BY SARAH STEPHENS
ELMORE/AUTAUGA NEWS OWNER, EDITOR
Seven juveniles from the Holtville/Slapout community may have thought they were just finding a way to amuse themselves by throwing rocks at oncoming vehicles on the Canal Bridge Tuesday night. But according to Elmore County Sheriff Bill Franklin, they are not laughing now.
The juveniles, made up of five males and two females between the ages of 14 to 17 years of age, are facing possible felony charges, Sheriff Franklin told the EAN. Because of their ages, their identities are not being released.
So far there have been four complaints made regarding rocks being thrown as passing vehicles on the Canal Bridge near Crenshaw Road Tuesday night. If anyone else encountered the same issue Tuesday, please contact the Elmore County Sheriff’s Office.
“We had someone that drove through that area and they were the first call. We went out there but didn’t see anything at that time. We weren’t sure if maybe something didn’t pop up and hit the car,” Franklin said. “But a little while later another complaint came in. We had a witness who said they had seen seven juveniles walking toward the bridge. Then we had a tip come in from another resident who helped us out quite a bit and they contacted a deputy with their information.”
This information was relayed to investigations, who went out to the scene and located the juveniles.
“They were trying to hide under the bridge while they were tossing rocks. But we were able to gather them all up,” Franklin said.
Petitions for the criminal charges against the juveniles were being completed this morning.
“With this Corona event, I cannot say when they will go to court, but at some point they will face Juvenile Judge Patrick Pinkston on the charges,” Franklin said.
Franklin referenced the Criminal Traffic Code, saying, “Whoever willfully throws or shoots anything into an occupied vehicle is guilty of a felony.” If convicted, the sentence is not less than a year and one day. The fine is not less than $500.
“This will be in addition to whatever damage they may have caused the vehicles. We had three investigators and a deputy that sat down with the parents and the juveniles. They now understand the seriousness of this,” Franklin said.
