A Daphne police captain who is facing a third-degree domestic violence charge of harassing communications has been placed on administrative leave with pay, Police Chief David Carpenter said Friday. 

Daniel Bell, 44, was booked into the Baldwin County Corrections on Thursday afternoon. He was released from jail late Thursday night on a bond of $2,500.

 

An investigation into Bell started after the victim contacted the Daphne Police Department about "continuous unwanted harassment that was occurring over a five month period of time," the Baldwin County Sheriff's Office said in a press release. 

The Sheriff's Office is conducting the criminal investigation into the case. 

"It was determined that portions of the offense occurred within the City of Daphne and portions of the offense occurred outside of the corporate limits of Daphne," the Sheriff's Office said. "Due to the nature of his employment with the City of Daphne and the allegations occurring across jurisdictional lines, it was determined that the Baldwin County Sheriff's Office would conduct the investigation."

The Police Department is conducting its own internal investigation that will determine whether there will be any disciplinary action against Bell, including termination, Carpenter said.

"Anytime we have a compliant, we are going to investigate it," Carpenter said. "If the officer is right, we will back him. If not, we will not tolerate any inappropriate behavior from our people whether it's an officer or otherwise."

The family of Mobile resident Joseph "Joey" O'Brien, who was shot to death last year, has put up a $5,000 reward for tips leading to the apprehension of those involved in his murder, WKRG reports.

O'Brien, 48, was killed while he was riding his bicycle Oct. 23 at Springhill Avenue near Broad Street. He had just finished volunteering at Little Flower Catholic Church when he shot to death.

According to WKRG, O'Brien's family put up a sign announcing the reward money at the spot where he was killed. Friends and family of O'Brien held a candlelight vigil there on Saturday. 

Anyone with information about O'Brien's murder is encouraged to call Mobile police at (251) 208-7000.

SARALAND, Alabama -- An afternoon of storms tore through a portion of Saraland Saturday leaving behind an unknown number of damaged buildings, an official with the Saraland Police Department said.

"At the moment we don't have an official  number of damaged structures but there maybe three to five that received severe damage," Police spokesman Cpl. Arlan Gaines said in an email.

On a section of Jacintoport Boulevard, insulation could be seen strewn along fences, in the street and on a powerline. A tree was snapped in half.

Several strips of metal, apparently ripped from the roof of the Marshall Biscuit Company factory, were still on the ground and stretched across cars.

Gaines said that there was also damage done to UOP, a subsidiary of Honeywell Company, in the same area.

Weather officials anticipated hazardous weather in the Mobile area, forecasting a 60 percent chance of thunderstorms according to the National Weather Service.

Update: This report was updated at 9:02 p.m. to include descriptions from the scene and more information from Cpl. Arlan Gaines.  

Update: This report was updated at 9:11 p.m. to clarify the location of the storm damage in the headline. 

SARALAND, Alabama -- One time wasn't enough for Linda K. Hamilton.

The 43-year-old woman was arrested for burglarizing a tool shed last month, returning again to break into the home while the owner was away, according to the Saraland Police Department. 

 

Hamilton swiped tools from the tool shed in the 200 block of Lillian Avenue on July 30, Saraland Police spokesman Arlan Gaines said.

The Saraland woman returned the next day, breaking into the home this time where she purloined a number of antique coins, a pellet rifle and various electronics, Gaines said.

Both times Hamilton got away, police said. 

After an investigation, Saraland Police investigators obtained a warrant to arrest Hamilton on charges of third degree burglary on Friday. Jail records show Hamilton remained in the Mobile County Metro Jail Saturday.   

View full sizeReese McKinney ... fights back against opponent's allegations.  

MOBILE, Alabama – Alabama secretary of state candidate John Merrill is "upside down" on allegations he has been leveling during his campaign, GOP primary opponent Reese McKinney said Monday.

Merrill, a state representative from Tuscaloosa, said earlier Monday that he is the only candidate who has turned down pay raises. He said he also has cut budgets, while McKinney's budget rose by about $1 million a year during his tenure as probate judge in Montgomery County.

"He's so upside down, he's wrong," said McKinney, who pointed out the Legislature sets the salary of probate judge and the County Commission sets the budget. "Believe me, I worked every day," he said.

McKinney said he saved the county money in the long run by purchasing new equipment.

McKinney also defended himself against another accusation Merrill has made on the campaign trail. Merrill has said McKinney, while he was probate judge, filed a lawsuit as a private citizen that cost the city and county governments millions of dollars.

