Gracie Johnson ABC 33/40

09/09/2026

I was in the courtroom today as a Shelby County property owner’s fight with Alabama Power continued.

Fenn Church is asking a judge to temporarily keep Alabama Power from accessing and clearing portions of his more than 400 acres in Calera for a new transmission line.

Before testimony began today, Judge Jonathan Spann granted a motion from Church’s attorneys that kept Alabama Power’s broader right to condemn from also being decided as part of this hearing. The court then moved forward with testimony on Church’s request for a preliminary injunction.

The hearing lasted for hours and ended before Church’s side finished calling witnesses, so there’s no decision yet on the injunction.

Last month, I spent a morning walking the property with Church. He’s fighting the proposed route and access, raising concerns about his privacy and the impact to his property.

The transmission line is part of a roughly 75-mile project from Autaugaville to East Pelham that planning documents say is intended to increase reliability.

I also reached out to Alabama Power after today’s hearing. The company declined to comment at this time while the matter remains in pending litigation.

I’ll be in the courtroom tomorrow when the hearing resumes at 8:30 a.m.

09/09/2026

‼️Two former Pell City police officers have been arrested in separate domestic violence cases.

Charles Forman, 23, of Pell City, was booked into the St. Clair County Jail on Sept. 8. The jail roster lists charges of second-degree domestic violence and third-degree domestic violence.

Joshua Willis, 34, of Leeds, was booked into the Jefferson County Jail on a charge of domestic violence by strangulation or suffocation. Jail records list the offense date as Sept. 1.

Pell City Police Chief Justin Cooper provided the following statement:

“Joshua Willis and Charles Forman served as police officers with the Pell City Police Department.

Mr. Willis resigned from the department prior to his arrest. Officer Forman was arrested and was placed on administrative leave pending an ongoing investigation and later resigned.

Because this remains an active criminal investigation, I cannot provide additional details at this time.

We hold our personnel to high standards and review all allegations thoroughly and impartially, regardless of position or rank. We remain committed to accountability, transparency, and serving our community.”

09/09/2026

🚨A homeowner opened fire after he says two men broke into his Jefferson County home and refused to leave, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.

Deputies responded to the 2400 block of 1st Place NW Monday. According to the JCSO, the homeowner told deputies two unknown men broke into his home and refused to leave when he confronted them.

A physical altercation followed, and the homeowner told deputies he fired a shot that grazed one of the men.

The sheriff’s office says the two men then fled in a Jeep Gladiator. Deputies later found them on Pinson Boulevard and took them into custody without incident.

Dylan James Klein, 35, is charged with second-degree burglary, harassment and DUI. His bond is set at $38,500.

Lester Wayne Eakes, 54, is charged with second-degree burglary and harassment. His bond is set at $31,000.

Both remain in the Jefferson County Jail.

09/09/2026

🚨Two people were arrested after Jefferson County sheriff’s detectives say they seized 6 grams of he**in during a narcotics investigation in Birmingham.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office says detectives conducted a traffic stop Thursday in the area of Shades Creek Parkway and Durham Drive before executing a narcotics search warrant.

Jerrell Markeis Anderson, 21, was charged with drug trafficking and given a $10,000 bond.

Dajah Simone Truss, 19, was charged with conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and given a $5,000 bond.

Both have since been released from the Jefferson County Jail.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office at 205-325-1450 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.

09/09/2026

I had the chance to meet Mr. Minor several times while covering court in Bibb County. He was always at the courthouse and always kind. Thank you for your many years of service to the community. Prayers for his family and the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office. ❤️

