Hueytown Police Chief Chuck Hagler honors 19 officers

Police Chief Chuck Hagler honored 19 officers last week in a brief ceremony for going above and beyond the call of duty in 2008. This was the first time the department has held a ceremony like this. The honorees shift supervisors and Chief Hagler nominated them. Officer Todd Easterwood for the arrest of Clarence Lewis Stone. Easterwood found 65 packages of crack cocaine rocks and $2,000 in Stone's possession when arresting him in June, Hagler said. Dispatchers Joe Epperson and Diane Walton, along with officers Lou Phillips, Chris Taylor, Andy Rodriguez and Cpl. Stephanie Robertson were honored for their efforts in the Carver Avenue hostage standoff. Officers Brandon Jones and Hunter Hodges were honored for chasing a home invasion suspect through several municipalities in bad weather. The suspect had pulled a knife on an elderly couple. The two officers, along with officers from several other jurisdictions, chased the suspect into Midfield where Jones and Hodges took him into custody after a short foot pursuit.
Officers Travis Richards and Jarrod Campbell were also honored for their role in the pursuit and arrest. Officers Lindsey Bumpers and Chad Mitchell were honored for capturing a Hueytown City Jail inmate who had escaped while working as a trusty. The officers found George Brandon Rogers and his wife smoking marijuana at the Days Inn in Bessemer. Both were arrested.
Also receiving honors was Officer Greg Coram for catching a suspect breaking and entering a car. The arrest led to the clearance of several other auto burglaries. Detective Brent Rankin was honored for establishing the department's Honor Guard unit. Corporal Fred Shaw was honored for stopping a rape in progress. Officer Brent Akin stopped a stolen SUV with no tail lights and found a rolling meth lab inside. Three people were arrested and other stolen items were recovered as a result. Officer Alice Thompson also received a plaque for having the eighth highest number of DUI arrest among state municipal officers in 2008 with 76. It was the highest number of DUI arrest in Jefferson County, Hagler said. Detective Brad Richardson was honored for his work in instituting the corporals into the department's rank structure.