McKinney acknowledged that he did file the lawsuit, which accused state and local officials of reneging on a deal to pay all property owners $4,500 per acre for land used for the Hyundai auto plant in Montgomery County. When officials later paid a higher price to a pair of other landowners, McKinney was among the property owners who sued.

"We were involved in a land deal," he said. "There were folks who did some wrong, and we took action."

Merrill finished first and McKinney second in the first round of voting in June. The winner of next week's runoff goes on to the general election.

View full sizeShaun McCutcheon talks to reporters in Mobile, Ala., on Monday, July 7, 2014, about his role in a lawsuit that led the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down part of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law. (Brendan Kirby/bkirby@al.com) 

MOBILE, Alabama – Shaun McCutcheon never figured he'd be the face of a movement to chip away at the landmark McCain-Feingold law limiting campaign contributions, but his lawsuit led to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that did just that.

In a 5-4 decision delivered in April, the high court struck down so-called "aggregate limits" on how much money someone can contribute to candidates and political action committees in a two-year campaign cycle. The total was $123,200, including the separate $48,600 cap on contributions to candidates for 2013 and 2014.

McCutcheon, an electrical engineer and contractor from Hoover who will address the Mobile County Republican Party this evening, said his message is simple: "Get active. It's about free speech. It's more important now than ever."

McCutcheon, who grew up in Vestavia Hills and graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology, said he has been making political contributions since the 1990s. But he said he did not begin getting heavily involved in politics until about five years ago when he joined the Greater Birmingham Young Republicans.

In 2010, he said, he realized he was getting close to the aggregate donation limit. He said a Washington, D.C., lawyer he knows suggested he could challenge the limit and that the case likely would go all the way to the Supreme Court. To his great surprise, it did.

"I was very skeptical," he said. "I though the opposition would be insurmountable."

But the Supreme Court under Chief Justice John Roberts has taken a skeptical view of limits on political donations in the name of rooting out corruption. The most famous case, Citizens United v. FEC, struck down bans on corporate donations in 2010.

In McCutcheon's case, Roberts wrote for the majority that aggregate limits were arbitrary. He noted that a citizen could max out the $2,600 limit on donations to nine congressional candidates and then be prevented from giving the maximum amount to a 10^th.

McCutcheon said it did not make any sense. Using the hypothetical raised by Roberts, he said giving money to the 10^th candidate would raise the specter of corruption but giving to that same candidate instead of to the ninth would be OK.

"What's the difference? That was the layman's argument," he said.

The court's four liberal justices vigorously dissented, with Stephen Breyer reading his from the bench to signify particular disagreement with the majority. He argued that Congress has a legitimate interest in preventing the appearance of corruption.

The majority ruling did not touch the limits on contributions to a single candidate. McCutcheon said he believes individual caps make some sense to prevent a candidate from being too dependent on a single source of money. But he added that he believes the current caps are too low.

As it was, he said, it would be impossible for a resident of a big state – like Texas – to give the maximum amount to candidates in all of the U.S. House races in that state.

"It's a fundamental free speech, First Amendment right," he said.

It did not take McCutcheon long to take advantage of his newly won freedom. He said he so far has contributed to 30 candidates, with the overall amount exceeding what had been allowed before the Supreme Court decision. He said he also plans to exceed the old caps on donations to political parties and political action committees.

"I plan on blowing the aggregate limits out," he said.

View full sizeU.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne talks to a constituent at a hall meeting at Bay Minette City Hall on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2014. Byrne also will meet with constituents Monday, July 7, 2014, in Perdido Beach. (Brian Kelly/bkelly@al.com) 

U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne, R-Fairhope, will pop into Perdido Beach today to hear concerns from constituents.

Byrne has held more than two-dozen town hall meetings throughout the 1st Congressional District. This will be his 26^th meeting.

It is the only constituent event Byrne plans this week. Congress will be in session the rest of the week, beginning Tuesday.

Spokesman Seth Morrow said Byrne will answer questions and listen to people's concerns. Morrow said he expects immigration and other current events to come up.

The meeting will take place from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Perdido Beach Volunteer Fire Department at 8450 Escambia Ave. in the Baldwin County town.

(NOAA) 

MOBILE, Alabama – Another night of partly cloudy skies is in store tonight with a low around 74 degrees.

There is a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 10 p.m.

The National Weather Service forecasts a mostly sunny Friday with a high near 90 and a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1 p.m. The partly cloudy conditions move back into the area Friday night with a low around 73 degrees.

