A grand jury recommended abolishing a small Alabama police department because of a “rampant culture of corruption” after charging five officers with a variety of crimes, officials announced Wednesday.
Cullman County District Attorney Champ Crocker announced Wednesday that a grand jury had indicted Hanceville Police Chief Jason Marlin and four of his officers on a variety of charges that included accusations of mishandling or removing evidence from the department’s evidence room.
In addition to Marlin, officers Cody Alan Kelso, Drew Shelnut, Jason Wilbanks, reserve officer Eric Michael Kelso, and his wife, Donna Kelso, were also charged, AL.com reported.
“This is a sad day for law enforcement, but at the same time it is a good day for the rule of law,” Crocker said during a news conference.
The grand jury also issued a series of scathing findings about the department following an investigation that included looking at video of the department’s evidence room.
“There is a rampant culture of corruption in the Hanceville Police Department that has recently operated as more of a criminal enterprise than a law enforcement agency,” the grand jury reported. Hanceville is small city of 3,200 people about 45 miles north of Birmingham.
Crocker said one of the most concerning things was that there was “unfettered access” to the department’s evidence room. He showed photos of a hole in the wall and a green broomstick that was used to “jimmy open” the door.
The grand jury found that the departmental negligence played a role in the 2024 death of a dispatcher who was found dead at work from a suspected drug overdose. Crocker did not elaborate on the finding, but he said that “nothing was secure about the evidence room” and the dispatcher had access to it on his final day of work.
Three of the officers were charged with drug-related crimes, but Crocker said that did not involve drugs held in the evidence room. One of the officers was charged with providing hydrocodone and steroids to other people, according to court records.
Court records did not show if Marlin has an attorney to speak on his behalf. A text message sent to a possible phone number listed for him was not immediately returned.
Hanceville Mayor Jimmy Sawyer issued a statement saying that the city council will consider the grand jury’s recommendations and will “act swiftly and decisively to address the problems within the Police Department.”
“It is unfortunate that the actions of a few have tarnished our city’s good name,” Sawyer said.
Longtime Hanceville resident Mike Calvert told CBS affiliate WIAT that he was surprised by the news.
“Very shocked,” Calvert told the station. “Their presence has always been here as long as I could remember and it’s just a very sad situation, very sad.”
But Hanceville resident Amanda Hale told WIAT that she isn’t surprised by the arrests.
“There is a lot of good cops in that, you know, in that police department and all the ones around here, but there are the ones that want to use that badge for benefit,” Hale told the station.
