A month after Ken Stabler won acquittal on a drunken driving charge, some legal experts and local judges are still scratching their heads over a decision to bar as evidence the fact that the former football star refused to take a breath test.

Stabler refused the breath test in June after a Robertsdale police officer pulled over his SUV on Ala. 59. Ordinarily, such a refusal can be used by the prosecution to make its case during the subsequent driving-under-the-influence trial.

But on Oct. 22, acting Robertsdale Municipal Judge James Sweet ruled Stabler’s refusal as inadmissible because officers had failed to monitor him for 20 minutes after his arrest as required.

Some legal experts and judges puzzled by ruling in Stabler DUI case

Eleven dogs found near death have a new lease on life tonight.
Nursed back to health, the dogs who were scheduled to be euthanized tonight have been given another chance.

Robertsdale Police charged the owners of the dogs, James Parker and Kristin Keith with animal cruelty.

“A anonymous donor has agreed to step forward and pick up the tab for paying for all the dogs care from this point on until a suitable place for them can be found.”

11 Pitbulls Found Emaciated Won’t be Euthanized

Eleven dogs seized by Robertsdale officials last month may face euthanization if an appropriate home is not found for them by

5 p.m. today, according to attorneys associated with the case.

In mid-October, Robertsdale officials seized the 11 dogs — young and old pit bull mixes — after police investigated a complaint of animal cruelty, confirmed city prosecutor Ken Raines

Eleven dogs in Baldwin County face euthanization

It was an excited group that gathered in the conference room of Citizens’ Bank in Loxley. It’s not every day you see a check for $5.6 million.

That’s the loan the Association for Retarded Citizens of Baldwin County received from the United States Department of Agriculture - Rural Development to construct a new training center in the Robertsdale Industrial Park.

“The reason we are building it (the facility) is twofold,” said Kathy Fleet, the executive director of ARCBC. “Second, we are going to build the facility to withstand winds of 200 mph, so in a disaster we can house up to 200 clients, not including staff. The first reason for all this is to build a training facility.”

“We teach how to act in public,” said Fleet. “That gives clients an opportunity to socialize.”

Association for Retarded Citizens expands in Robertsdale

Tired of hopping into a car for every errand and to get to work? Looking for ways to get around, especially city to city that might not break the family budget?

Members of the Baldwin County Public Transit Coalition might have an answer. The group held a meeting Tuesday, Oct. 21 at the Baldwin County Annex in Robertsdale. The group was founded in 2004. Their Web site can be found at baldwinptc.org.

Trains and mass transit BCPTC goal

Gun on Baldwin County Campus

A seventh grader at Central Baldwin Middle School in Robertsdale faces expulsion and weapons charges after police say he brought an unloaded gun to school.
No one was hurt and police say no one appeared to be in danger.
A 12 year old in handcuffs. Police Sgt. Rex Bishop says he brought an unloaded firearm to Central Baldwin Middle school. “The student was asked to be patted down and was patted down and the weapon was recovered.”
An unloaded, 9 millimeter handgun was found tucked inside the 7th graders waist band. Students reported seeing the gun in a bathroom and told school administrators.

Robertsdale man arrested on rape, sex-abuse charges

A Mobile County deputy arrested Steve Randy Klaber, 52, of Robertsdale on Tuesday on a grand jury indictment charging him with sexually accosting two girls known to him.

Steve Giardini, the assistant district attorney who prosecutes child abuse cases, said the crimes occurred about three years ago in the Irvington area. The girls are now 13 and 14. Klaber is charged with two counts of first-degree sexual
abuse and one count of first-degree rape.

Charles Murphy became a full-time mayor Monday following a vote by the City Council to name him utilities superintendent as he begins his fifth term as the municipality’s chief executive.

With Murphy abstaining, the council voted unanimously to name him superintendent of the Robertsdale Utilities Department at a salary of $50,000 a year. Murphy will also continue to collect the mayor’s annual salary of $18,000.

“I talked it over with the council and we felt that with the growth of the city that the time was right for a full-time mayor,” Murphy said after the Monday council meeting. “With everything going on right now, this was the way we wanted to go.”

Murphy named full-time mayor

What additional services can the citizens expect from the new full-time mayor?