Sunny skies dominate the weekend with a high of 93 on Saturday. There is a chance for an afternoon shower.

The mostly sunny skies continue Sunday with a high near 91 degrees and a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms.

View full sizeCedric Byrd, 38, was convicted of first-degree sodomy of his 11-year-old cousin.  

MOBILE, Alabama – Right before being sentenced for sexually abusing his 11-year-old cousin, Cedric Byrd continued to maintain his innocence. Minutes later, Presiding Circuit Court Judge Charles Graddick ordered Byrd, 38, to serve a 50-year prison sentence for the April 2013 attack.

Byrd had previously rejected a deal from the prosecution to serve 10 years if he pleaded guilty to sexual abuse.

During the subsequent, one-day trial on a first-degree sodomy charge in May, the victim told the jury how the defendant came into her room while she was asleep and abused her, down the hall from her mother. She did not call out, nor did she immediately tell anyone of the assault, the victim said.

Instead, she said she wrote her mother a note in crayon saying that Byrd had attacked her. Leaving notes was one way the two communicated on occasion, according to testimony.

Byrd had asked to stay at the home overnight while he was moving, according to prosecutors. The next day, he fled to North Carolina in a stolen car, where he was arrested, they said.

In April, Byrd was indicted on a theft-of-property charge related to the vehicle, which the indictment said was a 2013 Dodge Avenger taken from Enterprise Rental.

On Tuesday night, the unthinkable happened to a Pensacola family.

Two brothers, Greg Florian, 21, and David Florian, 26, were killed when they were swept away by Blackwater River in Santa Rosa County.

The brothers were walking on a sandbar with two other people when they somehow made it into the unusually rough water. Both brothers did not know how to swim.

Greg, 21, attended the University of South Alabama until last spring, when he transferred to Auburn University. He was enrolled in summer classes at USA as of last week.

He was known as a USA Jaguars "super-fan," donning Napoleon Dynamite apparel and showing up to football and basketball games to cheer on the Jags with his enigmatic personality.

Those who knew him said that he was naturally sweet and shy, but when he was Napoleon, his extroverted colors shone forth.

"He was such a sweetheart," said former coworker Kaylyn Stanford. "I can't believe this."

The death comes at a hard time for USA, which has lost several students over the past few months.

USA student and Jaguar Productions member Khaela Huey said she liked Florian as soon as she met him.

"I remember one football game he was at where he was just walking around the stands. I asked him he would dance for us and he said "GOSH!" In true Dynamite character," said Huey. "I loved seeing him around campus and saying 'That's Napoleon Dynamite!'"

USA professor Karen Peterson said she remembers the drama student fondly. "The University of South Alabama has lost a wonderful student, Greg Florian was the spirit of USA. He was a good student and a wonderful supporter," said Peterson.

Greg loved taking trips to Dunkin Donuts and enjoyed superheroes and comedy skits. He was funny, passionate and kind, according to his friends. Closest to his heart was his Catholic faith, and his family.

His uncle, Father John Licari, held mass at St. Mary Catholic Church on Wednesday and emphasized the need for prayer for the family.

Greg was the youngest of ten children, and recently engaged. Prayers were also sought for his fiance, Tracy Krauss of Pensacola.

Greg will be immortalized at USA for his role as Napoleon Dynamite in magazine form-- USA's Due South featured him on their cover in spring of 2013.

He was so excited to be on the cover that he made the image his Facebook profile picture.

The weather for Mobile on Saturday night should be nice. (NWS) 

MOBILE, Alabama-- The forecast for Wednesday night will be refreshingly calm without storms according to the forecast as it stands.

The low looks to be around 71 with calm winds from 5-10 mph.

Tomorrow, the temperature will kick it up a notch to 89, so bring on the sunscreen and shorts for your Thursday.

The next chance for rain is Saturday, with a 20 percent chance of the wet stuff.

ELBERTA, Alabama — A tipster led the Baldwin County Drug Task Force to a home where law officers found about 20 marijuana plants and some marijuana butter. 

The search of the home in the 10000 block of Baldwin County Road 83 on Tuesday resulted in the arrest of Justin Goldman, 33, on charges of drug trafficking and possession of drug paraphernalia. 

Goldman 

The tip "had more to do with the plants," Baldwin County Sheriff's Office Capt. Steve Arthur said. "I don't think they knew the butter was there. We didn't know the butter was there until we got there and did a search warrant." 

Marijuana butter is used when making foods that are infused with marijuana.

The plants were found inside the home and in a shed, the Sheriff's Office said. 

