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Charges keep mounting for teens

Third man arrested from investigation

Published Thursday, September 3, 2009

New information and evidence has resulted in additional charges for two area teens arrested and charged earlier this week in connection with a string of burglaries and robberies.

These marijuana plants, ammunition and drug paraphernalia were seized by sheriff’s investigators Thursday.

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These marijuana plants, ammunition and drug paraphernalia were seized by sheriff’s investigators Thursday.

Chilton County sheriff’s investigators signed warrants Thursday on Timothy Jake Wells Jr., 19, of Verbena — a suspect in the July 1 burglary of Action Motorsports, the July 14 hold-up of a Shell Station off Interstate 65, and Tuesday’s robbery of Ye Olde General Store — for 18 additional charges.

Wells now also faces six counts of burglary third degree, three counts of burglary for residential burglaries, three counts of burglary involving local businesses (Lake Mitchell Mini-Mart, Stuckey’s and Enterprise Grocery), three counts theft of property second degree, one count theft of property first degree, and two counts theft of property third degree.

Wells is also charged with first degree robbery in connection with Tuesday’s crime. All theft charges are related to the burglaries.

Investigators also arrested Tommy Jay Knight, 18, of Verbena for one count burglary third degree and one count theft of property first.

Investigators believe Knight and Wells committed one of the residential burglaries together.

Knight was also charged with robbery and theft of property in connection with the Shell station robbery, according to Clanton police.

Sheriff’s investigators also recovered clothing from near County Road 505 that matches the description of clothing worn in Tuesday’s robbery of Ye Olde General Store, as well as several articles of clothing in a wooded area off County Road 480 that match the clothing description of the suspect in the Shell Station robbery. That evidence has been turned over to the Clanton Police Department.

Investigators also acted on drug related information that was received during the course of their robbery investigation. They seized an indoor marijuana growth operation on County Road 228 near Isabella, which included 15 mature marijuana plants, lights, ventilation equipment and other items of drug paraphernalia, one half pound of processed marijuana, 12 firearms and a large cache of ammunition.

Brian Gastiger, 40, was arrested for unlawful possession of marijuana first degree and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia.

Chilton County Sheriff Kevin Davis thanked all agencies and individuals that assisted in the cases that led to each arrest.

“Everyone did a great job,” Davis said. “Most of the investigators haven’t seen their families since Tuesday, but they have followed every lead and turned over every stone. Often times we don’t have much evidence to go on, but we were blessed this week that everything came together like it has. I am proud of every one of them and the job they do for us.”


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Comments

Posted by gonefishen (anonymous) on September 3, 2009 at 9:17 p.m. (Suggest removal)

These two have without a doubt earned their way into a state sponsored mentoring program. Heck, They may have earned a spot on "JohnBoy & Billy" dumb crook news. Don't forget to pack the soap on a rope.

Posted by November162000 (anonymous) on September 3, 2009 at 9:29 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Yep, those are some fine, upstanding young men right there. Really doing a lot for society.

Posted by iDNTjudge16 (anonymous) on September 3, 2009 at 10:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I wish you people would get a life, and quit talking about and judging my big brother!!!!!!

Posted by PhilBurnette (anonymous) on September 3, 2009 at 10:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Thank you to Sheriff Davis, Chief Stillwell and all the hard working members of our LE community. I am glad to see two more thugs removed from our streets. Keep up the good work!

Posted by heyitsme (anonymous) on September 3, 2009 at 11:38 p.m.

(This comment was removed by the site staff.)