It would be easy to forget. The kids are in school, and the hustle and bustle of daily life is going on.

A little over a month ago, the body of 33-year-old Joshua dams was found in one of the classrooms of the new Robertsdale Elementary School. According to coroner’s reports, Adams, who was working for C & R Electric of Bay Minette, died of electrocution.

Spearheaded by Theresa and her husband, Wade Mosley, there will be a “Classic Car, Truck, and Motorcycle” benefit Sept. 6 in the parking lot of Greer’s Shopping Center, 22245 Highway 59 in Robertsdale.

Car show to honor RES accident victim

The mood of the meeting was flat, and the budget was flatter as the Robertsdale City Council approved a $13,688,520 budget for fiscal 2009.

“As far as our revenues go, it was a pretty flat year,” Chief Financial Officer Ann Simpson told the Council. That means that the budget for next year had to be as flat. Or flatter. The total budget for the city is $13,688,520 and the surplus is $134,894, according to Simpson.

“As people have left for one reason or another, we have not replaced them,” said Simpson. She added that the Senior Citizen’s center “lost” an employee last year, who has not been replaced.

One of the big decreases in revenue is on the line labeled “liquor tax.” The line item was budgeted in 2008 for $45,000 and only $10,000 in the 2009 budget.

Robertsdale council approves budget

Sounds like Tom the Beer Man needs to start drinking in Robertsdale to help out a little. How long would it take to drink $35K? Let’s see…35,000 divided by, oh heck, now I’ve had too many to do that kind of math.

After two years of deal-making, construction and contract negotiations that almost broke down on a toilet technicality, the new Baldwin County Coliseum is set to debut as a huge public shelter next week if needed.

Tropical Storm Fay has come and gone, twice, and Tropical Gustav is on the horizon, but county commissioners still don’t own the massive brick building that can hold about 3,200 people overnight and nearly 2,000 longer term.

With a temporary certificate of occupancy and a “gentlemen’s agreement,” however, it is available just in time to house evacuees — the purpose for which it was created through a unique private-public partnership, officials said.

New Baldwin County Coliseum ready to be hurricane shelter

It’s been a few weeks since a silver-gray Impala with a bullet hole in the passenger’s side door leaped over a ditch into Jean Sanca Calvert’s Robertsdale neat front yard along Highway 104.

Despite the best efforts of many different police departments, the prime suspect in the car chase, 32 year-old Keith Anthony Kiel, remains at large. According to Nancy Johnson, who works in the public affairs office of the Mobile Police Department, Keil “is believed to be in the Mobile area.” Police say Kiel is 5-foot 5, 165 pounds.

A spokesperson for the Baldwin County Sheriffs office confirmed that information saying that Keil is believed to be in Mobile, and referred questions about the incident to the Mobile Police Department. As of this writing, Monday morning, Keil is still at large.

Police still searching for suspect in chase

Bob Gulledge was removed Aug. 18 from his post as chairman by the directors of Robertsdale-based Citizens’ Bank. The former state senator founded the bank in 1981.

“That was the decision of the board,” director E.C. Manci said. “That’s all I can say.” Gulledge could not be reached for comment.

“There is a personal side to this, which is very private and very painful and a family matter, and that’s all I’m going to say about that,” Tom Gulledge said.

Citizens’ chairman Gulledge removed

State Revenue Commissioner Tim Russell, former mayor of Foley, will be back in Baldwin County this week for what he knows will be a not-so-friendly homecoming as he plays host to a series of forums on property appraisal, valuation and taxation.

Russell will be joined by Baldwin County Revenue Commissioner Phil Nix and members of the Baldwin County legislative delegation and County Commission in the informational sessions in Gulf Shores, Fairhope, Robertsdale and Bay Minette.

All meetings will begin at 7 p.m. No registration is required.

Property tax forums set in Baldwin County

City officials appointed John Gamble as temporary prosecutor for Kenny Stabler’s drunken-driving case, but are still looking for a judge for the Oct. 22 municipal court hearing.

Stabler faces a charge of driving under the influence after being arrested in Robertsdale on June 8.

Prosecutor appointed in Stabler DUI case