Goldman remained in the Baldwin County Corrections on Wednesday.

He being held under a $1 million bond on the drug trafficking charge and on a $1,000 bond on the drug paraphernalia charge.  

MOBILE, Alabama — As 40 children lined up behind barricades, animal trainer Brett Carden led a parade of three pachyderms into the Mobile Civic Center parking lot Wednesday afternoon. Each one used its trunk to hold the tail of the one in front of it.

Several of the children held their noses.

It was time for the elephants—stars of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, which starts a five-show run in Mobile on Thursday night—to get a bath.

The children, from two branches of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Mobile, had been climbing around on a Mobile Fire-Rescue Department fire truck. Three firefighters took turns spraying the elephants with a fire hose, occasionally splashing the kids, who jumped back and screamed as the water hit them.

Meanwhile, the ringmaster, David Shipman, told the group about "the biggest stars" of the circus, literally, the elephants named Duchess, Patty and Carol. Each of them weighs between 7,000 and 8,000 pounds, he said, and they eat between 100 and 350 pounds of food per day. Their diet consists of grains, hay, fruits and vegetables.

Mervin Thomas of the Boys and Girls Clubs, who had brought 25 children from the Roger Williams branch, noticed that the elephants didn't have teeth. When they lifted their trunks, their gaping mouths showed big, pink tongues. One of the elephants swallowed a whole loaf of French bread. The others picked up small watermelons with their trunks, crushed them into pieces, and polished them off.

"Man, that's wild," Thomas said.

The elephants lifted their trunks, mouths open, clearly wanting a drink. Shipman explained that they drink 100 gallons of water per day.

An elephant's trunk is an amazing thing. "They use their trunks to gauge depth, perception, temperature, weight—more than we can feel with our fingers," Shipman explained.

The elephants put on a show for the crowd as their backs were covered with bubbles and the firefighters continued to hose them off. "Bath time is one of their favorite things," Shipman said.

After the children went home, the ringmaster changed into cooler and more comfortable clothes before heading home to Pensacola for a visit. Brett Carden, the animal trainer, went off to feed the elephants and shovel their poop (a job he does many times a day), while his wife, Cathy Carden, let their 4- and 6-year-old boys climb aboard the fire truck. Both David Shipman and Cathy Carden took a few minutes to talk about how they became important parts of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey show.

Circus legacy

Cathy Carden comes from a long line of circus people dating back to the 1600s, she said. Her great-uncle and grandfather were brought from England to the United States in the early 1900s by the five Ringling brothers themselves, she said.

Cathy's mother was a trapeze artist, and her father was a bareback rider. "I could ride horses before I could walk," she said. Her childhood was spent on the road, traveling with the circus. "I had such a great childhood," she said. "When I was seven years old, I was a ballerina on horseback, in a tutu."

Until fifth grade, she traveled with a tutor, who had her own RV. By then, her mother had decided to stay home with her children in Venice, then Sarasota, Fla. Cathy continued to work in family shows during the summer. Though she went to Broward College to study journalism, she realized that working in the circus was a rewarding job she loved, so she dropped out.

"I can make a living and love what I do," she said of her career as an animal trainer.

Cathy grew up, literally, with Carol and Patty, two of the three elephants she and her husband manage. Her father ordered the baby elephants in the 1970s from Thailand. They arrived in crates, "just like in 'Madagascar,'" she said. "My mom raised them. She slept in a barn with them for two years."

The elephants are now 41 years old.

The Cardens, who met at a circus, also have two Arabian horses, two Shetland ponies, two camels, 18 dogs (including their two pets, who don't perform) and seven miniature horses who are part of their act.

'Silliness and showmanship'

David Shipman is in his second year as ringmaster for Ringling Bros. He said that he saw his first circus when he was 2 ½ years old, in Pensacola. Then, last year, his third show was in his hometown, in the same arena where he'd first fallen in love with the circus. "It's always nice to come home," he said.

As ringmaster, Shipman travels to 48 cities over the course of 46 weeks out of every year.

He almost didn't get the job, though. An aspiring actor, he was living in Orlando, Fla., but had been in Atlanta shooting an episode of "The Vampire Diaries." He found out about the opening for a ringmaster on Facebook—but he'd missed the audition. He sent his resume anyway.

To his surprise, he was invited to a private audition, which he said was "really rough." He had to sing, act and dance—including a couple of painful minutes of "freestyle" dancing in which he might or might not have evoked some M.C. Hammer-style moves, he said, laughing.