Posted by travlr423 (anonymous) on September 4, 2009 at 1:12 a.m. (Suggest removal)

IDNTjudge16,
I know this guy is your brother and i know you love him. and you should. but he has done things to a lot of people that he chose to do of his own free will. he has caused a lot of mental stress and fear to innocent people and for this he has judged him self. But you have the opportunity to see how this affects the victims and yourself as a family member. And as hard as this may be on you as a younger brother or sister it has also allowed you to see what this direction in life has to offer. And if you take this knowledge as wisdom and apply it to your own direction in life you will see that its not the right path to travel it is short lived and full of regret and misery. You are your own person and it lies within you to be anything you want to be. And even though i dont know you personally i know you will make the right decisions in your life when that time comes for you to make a choice. I am sorry you are having to suffer for what your family has done. But remember when the time comes for you to make that decision of right and wrong it may be a split second decision of choice that will change your whole life and the lives of many others.
I truly wish you the very best in life and god will bless you and lead you in the right path if you will ask him and be willing to follow his plan for your life.

There is a bible verse that i like very much it is found in the 91st book of Psalm 15th verse and it says:
He shall call upon me and i will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honor him.

God has promised us that if we trust in him, he will never leave us alone. He will be with us always even through all our troubles and trials even unto the very end.

Posted by travlr423 (anonymous) on September 4, 2009 at 1:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)

heyitsme,
I dont know who you are, but i cannot believe that you as an adult would stoop so low as to make such a comment to a child who's heart is obviously already pierced with hurt and shame. I have been robbed of thousands of dollars and nothing i own is worth the opportunity you have just knowingly taken advantage of. I have made some pretty harsh comments on these post but i would never direct a comment to a child in that manner knowingly. But maybe you made your point to the father at the added expence of doing so through the broken heart of a child.

Posted by 1oldman (anonymous) on September 4, 2009 at 7:30 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I don't have a dog in this particular hunt, however for 32 years, I dealt with young men as well as ladies that got off on the wrong road. I felt pity for each and every one that I put in jail, hoping that they would open their heart and eyes to see the harm that they had caused their victims, thier families, and themselves.

I don't know this particular young man, or his familiy, but he should be itelligent enough to know right from wrong, and if so, he made a choice to follow the road he did, and therefore must suffer the consequences, for there are some with each choice we make, some good, some bad. It is either that we are judged now by our peers, and settle our debts with our fellow man, or be judged later by our heavenly father, and forever pay the debt to our lord. I personally would like to see this young fellow settle his debts, get his life in order and come out, make a fresh start, and get on with a productive life in society and be prepared to forever spend his life with his lord. That however is choice only he can make.

All our children follow the example we lead, especially those in our everyday lives, and that five miles over the speed limit becomes 10 and so on until now we have many that are convinced that its their right to do ninty and 100, whats the harm. It is a fact that what is in our heart shows in our words and actions.

Young man, forgive us for being human and speaking our mind and heart. Just remember that one day, you or a member or your family could very well be the victim that is expressing their hearts, and be just as hurtful without the intent. Support your brother, he needs it, but don't justify what he has or is alledged to have done. Love him, he is your brother, and deserves that, then over come what ever stigma or reputation that has been cast on your family by his actions, and lead the life that you want your child to follow.

My prayers go with all, the victims, the family, and as well the accused.

Posted by incognito (anonymous) on September 4, 2009 at 7:40 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I'm glad these guys are off the street. Another job well done by Clanton and Chilton County law enforcement. The article does mention 12 firearms and a large ammo cache being siezed and has the dramatic photo of the weapons with the pot. I would have liked more information on the weapons. Were the firearms stolen, used in a crime, failed to meet BATF requirements, or it is simply illegal to own firearms if pot is in your house? Also, is it illegal to own a large cache of ammo? These are serious questions and I'm not trying to be a spoilsport. If anyone has answers it would be appreciated. Once again, good job to all that got these two off the street.

Posted by juswannabeheard (anonymous) on September 4, 2009 at 7:46 a.m. (Suggest removal)

well said 1oldman. I feel strongly that the community needs to band together to help the family of the ALLEGED criminals as well as the victims and thier families.

Well done law enforcement.

Posted by getbizi (anonymous) on September 4, 2009 at 8:10 a.m. (Suggest removal)

"All our children follow the example we lead, especially those in our everyday lives, and that five miles over the speed limit becomes 10 and so on until now we have many that are convinced that its their right to do ninty and 100, whats the harm.".............I believe you have something there 1oldman...So many times we underestimate the influence of our actions, even with our driving habits. I knew a young man years ago who took up his mother's drinking habits. He was DUI when his vehicle flipped over many times, ending his life.

