An Alabama grand jury wants to “immediately” abolish a local police department when an investigation found a “rampant culture of corruption” within its ranks following the death of one of its dispatchers.
Eighteen grand jurors found the Hanceville police department to be a “particular and ongoing threat to public safety,” Cullman County District Attorney Champ Crocker said during a press conference on Wednesday.
“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 jurors said they have “zero confidence” in the department’s ability to operate.
Hanceville Police Chief Jason Marlin, Officers Cody Alan Kelso, Drew Shelnut, Jason Wilbanks, reserve officer Eric Michael Kelso, and his wife, Donna Kelso, were arrested and charged following the investigation into the department, AL.com reported.
The investigation was launched after Hanceville dispatcher Christopher Michael Willingham, 49, died on Aug. 23, 2024, from a toxic drug combination at work.
Willingham’s death was determined to be “the direct result of the Hanceville Police Department’s negligence, lack of procedure, general incompetence and disregard for human life,” Crocker said.
“Nothing was secure about the evidence room. And when Mr. Willingham was discovered, there was evidence in his office,” Crocker said.
Crocker revealed photos of a massive hole in the wall leading to the evidence room and said a broom was repeatedly used to keep the door open.
“Criminal evidence must be secured in order to have that evidence for prosecution and to ensure due process,” he said. “This evidence room was anything but secure.”
A state medical examiner’s autopsy report showed that the dispatcher had “fentanyl, gabapentin, diazepam, amphetamine, carisoprodol and methocarbamol” in his system when he died.
“Like a lot of other people,” Willingham was given access to the evidence room and he may have been exposed to fentanyl because the deadly drug was not kept in a secure place, the DA said.
The officers have not been charged with the death of the dispatcher.
The grand jury said that the department “failed to account for, preserve and maintain evidence and in doing so has failed crime victims and the public at large,” making the evidence “unusable.”
Crocker revealed that Marlin, who was appointed chief in March, is charged with two counts of failure to report ethics crimes and tampering with physical evidence.
Officers Cody Alan Kelso and Wilbanks were charged with computer tampering, tampering with physical evidence, conspiracy to commit a controlled substance crime, and using an official position for personal gain.
Shelnutt was charged with tampering with physical evidence.
Eric and Donna Kelso were charged with unlawful distribution of a controlled substance and conspiracy to unlawfully distribute a controlled substance, Crocker said.
They all surrendered to the Cullman County Jail on Wednesday and have already been released on bond.
Following the arrests, the Cullman County Sheriff’s Offices will handle law enforcement matters for the city, which has a population of around 3,000.
“This is a sad day for law enforcement and at the same time it is a good day for the rule of law,” Crocker said.
Hanceville Mayor Jim Sawyer said he and the City Council “will carefully consider all recommendations and act swiftly and decisively to address the problems within the Police Department” and “will pursue and implement the necessary corrective actions openly and aggressively.”
“We deeply regret the negative impact this situation has had on our community and the hard-working employees of our city,” he said in a statement.
“It is unfortunate that the actions of a few have tarnished our city’s good name.”