An hour later, though, "they called and offered me a contract to run away with the circus. The stars aligned. It was meant to be. I think they saw that I could have fun, be carefree and embrace the silliness and showmanship that is Ringling Brothers."

Shipman, who opts to stay in hotels as the circus travels from city to city because he likes having a little more space than an RV would allow, said he enjoys working with the people. "It's an amazing group of athletes and professional performers."

But his favorite part about the job is "to look out in the audience and see the magic, the smiles on kids' faces. To be a small part of a memory they'll have for the rest of their lives is very powerful."

Tickets are available at the Mobile Civic Center Box Office and all Ticketmaster outlets. To charge by phone, call 1-800-745-3000, or purchase online at www.ticketmaster.com.

View full sizeThis screengrab of a Gulf Shores Fire-Rescue video shows the secured detonation, on left, of a phosphorus flare just west of the Gulf State Pier on Wednesday, June 4, 2014, in Gulf Shores, Ala.  

GULF SHORES, Alabama -- Military personnel added some extra heat to the beach late Wednesday morning with the explosion of a phosphorus flare.

A military explosive ordnance disposal team was called in by the U.S. Coast Guard to explode the flare, or marine location marker, after an individual found it near the Harbor House condominium along West Beach and contacted police, according to Orange Beach Deputy Fire Chief Keith Martin.

(UPDATE: At 8:09 p.m. Wednesday, Gulf Shores police tweeted that a second phosphorus flare was found and was safely detonated with explosive material shortly thereafter on the far west end of West Beach Boulevard.)

Flares, similar to the ones found Wednesday, can be used in search and rescue operations as signals, a target marker for military sea and air training or even as a surface wind indicator. Salt water triggers a chemical reaction with the phosphorus and they're designed to sink once deployed.

View full sizeGulf Shores police officers help secure a perimeter around a phosphorus flare that was going to be destroyed with explosives by a military explosive ordnance disposal team after being found on the beach on Wednesday, June 4, 2014. (Courtesy Gulf Shores Fire-Rescue) 

When one washes ashore, which happens from time to time during prolonged days of rough surf, it can contain a live charge. The phosphorous contained in the canisters burn at extremely high temperatures and can cause life-threatening injuries if activated, according to reports on similar flare findings on the Gulf Coast. Corrosion of the flares makes it hazardous to transport so the safest measure is to use explosives to destroy it close to where it's found, when possible. 

In Gulf Shores on Wednesday, crews took the flare to a spot on the beach just west of the Gulf State Pier. Gulf Shores fire and police personnel and state park rangers help secure a perimeter and the flare was detonated about 11:15 a.m., according to Martin.

"It was a pretty loud concussion" Martin said. "I know people near me jumped."

Soooo a bomb just exploded at the beach #GulfShores pic.twitter.com/bP58f18odd

— Carson Porterfield (@Carson14P) June 4, 2014

Gulf Shores police spokesman Cpl. Josh Coleman said dispatch was flooded with calls after the explosion.  Posts on the police and fire departments' social networks helped spread the word of the secure situation.

After the flare was destroyed, the military crew swept the area with metal detectors and other instrument to ensure it was safe, cleaned up and left, Martin said.

View full sizeTurner Elementary School is at 8361 Lott Road in the Wilmer community. (Courtesy of Turner Elementary) 

Missy Nolen (Press-Register file) 

MOBILE, Alabama -- A group of parents from J.E. Turner Elementary School met with Mobile County schools Superintendent Martha Peek on Monday to discuss their concerns about 20 teachers who have requested transfers.

Most of the teachers have requested assignments elsewhere in the school system because of what was characterized as a "hostile work environment," according to a grievance filed in January listing 13 allegations against Principal Missy Nolen, who has been at the school since August. 

"I made the decision to go and meet with the parents and explain the process," Peek said Wednesday. "It was simply an informational meeting."

Nolen, who could not be reached for comment, was previously principal at E.R. Dickson Elementary School. In 2002, she was selected by her peers at Lee Elementary School in Satsuma as Teacher of the Year. 

In addition to concerns about the mass exodus, parents also questioned the way the transfers were characterized by the school system's human resources department, which labeled the requests as "mandatory" instead of "voluntary."

The distinction is important because teachers listed as mandatory transfers are assigned to new jobs ahead of voluntary transfers. However, mandatory transfers sometimes carry a stigma, said Danny Goodwin, a director of the Mobile County office of the Alabama Education Association teachers union.

"Some principals resent having to take a mandatory transfer because they don't get to pick the teacher they want," Goodwin said, adding, "It's not resenting the person; it's resenting the action." 

