Feb. 20 (UPI) -- A federal grand jury has recommended a rural Alabama police department be abolished as it indicted five of its officers with federal and misdemeanor charges.
The police department for Hanceville, a city of some 3,200 people about 43 miles north of Birmingham, has been the subject of a sweeping investigation by state law enforcement following the August death of dispatcher Christopher Michael Willingham.
That investigation resulted in the indictment announced Wednesday during a press conference in which Cullman County District Attorney Champ Crocker outlined the charges, findings and recommendations of the 18-member grand jury.
Among the nine recommendations, the grand jury called for the Hanceville Police Department "be immediately abolished" and for another local or state law enforcement agency "be tasked with protecting the citizens of Hanceville."
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"Based upon the investigation by the state bureau of investigation, we, the grand jury, find that the Hanceville Police Department is a particular and ongoing threat to public safety," Crocker read, adding that "there is a rampant culture of corruption in the Hanceville Police Department, which has recently operated as more of a criminal enterprise than a law enforcement agency."
Crocker said the grand jury's findings and recommendations were unanimous.
Little about the alleged crimes and investigation findings was released to the public, but Croker suggested there was a culture of criminal activity within the police department.
He told reporters that one of the most concerning issues was its maintenance of the department's evidence room, which is to be secure.
Photos displayed during the press conference showed that a broom was used to jimmy up the evidence room door through a large hole in the cinder block wall.
"This evidence room was routinely accessed by individuals who were not authorized to do so, going in and out using this stick through the hole in the wall," he said.
An unknown number of cases have been affected by these officers' actions, he said, stating they are in the process of figuring out how many.
"I am not optimistic about the ability to prosecute cases with tampered evidence," he said.
Those charged have been identified as Chief Jason Marlin and officers Cody Alan Kelso, Eric Michael Kelso, William Andrew Shelnutt and Jason Scott Wilbanks. Donna Reid Kelso, the wife of Eric Kelso, was also indicted.
Marlin is facing two counts of failure to report ethics crime and tampering with physical evidence.
Cody Kelso is facing two counts of computer tampering, solicitation to commit a controlled substance crime, use of officer for personal gail and tampering with physical evidence.
Eric Michael Kelso was charged with four counts of unlawful distribution of a controlled substance and two counts of conspiracy to unlawfully distribute a controlled substance.
Donna Kelso is facing two counts unlawful distribution of a controlled substance and two count conspiracy to unlawful distribution a controlled substance.
Shelnutt was charged with tampering with physical evidence.
Wilbanks has been charged with two counts of computer tampering, two counts of use of office for personal gain, tampering with physical evidence and two counts of solicitation to commit a controlled substance crime.
All defendants have turned themselves in and secured bond, officials said.
Croker said that though the defendants have not been charged with Willingham's death -- who died of an accidental drug overdose -- the grand jury found it was "the direct result of Hanceville Police Department's negligence, lack of procedure, general incompetence and disregard for human life."
Asked to explain how his death was connected, Croker said that "nothing was secure about the evidence room and when Mr. Willingham was discovered, there was evidence in his office."
He added that Willingham "was given" access to the evidence room with the broomstick and had access to it on his last day of work.
Willingham was found dead in his office at the police department on Aug. 23.
Hanceville Mayor Jim Sawyer said in a statement that city council will consider all grand jury recommendations and "Act swiftly and decisively to address the problems within the police department."
"Our citizens, industries and businesses deserve a resolution, and we will pursue and implement the necessary corrective actions openly and aggressively," he said. "We deeply regret the negative impact this situation has had on our community and the hard-working employees of our city."