The Bibb County Sheriff's Office is heartbroken to announce the passing of our beloved retired law enforcement officer, Henry Leo Minor, 80, of Chicago, Illinois. He passed away peacefully at home on September 6, 2026.
Henry began his law enforcement career in 1985 after graduating from the Police Academy at the University of Alabama. He then went to work at North Alabama Regional and Lurleen B. Wallace in the mental health department as an officer. He transferred to Bryce Hospital in 1994.
After that, he took a job with the City of Vance as an officer, then was promoted to assistant police chief and shortly after became Chief of Police at Vance where he retired in June of 2008.
He then decided that retirement was not for him and began working for the Bibb County Sheriff's Department in the fall of 2008 where he remained on the force until his death. He was the chaplain for Cahaba Lodge 44 FOP .
He was dedicated to serving his community and loved his fellow deputies and officers.
Beyond the badge, Henry was deeply committed to God, his family and community. He met his wife, Debbie, at Bryce Hospital in 1996, and their 29-year marriage was a testament to love, laughter and mutual support built on shared values of service and love of God and family. Henry was always present in their family's daughter, Amber's extracurricular activities and taught her that leadership is service, not power and that hand work and honesty is always the best policy, lessons she carried into her own career as a paramedic/first responder.
He also had a love for hunting, fishing and riding his motorcycle.
He never met a stranger and treated everyone with kindness and respect. He shared his love of Jesus with everyone that he came across. He was passionate about his community, from the courthouse to the school functions to the roads on the way to and from work. He had a wave with one hand and a diet Pepsi in the other with a Reese Cup or honey bun in between.
He was preceded in death by his father Henry Odes Minor; mother Jean Minor; brothers James Dempsey, Jack Dempsey; sisters, Dorthy Jean Cooper, Linnie "Sis" Haggard, Judy Lipe, Jeri Guard.
He is survived by his wife, Debbie; daughter Amber (Britni) Steward; brothers Henry (Liz) Minor, Mike (Susan) Minor; Brother-in-law Glen Champion; Sister-in-law Louise Dempsey and a host of nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, September 19, 2026, at the Bibb County High School Auditorium at 721 Walnut Street
Centreville, Alabama. A visitation service will begin at 10:00am with the funeral following at 11:00am.
Honorary pallbearers include Sheriff Jody Wade, Chief Deputy Kenneth Weems, Bibb County Sheriff's Deputies, City of Vance Police Department, Chief Tommy Graham, Centreville Police Department, Brent Police Department, Woodstock Police Department, West Blocton Police Department, Bibb County Schools faculty and staff, Bibb County Courthouse Employees, and Elk's Lodge 393. FOP Cahaba lodge 44

08/09/2026

🚨Birmingham police say 15 people were arrested, three fi****ms were seized and various narcotics were recovered during an enforcement operation Sunday.

According to the Birmingham Police Department, its Special Enforcement Team (SET) and Narcotics Unit conducted the operation on September 7.

Police say the arrests involved a range of charges and outstanding warrants from multiple jurisdictions, including Birmingham, Jefferson County, Tuscaloosa County and Morgan County.

The charges and warrants included possession with intent to distribute, unlawful possession of a controlled substance, domestic violence harassment, domestic violence strangulation, possession of forgery tools, first-degree theft of property and multiple misdemeanor offenses.

BPD says one person was also arrested on a Jefferson County warrant for failure to appear on a murder charge.

According to police, the remaining four people arrested during the operation are being held at the Birmingham City Jail pending formal charges.

In total, police say the operation resulted in 15 arrests, the seizure of three fi****ms and the recovery of various narcotics.

08/09/2026

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08/09/2026

‼️A 52-year-old inmate was found dead inside his cell at William Donaldson Correctional Facility in Bessemer Monday morning.

The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office identified him as Robert Earl Armburst Jr.

Officials say Armburst was found unresponsive inside his three-man cell around 7:15 a.m. He was pronounced dead at the prison about 20 minutes later.

Armburst was serving a life sentence following a parole revocation, according to the coroner’s office.

An autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday to help determine his cause and manner of death. The coroner’s office says there is currently no evidence of trauma or foul play.

The Alabama Department of Corrections Law Enforcement Services is investigating the circumstances surrounding his death.

08/09/2026

‼️A missing persons case out of Michigan now has an answer in Birmingham — nine years later.

Willie Warren Tansil Jr., 58, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, was reported missing by his family in 2017. His family had no information about where he was, and officials say he had few ties to Birmingham and was not believed to be in Alabama.

Three years later, on July 5, 2020, Birmingham police were called to a vacant home on 2nd Avenue North in the Eastlake community, where decomposing human remains were found on the front porch.

Investigators could not identify the man. Fingerprint searches, missing-person databases and traditional DNA testing all failed to produce a match, and the case eventually went cold.

Then, in April 2025, a DNA sample was submitted for forensic genetic genealogy analysis.

Over the next 10 months, investigators contacted multiple distant relatives across the country. That eventually led them to Tansil’s immediate family and his 2017 missing-person case.

His family assisted with additional DNA testing, which confirmed the remains found in Birmingham in 2020 were those of Willie Warren Tansil Jr.

The identification comes nine years after Tansil was reported missing and six years after his remains were found in Birmingham.

The Jefferson County Coroner/Medical Examiner’s Office says Tansil died of natural causes from hypertensive heart disease.

08/09/2026

🚨A 61-year-old Columbiana man is behind bars without bond after a shooting and robbery investigation in south Shelby County.

The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office says deputies were called to County Road 37, also known as Egg and Butter Road, around 5:22 p.m. Saturday after receiving a report of a person shot.

Deputies found an adult man suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. Southeast Shelby Rescue treated the victim while deputies began investigating.

Investigators identified Herbert Rupert Stanfield Jr. as a suspect and took him into custody at a nearby home without incident, according to the sheriff’s office.

Stanfield is now charged with first-degree robbery and first-degree assault. He remains in the Shelby County Jail without bond.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office at 205-670-6000.