Posted by Harley2009 (anonymous) on September 4, 2009 at 8:19 a.m.

(This comment was removed by the site staff.)

Posted by kittycreek (anonymous) on September 4, 2009 at 8:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)

The article is presented in such a way that it appears that the teens were somehow responsible for the "15 mature marijuana plants, lights, ventilation equipment and other items of drug paraphernalia, one half pound of processed marijuana, 12 firearms and a large cache of ammunition".

"Information that was received during the investigation" doesn't necessarily mean the teens were involved in that, however, with the headline that reads “Charges keep mounting for teens” and a picture of guns and marijuana plants, is pretty misleading, given that they arrested another guy for that. Yes, those guys have probably committed crimes, but, why make it sound worse that it is. Maybe I just don’t understand.

Posted by chilton77 (anonymous) on September 4, 2009 at 9:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Well said travlr423. I wish I could have said it in that way instead of being so blunt in other posts.

Those of you who have posted on here who are related to these guys- you should stand by your family,but learn from their mistakes and don't follow the path they have made for themselves. All you can do is hope and pray that this is a wake up call for them and they can turn their lives around after this and become productive citizens. As for the girlfriends of these guys- just know that you are worthy of respect, as we all are. You should respect yourself enough to not want to be with someone who behaves this way. Let him get his life in order, you get your life in order then see where your relationship stands.Just a little advice I wish someone gave me when I was younger.

Posted by Easymoney (anonymous) on September 4, 2009 at 10:01 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Little fella woulda needed a extra-small Depends diaper and bulletproof vest if he pulled that nonsense in my business,, well really the vest wouldn't have helped much but the coroner would have appreciated the diaper.

Posted by Harley2009 (anonymous) on September 4, 2009 at 10:02 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I cant believe some of you wanting the communtiy to stand together and help this TRASH!. I think we need to Hang'em both in front of the courthouse on Sunday after we eat dinner. Anybody that steals is Trash to me they dont deserve to live.

Posted by southernpride (anonymous) on September 4, 2009 at 10:27 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I feel for the brother and the rest of his family. I am sure it hurts a lot to hear what others have to say about his brother.

However, that does not change the fact that the brother brought this on himself and deserves to be treated as the thug he is.

My message to the brother is that no matter what your brother did or did not do, you are not him! Hold your head up and show the world you live as a decent young man. Be the apple that is away from the tree so to speak.

Also, remember that most people have a black sheep in their family as well.

I have ot idea how your parents raised you or your brother. However, they must not be to bad of parents or you would be acting as your brother does. People that hold you accountable for your brother's actions are are just foolish people.

Posted by harley (anonymous) on September 4, 2009 at 11:51 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I am related to the wells boy and it is heartbreaking how mean some people can be I do not condone what he has
done but atleast have a little compassion for the people
he has hurt the most his family.

Posted by November162000 (anonymous) on September 4, 2009 at 12:03 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Could it be that if these thugs cared about their families' feelings that they wouldn't have done these heinous things in the first place? Seems to me that the thugs are the ones that have hurt their family members. Blame THEM for the discomfort of the family members, not the people that have no use for such people and whose community has been terrorized by them for most of the summer.

Posted by southernpride (anonymous) on September 4, 2009 at 1:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Amen to November's comments.

Posted by Harley2009 (anonymous) on September 4, 2009 at 3:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I second that AMEN! I have known the well boy for sometime. He has been into mischief since he was 12 years old. This hasn't just started its been an on going thing. As for the Knight boy Like Father Like Son. When you lay down with trash you act like trash.

Posted by Harley2009 (anonymous) on September 4, 2009 at 3:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)

One more thing. Most of you dont know that Tommy Kight burned his own house down to claim insurance money and got away with it. So I hate it for you HA!

