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Hometown newspaper of Leroy Byrd- since 1933
Hartselle Enquirer
50 CENTS
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2024
VOLUME 91, NO. 5
By David Gambino For the Enquirer U.S. Marshals captured a man Jan. 24 who escaped from Falkville while working as a town of Falkville trusty, allegedly with the help of a Falkville Utilities employee, on Dec. 7, according to the Morgan County Sheriff ’s Office. Wesley David Aldridge, 36, was located in Brownsville, Texas, with the help of local sheriff ’s investigators, according to MCSO spokesman Mike Swafford. Jail trusties
are inmates with special privileges. Patrick Gwenn Smith, 51, was arrested on Dec. 18 and charged with aiding Aldridge’s escape. Smith’s case was bound over to a grand jury, and he was released from Morgan County Jail on Jan. 9 on a $10,000 bond. “During the course of the investigation, along with interviews and a cell phone extraction of Smith’s cell phone, it was determined that he had knowledge and helped in the escape of inmate Wesley David Aldridge and had a relative drive him to Texas where he was dropped
off at a Loves Travel Center,” an investigator’s affidavit filed in Smith’s case reads. Aldridge is currently in Cameron County Jail in Texas awaiting extradition to Morgan County, according to Swafford. “Once returned to Alabama, Aldridge will begin serving his sentence on previous charges in state prison, while also facing new escape charges in Morgan County,” he said. Aldridge, who has a long rap sheet of theft-related charges, has allegedly tried to escape from custody
before. He was indicted by a Winston County grand jury for thirddegree escape on Aug. 20, 2019, and again, for first-degree escape, on Nov. 8, 2021. Aldridge ultimately signed a plea agreement for the 2021 escape resulting in the theft charges being dropped, according to court records. He was sentenced on Oct. 23, 2023, to 15 years and one day of incarceration in the custody of Alabama Department of Corrections for first-degree escape. Aldridge’s sentencing order said he is a habitual offender.
Aldridge
Defendant in septuple homicide awaiting court approval for psychiatrist, IQ test By David Gambino For the Enquirer
Obituaries • Janice Chandler • Joe Bryant • Larry A. Murphree • Wayne Leroy Brown • Peyton Evan Speegle
believe the defendant suffers from severe mental issues,” the motion reads. Legg’s attorneys are seeking to hire a psychiatrist and a psychologist at an hourly rate of $300, according to the motion. Berry asked for two $7,500 advances to pay the experts’ retainer fees. “Unless the defendant is allowed the necessary funds to employ a licensed psychiatrist and psychologist to conduct a mental evaluation and IQ test, he would be prevented from obtaining a fair trial,” the motion argues. Berry further argues that a refusal to fund the request would result in a violation of Legg’s Sixth Amendment rights. In December 2022, Berry successfully requested a continuance in his client’s competency hearing after he said he became aware of records from Albany Clinic wherein a doctor’s note claimed Legg “may have some underlying intellectual disability,” according to the motion to continue. In an unusual move, Legg submitted a handwritten letter to the judge in April 2023. “I have been removed from Sunday church services … and I’m writing to ask you to please allow me to return,” the letter reads. It’s unclear what prompted Legg’s removal from the services administered, according to the letter, by Beltline Church of Christ, other than a self-described “lapse in
By Rebekah Yancey rebekah.yancey @hartselleenquirer.com In a significant step toward enhancing community amenities, the City of Hartselle Jan. 24 announced a $50,000 in grant funding for the Hartselle Park Greenspace Project. This initiative is made possible through the collaboration of The Alabama Mountains, Rivers & Valleys Resource Conservation & Develop-
ment Council (RC&D) and the Morgan County Legislative Delegation. The focal point of this development is the Hartselle Walkway, located behind the downtown pocket park on Hickory Street between Sparkman and Railroad streets. The project, fueled by the grant, aims to construct a well-lit and landscaped green space walkway connecting the park to Hickory Street. This walkway will enable citizens who visit the Hartselle Farmers Market to walk safely to the downtown
area where they can shop, dine and spend quality family time. This will also allow shoppers downtown to walk to the market and shop as well. Mayor Randy Garrison emphasized the project’s impact on local businesses, noting the original thought behind the pocket park was to draw more traffic downtown. “We were trying to figure out a way to connect the farmers market to the
conditions. The group underwent a rigorous application and audition process, emerging as one of only three high school choirs selected to showcase their musical prowess at this prestigious conference, according to Hartselle choral director Kate Dupuis. Undeterred by the cancellation, the chorale is now gearing for its rescheduled performance to be held
Feb. 4 at Hartselle High School. The extensive repertoire chosen for this program features predominantly collegiate-level pieces, Dupuis said of the program titled “The Gift to Sing.” Dupuis added the ensemble hopes to perform this program at the Alabama All State festival but are waiting for confirmation from the board. The performance Feb. 4 is free and open to the public.
See HARTSELLE, page 8
See DEFENDANT, page 5 For full obituaries, see page A-2
• Mary Bradshaw Miller • Caraol Colley Lott • Kenneth ‘Kenny’ Reeves • Benford Mayfield • Judy Gandy Norris Roy • Bette Jones Haden • Cole Alexander Eddy • Lenny J. Greenhall • Jerry ‘Frank’ Thurman
Special to the Enquirer The Hartselle High School Chamber Chorale, comprising 48 auditioned singers, faced an unexpected setback when their scheduled performance at the Alabama Music Educators Association (AMEA) professional development conference Jan. 20 was canceled due to adverse weather
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One of two capital murder defendants accused of shooting and killing seven people at a Valhermoso Springs drug house in June 2020 requested $15,000 from Morgan County Circuit Court to pay for an independent mental evaluation and IQ test, according to court records. John Michael Legg, 23, of Hartselle, was booked into Morgan County Jail on June 28, 2020, and remained there Thursday with no bond. He pleaded not guilty to six counts of capital murder by reason of mental illness or defect. A trial date has not yet been set. Legg’s alleged accomplice, 26-year-old Frederic Allen Rogers, also remained in Morgan County Jail on Thursday with no bond. Rogers pleaded not guilty to six counts of capital murder by reason of insanity. His jury trial is scheduled for Aug. 14. On Dec. 20, defense attorney Johnny Berry filed a motion in Circuit Court explaining that his indigent client, Legg, needs the funds to employ mental health experts due to the seriousness of the charge and the possibility of a death sentence. Berry’s motion concedes that the state’s mental health evaluation of Legg ordered in November 2021 found he “demonstrated sufficient present ability to assist in his defense … and a reasonable degree of rational understanding of the facts and the legal proceedings against him.” However, the motion argues that the state could not evaluate the mental state of Legg at the time of the alleged murders. “The undersigned attorneys have spoken to the defendant, the defendant’s family and friends and all