JCSO NEWS

On Friday August 16, 2019 at approximately 8:25am an alert deputy spotted a vehicle that had been reported stolen in the parking lot of a convenience store on Roebuck Dr. That vehicle had also been used in a string of car burglaries in the area. The driver of the vehicle attempted to flee and led deputies on a chase that ended when he wrecked the vehicle and bailed out. The driver then fled on foot through the Zion City Community. The citizens reported his direction of travel. Sheriff’s Deputies and Birmingham Police Officers set up a perimeter and was able to keep him boxed in a small area until our K9 units could arrive. The K9 dogs tracked the man to a car wash and deputies found him attempting to change clothes. The man was identified as 18-year-old Nicholas Maurice Simmons. Simmons was charged with Attempting to elude, Reckless Endangerment, Tampering with Physical evidence, Receiving Stolen property 1 and Unlawfully Carrying a Pistol. Simmons bonds total $34,000.00. Two men who tried to assist Simmons in avoiding capture were also arrested and charged with Interfering with Government Operations.

On Thursday August 15, 2019 at 8:07pm Jefferson County Sheriff’s Deputies were notified that a vehicle had left the roadway on Highway 280 near Shades Crest Parkway and crashed. Deputies arrived and found a vehicle off the roadway and down a ravine. The driver was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from the vehicle. The driver did not survive the injuries and was pronounced deceased on the scene. The passenger was still buckled in his seatbelt when rescued. The passenger was transported to the hospital with serious injuries. The Sheriff’s accident reconstruction team is investigating the accident.

On Tuesday August 13 at 5:52pm Jefferson County Sheriff’s Deputies and Bagley Fire and Rescue responded to a call for help at 638 Sayre Mine road Graysville. Family members reported finding a 3 year old boy floating in a swimming pool and unresponsive. The child’s father attempted CPR on the child until medical personnel were on the scene. The child was transported to Children’s hospital where he died later. Sheriff’s detectives have began an investigation into the death of this child. At this time there are no signs of foul play. The Department of Human Resources responded to the scene to check the welfare of the other children at this location.

Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office School Resource Division goes through rigorous training to keep students safe
Some schools in Jefferson County welcomed students back last week. Other school systems will welcome students back between mid-to-late August. When parents send their kids to school they want to know that their children are safe. Jefferson County Sheriff’s School Resource Officers (SROs) work tirelessly every day to help keep students all around the county safe while they attend class.
When Sheriff Mark Pettway took office, one of his first priorities was to increase the number of School Resource Officers in schools across the county. The SROs are placed in schools for a full year and they are a critical piece of the puzzle to keeping schools safe. Their relationships with students, faculty, and staff also are critical to increasing trust with law enforcement.
Under the command of Capt. Felicia Rucker-Sumerlin, SROs spent the summer preparing for all possible scenarios in active shooter situations. In addition, the SROs also trained through real-time simulations in Jefferson County Schools. Earlier in the month, SROs drilled at McAdory High School.
Sgt. Anthony Williams is in charge of the training program for the SROs. During the training, they learn movement techniques, how to respond to active shooter situations, they look at any new lessons learned from the most current active shooter incident, and they are briefed on any updated emergency procedures to ensure that their first priority of saving kids is met. During the first part of the drill, the officers were in the classroom studying any possible situation and how they should handle them if a school is under attack. They then put into practice what they learned in the classroom. The exercises included scenarios for when a school goes on lockdown.

“We look at each and every possible situation that could arise in an active shooter situation,” said Sgt. Anthony Williams. “Every year it’s something different we have to add to the simulations. We also look at what’s going on nationally. Even though other shooting situations didn’t take place in a school, there are things we study from those incidents to ensure that we are fully prepared in any active shooter situation.”
Another area that the SROs focus on is ensuring that everyone has engrained in their minds ‘Run, Hide and Fight’ in an active shooter situation. “When adrenaline is high, being able to recall ‘Run, Hide and Fight,’ is imperative when trying to save lives. You have to have a plan and be able to assess that plan and put it into practice,” Williams added.
Run. Hide. Fight. was put into place by Homeland Security through the Ready Campaign to teach people through three basic words how to save their life if they find themselves in an active shooter situation.
1. Run- get away from the shooter if possible by running away. Leave all belongings behind.
2. Hide – if you cannot get away from the shooter then you should hide out of view of the shooter. Remain silent and make sure all electronic devices are off so that they don’t vibrate. Block doors if possible.
3. Fight- This is the last resort. You should fight the shooter aggressively.
Being a School Resource Officer is not all about containing a school under attack. The job also can be a rewarding experience for both the students and law enforcement officers.
“Our goal is to get the students to trust and build relationships with the SROs,” said Capt. Felicia Rucker-Sumerlin, “We want to be a positive influence with the kids. When we are, they tell us things and help us lookout for any potentially bad situations in the schools.”
On the flip side, the SROs encourage and help kids who may not always find encouragement outside of school. For the SROs, the program helps them build bridges with students. They also find that they become mentors to the students.
“This program keeps our SROs grounded and they often see that they can help students overcome anything in their lives that they are troubled with,” said Williams.
Rucker-Sumerlin stated that there are SROs in 62 schools county-wide. Last year SROs were able to finish the year by making 76 felony arrests, which included 17 terrorist threat investigations, 454 misdemeanor arrests, 83 traffic citations, and 2,009 traffic warnings.

On Sunday August 11, 2019 at 4:54am 2 robbers approached 2 women as they were getting out of their vehicle in the 2300 block of Rain Tree Court in Center Point. The robbers pointed a gun at them and took their personal items and their vehicle. Deputies issued a BOLO (be on the lookout) for the robbers and the vehicle. At 12:51pm deputies spotted the stolen vehicle and attempted to make a traffic stop on it. The driver refused to stop and attempted to get away. Deputies pursued the vehicle until 2 of the 3 occupants bailed out of it, with the car still in drive in the 200 block of Maple way. Deputies were able to take 2 robbers into custody. Deputies arrested 22 year old Justin Malik Carter and a 15 year old Juvenile. Sheriff’s detectives expect to make additional arrest in this case.