Boaz News

(Gadsden, AL - August 30, 2010) A weekend shooting death involving three Etowah County Sheriff's deputies is under investigation by the Alabama Bureau of Investigation.

According to reports from Sheriff Todd Entrekin's office, the three were attempting to serve a failure to appear warrant Sundayon 38 year old Bobby Ray Emery, at a Shady Grove Road home in Boaz around 12:10 p.m. Emory failed to appear for court in which he was to face charges for possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana and reckless endangerment stemming from an incident in which he led deputies on a high-speed pursuit into DeKalb county.

According to Entrekin, "A felony drug warrant with a subject's name and address stated, gives law enforcement the authority to enter and search property in pursuit of executing the warrant."

A press statement from the sheriff's office says the deputies clearly identified themselves when entering the residents, when the shooting victim, Anthony Ray Sampson stepped out from behind a wall pointing a gun at the uniformed officers. According to sheriff's records, shots were fired by the deputies at 12:18 p.m. After the confrontation, deputies left the residence and called for backup.

When the county's Joint Special Operations Group arrived on the scene and entered the residence, Sampson's body was found in the home.

The statement describes a surveillance system and scanner found inside the home, which gave Sampson a tactical advantage as he was able to monitor the deputies' movements and radio traffic from inside the home.

ABI and the state Department of Forensic Science gathered evidence at the scene and has received a copy of the video from cameras carried by the Etowah County deputies for this type of situation.

Entrekin says several drugs were found at the scene, "including Mexican methamphetamine. Packets of marijuana were also found, which appears to have been packaged for the purpose of selling," he states in the press release. Evidence gathered at the home will be presented to an Etowah County Grand Jury.

"At this time, based on the evidence gathered, we believe there is no reason to place the three deputies on administrative leave. They will continue with their regular work rotation and were scheduled to be off today (Monday) and tomorrow," Entrekin states.

Other agencies who responded to the scene were: Alabama State Troopers, Sardis Police Department, Boaz Police Department, Gadsden Police Department, Walnut Grove Police Department and Mountainboro Volunteer Fire Department.

Jeremy Willis Neeley, 25, Boaz Charged with burglary, Theft of property

(Gadsden, AL - August 27, 2010) A Boaz man has been arrested and charged with the August 22nd burglary of a Glover Road residence near Boaz. Etowah County Sheriff Todd Entrekin says 25 year old Jeremy Willis Neeley has been arrested and is now charged with one count of third degree burglary and one count of second degree theft of property.

Sheriff's Investigator Shane Hartley says Neeley has admitted to breaking into the house during a phone interview. According to reports, the suspect allegedly broke a window to gain entrance. While inside, a flat screen TV, stereo equipment and the family dog - a Boston Terrier, was stolen.

During the investigation, Hartley is reported to have discovered the TV had been pawned in Guntersville hours after the burglary. Neeley told Hartley he had dropped the dog off in the victim's yard two days after the incident. According to a press release issued today, he refused to meet in person with Hartley, saying he did not want to go to jail.

Once Neeley refused to meet with the Sheriff's Investigator, warrants were obtained on Thursday seeking the suspect's arrest. He was appreheded on a traffic stop Thursday night in LaFayette, Georgia.

Hartley says the TV and family dog are back in the possession of the rightful owner, but the stereo equipment has not yet been recovered.

Neeley is in Georgia awaiting extradition to Etowah County.

(Washington, DC - June 11, 2010) US Congressman Robert Aderholt (R- 4th, AL) announces today that Boaz and Albertville will receive a $50,000 USDA Rural Business Enterprise Grant. This grant is available to public bodies and non-profit entities who help facilitate and finance small business development.

According to a press release by the congressman, the funds will be used to purchase equipment, including a truck, trailers, containers, hand trucks and other equipment needed to collect and recycle solid waste for the Albertville/Boaz Recycling Center.

Aderholt says the funds "will help improve the community's waste management and recycling operations," and congratulates the parties involved for "landing this very competitive grant." He says he is a big supporter of the USDA RBEG program "because it helps fund worthy projects like this in rural regions like northeast Alabama."

The RBEG  program is managed by the Rural Development Office, which is part of the US Department of Agriculture. Funding for the RBEG is included in FY 2010 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Bill that passed the House of Representatives July 9, 2009.

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Boaz woman caught on tape setting fire to vehicle belonging to victim who had repossessed the woman's vehicle earlier.

NOTICE: Apparently the New York Times owned Gadsden Times thinks THEY own the copyright to this video and have BLOCKED it from my YouTube account.... I NORMALLY try to play nice... but this is ridiculous!!! Are they going to block FOX 6? are they going to block CBS 42? Or NBC 13???? Maybe they won't block the version I posted on Vimeo... you can watch it below the article!!!

(Gadsden, AL - May 28, 2010) A Boaz, Alabama woman, 26 year old Haleigh Elizabeth Boland, and her father 50 year old Benny Gene Boland, also of Boaz, are facing charges stemming from a May 8, 2010 vehicle fire that was caught on security camera.

Allegedly, the Boland's poured gasoline on a vehicle belonging to an individual who had recently repossessed Haliegh's vehicle and lived at the residence. A woman is seen in the video pouring a liquid onto a vehicle and then, after pouring a trail of liquid down the drive, trying to set the gasoline on fire. When she could not get the trail to burn, she walked closer to the vehicle, setting the vehicle, and herself on fire.

Etowah County Sheriff Investigator Shane Hartley says the father-daughter team were arrested on May 18 and charged with one count each of First Degree Criminal Mischief - a felony.

The incident occurred in the Mountainboro community, according to a press release by Etowah County Sheriff Todd Entrekin.

According to the report, Haleigh set the fire in retaliation for her vehicle being repossessed. Hartley says the video shown in this article was captured by a video camera set up at the victim's residence. The video shows the suspect setting herself on fire and then taking off the burning clothes as she ran to a vehicle at the end of the driveway to get away.

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Hartley says Haleigh confessed to being the woman in the video. She reportedly suffered first and second degree burns on her upper body. Both individuals were released on $2,500 bond each.

Haleigh Elizabeth Boland, 26 Boaz, AL	Benny Gene Boland, 50 Boaz, AL