Tony Gary is still not a cop.
The Demopolis City Council unanimously voted to uphold the dismissal of former police officer Tony Gary. Gary was terminated after he was indicted and convicted of assaulting a suspect with a flashlight. Gary has a lawsuit against the city of Demopolis; the trial is set to begin on August 11th, 2003. Gary is claiming that racial discrimination against whites played a big roll in his termination. He states Chief Charles Avery treats black officers better than white officers, and black officers who have conduct problems receive lighter punishment compared to white officers guilty of the same or similar offenses. Gary’s attorney Stephen Henry brought up allegations of one black officer that “pulled a shotgun on children”, and “the Chief (Avery) kicked out the teeth on one arrested person who was handcuffed and lying on the ground.” Avery wouldn’t comment to local press on the allegation. I guess it’s Demopolis’ turn to have a good police scandal. If anyone has ever been mistreated by the police, lets hear about it.
To be young and stupid…
Three young drunks flying around in Demopolis in an SUV finally ended the cruise by flipping their Jeep Cherokee off of Washington St. John Simeon Hill was the only one old enough to get his name in the paper. He was booked for contributing to a minor. Though Hill is from Linden, we’ll have to see how Goodloe blames this on Demopolis. Witnesses guessed the SUV was traveling around 100 mph, though looking at where the wreck occurred, they would have had to have started downtown, hit the green light and floored it through a four-way stop to get that kind of speed. Possible, though the driver did deny breaking the speed limit. The three weren’t seriously hurt, and left the scene in another car driven by a fourth person not involved with the Cherokee. Instead of going to the hospital to get treated for minor injuries, they took a scenic route to their “hideout” in Mauvilla Trailer Park. The fourth person then returned to the accident scene, where he was spotted by DPD and followed back to the hideout. There one of the juveniles was arrested for DUI.
Another juvenile delinquent idiot decided to rob Elks last week. Anyone that has lived in or around Demopolis knows that Elks is located across the street from the Police Station. Oddly, Elks seems to be a frequent target for robberies; the rational I guess being if the cops are away from the station, it’ll take them longer to get back in that area?? Anyway, this winner decided to rob Elks while cops were parked at the station. The 16 y o held the cashier at gunpoint and demanded cash. As soon as he left the counter, the cashier called the police, who only had to walk outside to witness the youngster speeding from the scene. After he was apprehended, they found the clothes and gun used, and the cash that was taken. He reportedly confessed afterward. The teen will be charged as an adult, according to D. A. Greg Griggers.
In other news… - Demopolis will receive a grant of $256,000 from the Alabama Dept. of Transportation to renovate the old firehouse next door to City Hall. In order to get the money City Clerk Vicki Taylor and Kirk Brooker had to put together a scheme, stating in the request they are going to erect a monument in the courtyard honoring Rooster Bridge. Brian Brooker is doing the architectural work. The renovated building will house the new City Council building and a welcome center.
- The Demopolis Lady Tigers softball team defeated Bibb County 5-0 in the second round of the playoffs to advance to the winner’s bracket. Kelly Keasler pitched a gem allowing only 1 hit and striking out 12. Sub-State is scheduled for May 10th, with time and place TBA.
- Finally, Relay For Life set a record amount of money raised; more than $40,000 to go to cancer research, education and support. Despite bad weather and having to move the festivities, the event was a huge success. The top money raising team was the Quest Club form Linden raising more than $12,000, and the top individual winner was Tommy Vice raising more than $1,400.
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