Related News: Supreme Court: Warrant needed for phone search

One new article link has been added to our Related News page. The Andalusia Star News published an article titled Supreme Court: Warrant needed for phone search.

The debate over whether or not police should be allowed to search the cell phones of people they arrest without first obtaining a warrant came to a close Wednesday when the United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of privacy.

In the unanimous decision, the Supreme Court ruled police must indeed obtain warrants before searching the digital content of phones taken from suspects placed under arrest. The decision comes after the court heard two cases in which a suspect’s phone was searched, and delivered one ruling for both. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. said the ruling is significant because of the sheer number of cell phones in use today.

“These cases require us to decide how the search incident to arrest doctrine applies to modern cell phones, which are now such a pervasive and insistent part of daily life that the proverbial visitor from Mars might conclude they were an important feature of human anatomy,” Roberts wrote.

Source: Andalusia Star News

Related News: Sex offender charged with living too close to daycare

One new article link has been added to our Related News page. The Dothan Eagle published an article titled Sex offender charged with living too close to daycare.

Dothan police arrested a convicted sex offender Wednesday for allegedly moving too close to a local day care business.

Court records show Dothan police arrested Hakimsaid Fararhd Darby, 51, of Seminary Road, and charged him with three felony violations of the Alabama community notification act.

Source: Dothan Eagle

Related News: Sex offender sentenced to life in prison

One new article link has been added to our Related News page. The Troy Messenger published an article titled Sex offender sentenced to life in prison.

Pike County Circuit Court Judge Shannon Clark sentenced a man indicted for eight sex offenses involving a child to life in prison plus 10 years this week.

Earlier this month, Terry Cordell Davie, 46, of Goshen, pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree assault of a minor including rape. The plea was part of a blind agreement. The district attorney’s office agreed to dismiss six counts in exchange for Davie’s guilty plea in the other two. All eight of the counts involved the same victim.

Source: Troy Messenger

Related News: Man gets three years for sodomizing teenager

One new article link has been added to our Related News page. The Dothan Eagle published an article titled Man gets three years for sodomizing teenager.

A 30-year-old Coffee Springs man recently received three years in prison after pleading guilty to the rape and sodomy of a teenager.

Court records show Jim Mathis pleaded guilty Monday to felony second-degree rape and felony second-degree sodomy in front of Circuit Court Judge William Filmore.

Source: Dothan Eagle

Related News: Teen prostitute rescued, 3 pimps arrested in Alabama as part of FBI nationwide sex-trafficking sweep

One new article link has been added to our Related News page. AL.com published an article titled Teen prostitute rescued, 3 pimps arrested in Alabama as part of FBI nationwide sex-trafficking sweep.

A 17-year-old Alabama girl forced into prostitution was rescued and three pimps arrested during a week-long, nationwide sex-trafficking operation, the FBI announced Monday.

Also in North Alabama, which stretches from Birmingham to Huntsville, lawmen rescued a six-week old baby and identified 14 adult women, some of who had been forced into prostitution since they were juveniles.

“Sex trafficking of children is one of the most violent and unconscionable crimes committed in this country,” said Richard D. Schwein Jr., special agent in charge of the FBI’s Birmingham division. “There are few law enforcement missions more important than protecting our nation’s children.”

Operation Cross County VIII was carried out in 106 cities across 54 FBI field divisions. Lawmen recovered 168 children who were being victimized through prostitution, and arrested 281 pimps on state and federal charges.

Source: AL.com

Related News: Eiland receives split sentence in child porn case

One new article link has been added to our Related News page. The Andalusia Star News published an article titled Eiland receives split sentence in child porn case.

Former Andalusia Area Chamber of Commerce Director Ashley Bostwick Eiland received a split sentence, including both prison time and probation, Thursday in front of Circuit Judge Ashley McKathan.

Source: Andalusia Star News

Related News: Human trafficker sentenced to 50 years

One new article link has been added to our Related News page. The Dothan Eagle published an article titled Human trafficker sentenced to 50 years.

A Houston County judge sentenced a Tennessee man to 50 years in prison for involving a teenage girl in human trafficking and giving her illegal drugs.

Circuit Court Judge Butch Binford sentenced 28-year-old Santiago Alonso to serve 40 years in prison for the felony first-degree human trafficking charge and an additional 10 years for the felony distribution of drugs to a minor charge. He ordered both charges to be served consecutively with each other. Binford also sentenced Alonso to 12 months in the county jail for a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge. But Binford ordered that sentence to be served concurrently with the 50-year sentence.

Source: Dothan Eagle

Related News: Carl Philip Herold’s lawyer wants out of Huntsville child sex abuse case

One new article link has been added to our Related News page. AL.com published an article titled Carl Philip Herold’s lawyer wants out of Huntsville child sex abuse case.

Carl Philip Herold could be looking for a new lawyer in his multi-count child sex abuse case after his attorney filed notice seeking to leave the case.

Madison County Circuit Judge Chris Comer has set a hearing for Thursday on the issue.

Herold’s Birmingham-based attorney Steven Eversole was hired after Herold’s November arrest.

Eversole filed notice seeking to withdraw as Herold’s attorney and noted that his appearance was only for district court — the case is now in circuit court. The filing argues he has fulfilled his contractual obligations to Herold.

Source: AL.com

Related News: Sex crime suspect to remain out on bond

One new article link has been added to our Related News page. The Dothan Eagle published an article titled Sex crime suspect to remain out on bond.

Investigators with the Hartford Police Department arrested Graue on May 2, and charged him with felony traveling to meet a child for an unlawful sex act and felony electronic solicitation of a child.

Hartford Police Chief Annie Ward told the Eagle shortly after Graue’s arrest that the charges allegedly involved his arranging to meet someone he believed to be a 14-year-old girl through an online dating site. The arrest was made through an ongoing undercover investigation handled by the Hartford Police Department and the Perverted Justice Foundation.

“Since it was an internet-related sex charge, he was prohibited from having internet in his home or having a smart phone,” Smith said.

Smith said his client’s wife lives in Missouri, and due to her suffering from breast cancer and Multiple Sclerosis (MS) he’d found himself having to take care of her.

“He was forced to go there to help care for his wife after (the) caregivers quit,” Smith said. “He was just visiting and he was basically just there for a limited time to find a caregiver for his wife.”

Source: Dothan Eagle

Related News: Jackson county deputies make arrests in 2 separate investigations involving sex crimes against minors

One new article link has been added to our Related News page. AL.com published an article titled Jackson county deputies make arrests in 2 separate investigations involving sex crimes against minors.

Investigators charged Austin Tyler Lemoine, 19, of Stevenson with second-degree rape. Investigator Tony Baker said the victim was a 12-year-old girl.

Source: AL.com