UPDATED @ 3:38 PM Former Houston County Sheriff Lamar Hadden Passes Away

Matt Boster

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Posted by: Matt Boster
Date: Jun 22 2015 9:49 AM

Former Houston County Sheriff Lamar “Birddog” Hadden passed away earlier this morning. He was 89-years-old.

Hadden was first elected sheriff in 1982. He served the citizens of Houston County for 12 years.

Before that he was sheriff, Hadden was an agent of the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board (“ABC”) from November 1961 to April 1982.

Funeral arrangements are being handled by Ward-Wilson Funeral Home. They will be published here when they are made available.

UPDATED @ 2:05 PM by Rickey Stokes

If you did drugs, one man you never wanted after you was Lamar " Birddog" Hadden. He would hide in the weeds for days in order to catch you.

A funny story about Birddog when he served as Houston County Sheriff. He had an agreement with a car lot where he would get cars and creep around in drug invested areas of Houston County. As Birddog was creeping he was stopped by a passerby and asked if he wanted to buy some drugs.

Well, Birddog had a hat on where it was printed on the front "Sheriff". Birddog took the hat by the front, turned it around on his head where "Sheriff" was facing the back and said, "I believe I do". The Sheriff bought the drugs and then arrested the man!

Sheriff Hadden loved his law enforcement career.

The name " Birddog" came from when he raced cars. Sometime in the 1960's he raced cars. On Reeves Street near the overpass was a race track. He would take the racecar and poke the other. He was intimidator like Earnhart would do today.

He started as a Deputy Sheriff for I think Sheriff Alvin Davis. Former Houston County Commissioner Bobby Snellgrove worked at Huckaby's in Gordon and would pump gas to Birddog. Snellgrove said he was one of a kind and a great man.

From the stint as a Deputy Sheriff Hadden went to work with the State of Alabama as a ABC Agent. He would work moonshine stills. Hadden and Charles Blount were partners while with the ABC Board.

When working moonshiners in those days you had to have nerves of steel. The moonshiners did not like those "ol revenuers".

When hadden retired he sought the election as Sheriff. He won and served 12 years until his retirement.

Since then he has been like the "granddad" of Sheriff. He was looked to and respected by the men and women of the department.

Elected in 1982, Sheriff Hadden served for 12 years until his retirement some 20 years ago.

Sheriff Hadden and Twentieth Judicial Circuit Court Judge Larry Anderson were great friends. Almost everyday for 20 years you would see Sheriff Hadden and Judge Anderson eating lunch together.

Sheriff Hadden and his lovely bride were very active members of Southside Baptist Church.

Funeral arrangements are to be made sometime tomorrow. We will announce them as soon as known.

Ward Wilson Funeral Home is in charge of the funeral services.

UPDATED @ 3:38 PM with the Arrangements...

Visitation Tuesday June 23 from 5pm until. at Ward Wilson in Dothan.

Funeral will be Wednesday 11am June 24 at Southside Baptist Church in Dothan.

Burial will be at Ward Wilson Hartford Hwy.

Please support the family by attending and with prayers.