Editor’s note: Below is the second part of a three-part series looking back at the top news stories of 2013. This installment covers May through September. Look for the third installment in the Thursday edition of The Clanton Advertiser.

May

Clanton man pleads guilty to producing child pornography, sexual abuse

Manuel Alvarez, 51, pleaded guilty on May 20 to four counts of sexual abuse of a child less than 12 years old and two counts of possession of child pornography.

Alvarez appeared in court at 9 a.m. May 20 and entered his plea agreement shortly after 10 a.m. with Judge Sibley Reynolds.

Alvarez was held in the Chilton County Jail under a $3,275,000 bond until his sentencing date of Nov. 12.

Alvarez was arrested in July 2012 at his home off Temple Road and charged with 28 counts of possession of child pornography, production of child pornography and sexual abuse of a child under the age of 12, a Class A felony.

Investigators alleged five girls, ages 8-11 at the time of the crimes, were sexually abused by Alvarez.

In August 2012, Clanton Police Department confirmed more than 15,000 images on two confiscated hard drives as child pornography and four more hard drives were being processed by Prattville Police Department’s computer forensics lab.

Alvarez was originally born in California and later relocated to Clanton in 2008.

Escaped cow gets ride in police cruiser

Clanton Police officers on May 29 apprehended an unusual suspect. A cow on the loose disrupted traffic and was apprehended by Clanton Police officers on May 29 near the intersection of Liberty Street and Second Avenue.

Because the city’s truck that is used for animal control was in the shop for maintenance, officers, using a makeshift leash formed from a necktie, got the cow into a patrol car.

“They had to get the cow out of the road,” Capt. David Clackley said. “He started trying to act like a dog, sticking his head out the window.”

Officers Chris Whittle and Mark Johnson detained the cow shortly before lunchtime on May 29 near the intersection of Liberty Street and Second Avenue.

After seeing a photo of the cow posted on Facebook the post has elicited more than 660 “likes,” 538 “shares” and 70 comments the cow’s owner contacted Clanton Police Department and took it home to property off Littlejohn Road, meaning the cow had traveled at least a couple of miles from his pasture.

“He’s back at home now,” Clackley said.

Vehicle crashes into front of Clanton upholstery shop

Tradewinds Upholstery owner Charlie Schoenvogel had just taken a seat in his chair toward the front of his store shortly before 3 p.m. on May 30 when a car crashed into the front of his business.

“A customer had just walked out of the shop and I decided I was going to sit down for a minute,” Schoenvogel said. “The next thing I heard were tires screeching and I thought a wreck was happening on the road out front. It wasn’t until the furniture inside the store started closing in on me did I realize that the car had crashed into my store.”

Clanton Fire Department Chief David Driver said the driver of the silver Hyundai Santa Fe car was OK and told authorities he lost control of his vehicle.

“No one was hurt which is the good thing,” Driver said. “We are still trying to figure out why he lost control of the vehicle but right now both the owner of the shop and the driver are doing OK.”

Schoenvogel said the unfortunate part of the crash is the entire front portion of his store was totaled and most of the furniture was ruined.

“The whole thing has just shaken me up,” Schoenvogel said. “My furniture is just gone but I am happy the situation was not worse.”

Clanton Police Department and Clanton Fire Department both responded to the scene.

Clock installed in honor of former Thorsby mayor

A memorial street clock in honor of former Thorsby mayor Dearl Hilyer was installed May 31. Hilyer, a town icon, passed away in October 2012, days into his second term as mayor. The clock erected in his memory stands next to another town icon: Helen Jenkins Chapel.

“He would be so proud,” Mayor Jean Nelson said.

Angie Barnett led the effort to bring the replica antique, double-faced clock to town, but she said many other residents contributed.

“This was a community effort,” Barnett said. “It’s something that when the family rides by, they can say, ‘My son meant something, my husband meant something, my dad meant something.’”

A dedication ceremony will be planned in the future, once workers can complete landscaping around the base of the clock. Also, there will be a memorial plaque installed that reads: “Time never heals the pain, but it is what you do with your time that helps.”

Hilyer’s wife, Nicole, said the clock is a fitting tribute.

“Dearl had everything planned out to the minute,” she said. “I love it. It’s just perfect.”