,000 but experienced only 2.2-percent growth outside Enterprise. 

With every census usually comes redistricting as federal law requires all districts be within 5 percent of a median population and one district contain a majority amount of minorities.

While Enterprise’s large growth spurt occurred in certain districts – mainly Paul Russell’s District 5 – the redistricting process inside the city came with little controversy. For the Coffee County Commission, though, that was not the case. 

District 5 Commissioner Bernest Brooks repeatedly demanded his district contain a 65-percent minority, citing a precedent set forth in the court case John Dillard, et. al. vs. Crenshaw County, et. al., case filed in the mid-1980s. 

Craig Remington, director of the University of Alabama Cartographic Research Laboratory, said all that is needed to create a majority-minority district is a 50-percent minority voting population. To keep an existing minority district, like District 5, all that is needed is a 50 percent-plus-one person, added.  

“You are currently at 54 percent. When the man from Tuscaloosa came down, you asked him, ‘Would the Justice Department accept this?’ and he looked you in the eye and said ‘Yes,’” said Commission Chairman Jim Thompson before commissioners approved a plan in April. 

The plan submitted did gain approval, and several changes were made in voting locations, including some closures. 

1. Spicer pleads guilty, loses superintendent job 

Elba City Schools Superintendent Terry Spicer pleaded guilty to a federal bribery charge stemming from a vote-buying scandal related to the bingo and other gambling interests. 

Spicer was accused of taking several favors from lobbyist Jarrod Massey’s firm and from real estate developer Ronnie Gilley in exchange for political favors while he served Coffee County as a state representative.

Alabama law does not allow anyone convicted of a felony to serve as superintendent, so the Elba Board of Education transferred him to a “director of operations” position one day before he plead guilty in November.

The move would have let Spicer retire from the state in 2012 with 25 years of service, but after the move drew the ire of a number of citizens and local and state media and its legality was questioned, the board rescinded its vote a week later. 

Board members said public pressure was not the reason the board rescinded its vote and fired Spicer.