The World Around You

An arrest has finally been made in the murder in downtown Prattville in June. I’m concerned by the description of the suspect as a “homeless drifter” when the authorities said at the time that this was a “domestic” situation and there were no signs that it was a random act.

a) I’ll be interested in what the evidence is against Szymanski and its relative strength.
b) I think the public deserves answers to why we were misled in the early days following the murder.

montgomeryadvertiser.com ::  Suspect facing capital murder charges in Prattville slaying

Okay, the man who was killed in Wetumpka wasn’t killed over a football rivalry, he was killed over a girl. Does that make it any more palatable to anyone?
montgomeryadvertiser.com ::  Authorities: Fatal shooting not tied to football

The problems with violence are not abating in the tri-county area and this stupid series of events is just the latest example. Prosecuting these boys is not going to stop the violence, though there is no doubt they need to be prosecuted. I’ll continue to beat the drum that coming together as a community is the only way to begin to stem the tide.

Sheriff says argument over football led to fatal shooting - Breaking News from The Huntsville Times - al.com

Congratulations to my friend, Councilman Tom Miller of Prattville, for the successful passage of this nuisance law.

Montgomery Advertiser: Prattville Council Passes Pet Cleanup Ordinance

The Prattville Lions start the football season #1 in the ASWA 6A state poll. Good luck!

Montgomery Advertiser: Prattville Tops in Preseason Polls

This is a truly frightening scene that police were called in on last night:

Millbrook police are investigating the Thursday night death of a 12-year-old boy, found hanging by a leash from his backyard swing set
Police received a call about 9:30 p.m. Thursday in the 2900 block of Ingelbrook Avenue, said assistant chief P.K. Johnson.
One of the boy’s parents found the boy in the backyard hanging from the swing set by a leash around his neck.

I hope the situation surrounding this boy’s death is illuminated quickly.

AND forgive me if I don’t take the statement that the police don’t believe foul play was involved at face value. We’re still waiting for resolution on several gruesome deaths in Montgomery and Prattville, in which officials indicated they did not think they were random acts. They can’t just use that kind of statement as a universal cover for “we don’t know”.

montgomeryadvertiser.com ::  Millbrook police investigate boy’s death

I have a bit of a problem with this story that ran in the paper this morning. The headline reads as if there were home invasions in both cities this week, however, the incident in Millbrook occurred over a week ago. While it’s important for the article to mention both, I think the headline could have been made to read a little less alarmingly and more truthfully.

Montgomery Advertiser: Home invasions hit Prattville, Millbrook

It appears the boycott of the Emerald Mountain toll bridge is having the intended effect. Whether it will cause any change of the tools remains to be seen, but I applaud the residents for standing up for something they believed was wrong. At the same time, I hope it’s worth the extra 50 cents to do all that extra driving.

I hope Mayor Byard is correct when he says the murder in downtown Prattville was not a random act. It certainly is unsettling for the citizens of Prattville, but he is correct that concern should not be allowed to roll into fear.

Prattville has experienced it’s 3rd and 4th slayings since 2002, within one week of each other. This one is particularly concerning because of the nature and the location. I hope the police are able to figure out who is responsible, because this kind of crime is exactly what many citizens feel with come with more growth.