Recently, several inmates gained a new level of clarity on life, and in their eyesight! Dr. Kent Daub with Lionsight of The Lions International stopped by to offer eye examinations, and new eyeglasses for inmates that needed them. These outside medical resources are vital to providing our incarcerated individuals with quality medical care.

Having excellent vision means not only seeing the world around you more clearly, but giving a person confidence and hope to better themselves. Most of all, it shows that we are ready to invest into the lives of people experiencing the toughest times of their life.

We are thankful for Dr. Kent Daub with Lionsight of The Lions International, and all of our partners that sow into the lives of our inmates. They give them hope, knowledge, and opportunity to grow when they are released. That is truly something to be excited for! As your sheriff, we will continue these invaluable programs, and look forward to expanding upon them.

Monday, the Walker County Sheriff's Office Street Crimes Unit teamed up with deputies from the Narcotics, Patrol, Reserve, and Jail Division to execute arrest warrants in different areas of the county. We want to publicly thank the jail and reserve division members that made this day happen. Without them, this day would not have went as smoothly, nor as efficient. We especially thank our reserve deputies for volunteering their time.

Those arrested are as follows:

Brandon O'Neal Churchill, age 30 of Jasper, Domestic Violence Strangulation - FTA.

Jaxson Hayes Sawyer, age 20 of Jasper, Stalking 1st degree.

Dana Jo Busby, age 49 of Jasper, Unlawful Possession of a Controlled Substance, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia - FTA.

Scottie Glenn Newborn, age 42 of Jasper, two warrants for Harassing Communications.

Austin Kane Tidwell, age 25 of Jasper, Unlawful Possession of a Controlled Substance, Public Intoxication - FTA, Probation Revocation - FTA.

Tammy Belle Hoobler, age 56 of Jasper, Unlawful Possession of a Controlled Substance.

Christopher King, age 26 of Cullman, warrants with Dora Police Department.

Also, on Monday evening the United States Marshals Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force apprehended two individuals with felony warrants.

Ze'marion Me'Lek Thomas, age 19 of Jasper, was arrested in Double Springs for Domestic Violence Strangulation, and Domestic Violence 3rd degree. Thomas faces an additional charge of Fleeing or Eluding a Law Enforcement Officer from an incident where he ran from officers near Memorial Park in Jasper.

Keyeric Lajohn Gilbert, age 26 of Parrish, was arrested in Oakman for Robbery 1st degree (on a Jasper Police Department case).

Both subjects are in the Walker County Jail pending their initial appearance and bond hearing before a judge.

With Walker County Schools back in session, most kids are thinking about new backpacks, clothes, and teachers. Meanwhile, parents are juggling the costs of the new school year and worrying about their children’s safety. Sadly, school tragedies have become all too familiar across the nation—Uvalde, Nashville, Newtown. These names remind us of the heartbreaking reality that no community is immune to such threats.

But here in Walker County, we’re doing everything we can to keep our students safe. In partnership with the Walker County Board of Education (WCBOE), the Walker County Sheriff’s Office has placed a School Resource Officer (SRO) on every campus. This presence gives our parents some much-needed peace of mind. Our office has also conducted training sessions on active shooter responses, involving both teachers and SROs. These officers are APOST certified and funded by the WCBOE. They’re stationed on school grounds during regular school hours and even accompany sports teams and field trips after hours.

We’re proud of the dedicated officers protecting our schools.

We’re grateful to Dr. Dennis Willingham and the entire Board of Education for sharing Sheriff Smith’s commitment to student safety in today’s world.

While many things may change, our dedication to ensuring a secure learning environment remains constant. The men and women in our SRO division.

Under Sheriff Smith’s leadership, our office has accomplished so many positive things. So much, in fact, that there is no great way to share that news. Our office strives to better connect with every community in county, and the best way to accomplish this, is to directly provide updates for all things WCSO directly to the citizens of Walker County. Stay tuned to this page and our social media accounts to be in the know about recent arrests, updates, and pieces to highlight some of our incredible and dedicated employees.
 
This new format allows us to provide greater depth and more finite details about incidents, that other avenues or route just don’t offer. We’re going to continue our social media presence, and continue to produce useful and informative materials for the general public. We thank you for supporting this office, and we are thankful for the opportunity to serve the people of Walker County.