By Sarah Stephens
Elmore Autauga News
Since last evening, our office as well as multiple law enforcement agencies have received numerous phone calls and emails regarding an alleged incident last night. The alleged activity posted to social media said there was a presence of law enforcement officers around Ingram Road and Deatsville Highway.
Posts and shares on social media beginning last night warned of escaped prisoners in our area.
We have reached out to area law enforcement, and this is what we have learned.
Elmore County Sheriff Bill Franklin told the EAN he has no knowledge of any escaped prisoners, and contacted the Department of Corrections, learning all of their prisoners are accounted for. He said he has no record of anyone being stopped or searched in reference to said activity by his deputies.
Millbrook Police Chief P.K. Johnson went so far as to search activity of individual officers and location of police units that are equipped with GPS and there was no activity in those areas by any of his units or officers.
He also checked for any Be On Look Outs (BOLOs) that would have been posted for an escaped prisoner situation. He said they do not exist in the recent timeframe.
So, the good news is, at this moment, it does not appear that any escaped prisoners from our area are on the loose. There is no known immediate threat to the public.
Please know that all local media receive information from our local law enforcement, including the Department of Corrections, when there is a major incident, or a prison escapee. On those cases when we do, legitimate media will put out the information as soon as possible.
Trust your local media, rather than just social media, when you see these types of things. We certainly appreciate you letting us know if you hear of unusual activity. Many people will post something to social media before ever contacting the police. In some cases, there are legitimate concerns.
We are asking if you see anything suspicious, or a potential threat, contact law enforcement, or 911 first before you post to social media without verification. It just causes confusion and fear, and more often than not, it is unwarranted.