At approximately the same time as the Turner meeting, a large group of parents and children staged a protest at the Semmes Community Center, holding signs that said "Take Back Turner" and "We love our teachers."

On Wednesday, Peek said she tried to assure the parents that her door is open to anyone who wants to discuss the situation.

"The objective of all of this is to make sure we have a cohesive team in place next year with administrators, teachers and students, so everyone can work together -- and that the focus is on the students," she said.

The transfer requests were characterized as mandatory instead of voluntary in order to give the teachers more of a voice in where they wanted to be placed, Peek said.

Peek said she could not speculate on what types of staff changes may happen at Turner before the start of the fall semester. 

"I can't project whether there will be any changes," she said. "We're just working through this process right now."

The teachers filed the January grievance for several reasons, including a belief that they were being bullied or harassed, said Goodwin, who characterized the Turner situation as "very adversarial."

"The entire feeling, the tone of the school, is very negative," he said. 

Teachers' allegations

The grievance was signed by 24 Turner employees, including teachers and staff members, Goodwin said.

In it, Nolen was accused of treating employees "in an unprofessional or demeaning manner"; assigning teachers who had an established area of expertise to subjects they weren't familiar with, "over their objections and with no educationally sound reasoning or explanation given"; scheduling meetings that disrupted teachers' routines; "placing unreasonable requirements" on staff members; attempting to intimidate staff members; failing to "communicate appropriately with staff members who you perceive to be in opposition to you"; and seeking to "undermine the collegiality and morale of the faculty and staff."

One of the more serious allegations accused Nolen of excluding faculty and staff from giving input in programs or reports to the state Department of Education, the school system or federal programs, in which teachers' feedback is required.

Goodwin said the grievance process had resulted in several mediation hearings with school system officials. During mediation, the grievances are discussed and resolutions are suggested, he said. "The grievance process is to try to fix the situation."

But he believes that Nolen did not take part in the mediation. "I would think, had the principal participated in the mediation process, we would have been notified," he said. 

Goodwin said he could only recall one other instance in which a large group of teachers had filed similar complaints against a principal -- at another Mobile elementary school in the late 1990s. The resolution in that case was that the principal was removed, he said.

Since then, the grievance policy has changed, and the Turner case is the first instance in which he has worked with the school system's mediation process, he said. 

"It's a process to fix the situation," he said. "It's not a process to cause trouble." 

Parents' concerns

In October, a group of Turner parents attended a Mobile County school board meeting to express concerns about changes that Nolen had made at the school.

Parent Michelle Bosarge told the board members that many incentive programs and other popular traditions had been discontinued; that students were not using digital devices as often as in the past school year; that teacher assignments were confusing; that communication to parents and teachers was often badly handled; and that the carpool line was dangerous and unorganized.

"This is not a learning environment that I wish for my child to be part of," she told the board. 

The Mobile County Sheriff's Office is searching for this suspect that robbed the Circle K on Lott Road in Semmes, Ala. before robbing the Waffle House at Springhill Avenue and Interstate 65. MCSO

MOBILE, Alabama -- The Mobile County Sheriff's Office is searching for a robbery suspect that emptied the register at a Circle K on Lott Road in Semmes before robbing the Waffle House at Springhill Avenue and Interstate 65.

The sheriff's office said the Circle K robbery happened around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday as an employee was mopping the floor. Sheriff's deputies say a black man came into the store armed with a handgun and demanded money from the register. The employee emptied the register and the suspect fled on foot.

The Mobile County Sheriff's Office is searching for this suspect that robbed the Circle K on Lott Road in Semmes, Ala. before robbing the Waffle House at Springhill Avenue and Interstate 65.MCSO 

The Mobile County Sheriff's Office described the suspect as in his late teens or early twenties, 5-foot-9 and 140 to 150 pounds, with a light mustache. At the time of the Circle K robbery, the sheriff's office says the suspect was wearing a Burns Football sweatshirt, black pants and black shoes.

The Mobile Police Department responded to the Waffle House robbery at 3 a.m. the same day. The victim said that a black man entered the restaurant armed with a handgun and demanded cash.

The victim gave the suspect the cash and was not harmed. For this robbery, Mobile police describe the suspect as wearing a blue hoodie with white writing on front, and dark colored pants.

The sheriff's office says the two robberies were conducted by the same suspect.

If anyone has information about this person or either robbery, contact the Mobile County Sheriff's Office at 251-574-6397or go to their website http://www.mobileso.com/report-a-crime/.