BY SARAH STEPHENS
ELMORE AUTAUGA NEWS
On Friday, District Judge Glenn Goggans found there is reasonable evidence to consider Cedrick M. Long, of Millbrook, a flight risk, and he is being held without bond at the Elmore County Jail.
Long, also known as “Fatt” has a long criminal history and was arrested recently by Millbrook Police Officers on a warrant for first-degree armed robbery. That reported incident occurred in April of this year. The victim in that case told investigators that he was attending a gathering at a private residence in Millbrook with the area known as Sandtown with about 15 to 20 other people. He alleges that Long showed up at the house and later pulled a gun, firing a shot into the floor. Long then reportedly said, “You know what time it is.”
According to investigator testimony Friday during an Aniah’s Law hearing, some of those present then fled out of the home. About five were trapped in a corner of the home, and Long allegedly robbed them all at gunpoint.
Testimony for the prosecution claimed that Long then left the residence on foot.
One victim came in several days after the incident to file a report, but said the other victims were too scared of retribution from Long.
Defense attorney Brandon Stone questioned the investigator of how the alleged victim was able to identify Long, who in his police interview referred to the robber as “PeeWee.” Stone argued that Long does not go by that nickname.
Prosecution testimony countered that the victim was able to identify Long through multiple lineups. They said that the victim was not originally from Millbrook and did not know Long personally. But he was able to recognize him, as he had encountered him many times during his visits to Millbrook.
Testifying for the defense on Long’s behalf was his mother, who said her son is a good boy, and does not abuse drugs or alcohol. She said he was scheduled to begin a new job this week. She claimed that he lives with her on Crossings Drive, and she believes he was at home the night of the alleged robbery.
However, Josh Cochran, with the 19th Judicial District Attorneys office, laid out Long’s previous criminal history, most of which had been pleaded down to misdemeanors. He was also able to get Long’s mother to say she could not be sure of her son’s whereabouts at all times.
Previous charges against Long nclude menacing, attempting to elude, resisting arrest, assault, multiple failure to appear cases, drugs, and violence. They span over a 10-year period with multiple jurisdictions in the River Region area.
The Millbrook investigator said the benefit to Long remaining in jail without bond more people may come forward to identify him in multiple crimes. He said if Long is released, possible victims will be too scared of retribution to come forward in other potential cases currently being investigated.
The investigator said the area known as Sandtown in Millbrook is very tightknit and most residents do not usually cooperate in police investigations for fear of their identity being known.
As for where home where the crime allegedly occurred, the detective said the owner has refused to cooperate with officers to search for evidence of the robbery, because the owner is scared of what Long might do if he is out of jail.
The officers said they will obtain a search warrant if the owner does not comply.
At the end of the hearing, Judge Goggans agreed with the prosecution that Long should remain in jail without bond. He said that the 14 counts of Failure to Appear in other past court proceedings show that Long could be a flight risk if he is released from jail.
When this incident allegedly occurred in April, Long had just been released from the Autauga County Metro Jail where he had been held for two years. He was originally charged relating to the murder of Cameron Motley in 2022 in Autaugaville. However, Long was released in April 2024 due to a lack of evidence.
We asked for an explanation from District Attorney CJ Robinson on why charges were dropped.
He responded saying that a second suspect arrested along with Long relating to the murder is Jermichael Nixon. Nixon remains in jail held in Elmore County pending trial on the case which is set for June 24.
“We have a decent case on him with witnesses identifying him as being in the car. It’s a felony murder case.”
As for the original charges against Long, Robinson said there was originally probable cause for his arrest.
“Several different pieces of evidence just didn’t materialize,” Robinson said, and the case against Long was eventually dismissed.
What is Aniah’s Law?
Aniah’s Law is a recent Alabama law named after Aniah Blanchard. It was enacted to improve public safety and prevent violent crimes. Specifically, this law makes it harder for people charged with certain violent crimes to be released on bond before trial. The legislation allows judges to deny bail for individuals accused of specific violent offenses, impacting how serious criminal cases are approached in the state. The law was inspired by the tragic death of 19-year-old Aniah Blanchard, who was abducted from an Auburn gas station and later found deceased in a wooded area. Her murderer had just recently been released from prison.