Posted by travlr423 (anonymous) on September 4, 2009 at 8:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I dont want anyone to think i condone the actions of these guys no matter who they are. But to direct a comment to a younger sibling who is already obviously already very hurt and confused by his brothers deeds is not right and does not show very good character in any of us as adults. Make any comment you desire thats honesty, but it should not be directed to an innocent child just because he is related. While i am sure i would make more drastic comments concerning this issue, i would not direct them to a child who is only being human concerning those he loves. And now that i know he may be reading i will rather not to make a comment than to make one that will offend this innocent child. He is not to blame or responsible for his family's actions.

And by the way heyitsme, I appologise for being so harsh but when i see a child hurting or hurt by someone else whether its intentional or not i kinda get a little sideways. Again i apologise for any personal offence.

Posted by heyitsme (anonymous) on September 5, 2009 at 10:26 a.m. (Suggest removal)

You don't have to apologize. You gave your opinion, just like I did. You disagreed with what I said, and the way I said it. That is your right. Just like I stand by what I said.

Posted by southernpride (anonymous) on September 5, 2009 at 2:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Well Rickey why don't you pay for them a lawyer since you want to help them or let them move in with yu unitl trial. The only help they need is a good old fashioned flogging.

Posted by travlr423 (anonymous) on September 6, 2009 at 11:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)

heyitsme, I wouldn't say that i totally disagreed with your comment in general. its was more of who you made it to.
If you look back Ive made some pretty harsh comments on certain issues myself. I just hope i didnt make any to any children unknowingly, As i said earlier I would never say anything to intentionally hurt or shame a child. Your frustration is most certainly understandable as i have been in your shoes but i have also worn the shoes of a confused and hurt child many times over and know that it can be very discouraging and shameful and many times can lead to worse tragedies that can never be undone.

Posted by kittycreek (anonymous) on September 7, 2009 at 11:05 a.m. (Suggest removal)

southernpride,

Rickey was suggesting that people help the VICTIMS. Are you so anxious to make a hateful comment that you fail to read what you are responding to?

Posted by mimistang (anonymous) on September 8, 2009 at 7:57 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I known both of the guys for sometime, and I agree with harley about the Knight boy.....he has seen his father doing bull crap like this all his life, and for the most part getting by with it. I`m so glad he was finally caught-up with. I have a personal interest in this since he was part of my 15 month old grandsons life, (no he is not the father of the child) he was dating the mother. Thank God now maybe we can keep the THUG away from him. I love my grandson very much, and we didn`t have a foot to stand-on until now as of where she took the baby,or who he was around. Maybe we do now....

Posted by southernpride (anonymous) on September 8, 2009 at 9:23 a.m. (Suggest removal)

kitty,

I reread his comments and I guess I did interpet it wrong.

Thanks for bringing it to my attention. Unlike some on here, when I am worng, I admit it.

I was wrong and apologize for the mistake. I wish some of the others on here could realize when they are wrong. I am not referriing to you however,

Posted by holleratya (anonymous) on September 12, 2009 at 2 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Just wanted to let all yall know, that they released TJ Wells on bond. It is very upseting, cause my wife is his cousin and he is the one that broke into our house, trashed our house and stole our things. And now he is back out there most likely going to go right back to doing the same things he has always done. I don't understand if some one as been charged with 18 or 19 different charges, and admitted to doing all of them then how can they just be set free back into the world not to have to pay for what they have done. I think that he needs to be put away for a very long time, not because he rob me, but because he is a repeat offender. I hope that who ever bailed him out can live with what ever crimes he will commit next. I do feel sorry for the familys of both these boys but I have no pitty for either of them.

Posted by southernpeach (anonymous) on September 22, 2009 at 1:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)

actually tj has not admitted to all of the charges and he has not yet been found guilty ..just charged not convicted thats why the let him out on over a $100,000.00 bond and as far as i know he's doing his best to stay out of trouble so far..but either way he will pay for what he did and serve his time in prison!! hopefully he has learned his lesson!!

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