Investigators Worked Through The Night

Rickey Stokes

Viewed: 13759

Posted by: RStokes
Date: Oct 25 2014 9:46 AM

HOUSTON COUNTY:   Law Enforcement Investigators from SBI ( formally known as Alabama Bureau of Investigation ), Houston County Sheriff Department, Geneva County Sheriff Department and other agencies worked throigh the night on the body found on Highway 84 West.

On Friday combined law enforcement agencies searched for a body. The search was based on information law enforcement sources had received. The body was located during the search behing a uninhibited mobile home in a grave.

Last evening Houston County Sheriff Deputies located the suspect and took him/her into custody.

Details are slim at this time. We do know the body was that of a female.

Information this morning from sources within the area, law enforcement officers worked through the night with high powered lights searching for evidence.

HOUSTON COUNTY SHERIFF DONALD VALENZA

The information releases are coming from SBI ( State Bureau of Investigation ). The reason they are coming from SBI and not Houston County Sheriff Donald Valenza is this case belongs to SBI. As we understand the crime possibly occured in another jurisdiction. A jurisdiction where SBI was in charge of the case.

Houston County Sheriff Valenza and members of the Houston County Sheriff Department are intimately involved in the investigation. However, with the case agents being SBI, the released information has to be controlled and comes from the agency leading the case.

Former Houston County Sheriff Andy Hughes was involved in the case as Assistant Director of Alabama Homeland Security. Hughes involvement was in coordinating resources and officers in the investigation.

In Alabama, all law enforcement will be under one umbrella. That umbrella is why Alabama Bureau of Investigation and Alabama Beverage Control Agents are combined to State Bureau of Investigation. Other agencies are also combined into the one investigation unit.

FORENSIC AND EXPERTISE

When the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences in a failure mode, former Houston County Sheriff Andy Hughes made a hire. That hire was Marc Crews, a former Chemist with the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences.

That hire placed Houston County Sheriff Department in a unique position of their own forensic expert on evidence. Crews is actively involved in this investigation and evidence collection.

Houston County Sheriff Donald Valenza also recently hired retired Alabama Bureau of Investigation Captain Barry Tucker. Tucker is a seasoned investigator and was brought on to work areas in Houston County, to include major cases. Tucker is involved in the investigation.

Forward thinking on behalf of Former Sheriff Hughes and Sheriff Valenza are valuable assets to Houston County.

NOTE:   Former Dothan Police Chief John Powell also established evidence collection unit within the Dothan Police Department. Powell placed Jon Thomas as the evidence investigator with Dothan Police Department. That was a good move. Dothan Police Chief Greg Benton and Dothan Police Major Steve Parrish has moved that evidence collection and forensic forward/

The local law enforcement commanders have been forced to make such moves because Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences has become a failure. By the way, the person that appoints the Director of Forensic Sciences is Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange. Strange has been focused on one issue - electronic bingo. He is to be held responsible for the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences being in shambles.

 

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