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| Thursday, September 2, 2010 |
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Grand Jury indicts three in wrecks
Published September 22, 2009
Two men have been indicted by the Jackson County Grand Jury for automobile wrecks resulting in deaths.
Michael Joseph Phelps, 28, of Woodville, was indicted for murder after being charged with intentionally striking and killing Jerry “Bubba” Swafford, 26, on July 12 in Woodville.
Phelps is accused of allegedly running over Swafford and a female pedestrian by vehicle at a residence off County Road 8.
The female victim was treated and released from Huntsville Hospital following the incident.
Phelps also faces an additional charge of Domestic Violence First Degree.
Authorities have said Phelps was aquainted with Swafford and the female victim.
He turned himself into investigators the day after the incident and has remained in the Jackson County Jail on $200,000 bond.
Sammy Joe Batey, 27, of Stevenson, was also indicted for murder in the death of his six-month-old child, who was a passenger in Batey’s vehicle at the time of a three-car wreck.
Batey is also charged with driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol at the time of the July 6 wreck near Stevenson.
He has an additional charge of leaving the scene of an accident after allegedly fleeing on foot after the collision.
District Attorney Charlie Rhodes said Batey has also been indicted for Theft in a separate case and remains in the Jackson County Jail.
Another one-car wreck causing the death of a passenger resulted in a Manslaughter indictment. An arrest in the case is pending, according to Rhodes.
“In two of these three charges involving auto thefts, the drivers are accused of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs or both,” Rhodes said. “It emphasizes just how dangerous it is when anyone drives when under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Everyone is at risk, including anyone in the car with that impaired driver himself. One of the most tragic things about those type deaths is that they are totally preventable by not driving in that condition.”
Other cases included in the 221 true bills returned by the Grand Jury in its September session included 12 defendants charged with Unlawful Manufacturing of Methamphetamine. There were also a large number of defendants charged with Possession of Methamphetamine.
“We also had a number of defendants charged with Possession of Forged Instrument, Fraudulent Use of Credit Cards, Forgeries and Burglaries and Thefts that are related to drug addiction and use,” Rhodes said.
The next session for the Jackson County Grand Jury is set for the week of December 7.
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