Five Birmingham-area men indicted for illegally having USPS keys, stolen mail

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - Calhoun County Sheriff said he is worried the release of hundreds of state inmates will put a strain on the already severely understaffed jail. Sheriff Mathew Wade said the county is down nearly 40 percent in staff. He said he could hire 15 jailers right now and still have spots to fill.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - Birmingham police have arrested two suspects and charged them in the murder of 57-year-old Robert Chandler. Tanaraence Bernard Murphy, 27, and Aaron Elijah Bearden, 24, both of Birmingham, were taken into custody and charged with capital murder. Chandler was killed on the morning of Tuesday, January...

TUSCALOOSA CO., Ala. (WBRC) - A Tuscaloosa County man was arrested in New York Feb. 2 on gun charges, according to U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Special Agent in Charge Marcus Watson. Darterrius Dewayne Washington, 23, of Woodstock was indicted on possession...

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - The Birmingham Police Department is asking for the public’s assistance in locating a man they say was last heard from in November. Jerry Wayne Barclays, Jr. told family late last year that he may be going to Georgia. They say it is unusual for him to not have regular contact with his family.

BESSEMER, Ala. (WBRC) - Bessemer Police are investigating after two people were shot in a home in Bessemer early Friday morning. It happened in the 600 block of 12th St N. Both victims were taken to a local hospital. No word on the extent of their injuries. No word on...

JASPER, Ala. (WBRC) - Two people have been charged after someone attempted to sneak drugs to an inmate at the Walker County Jail. Janice Niblett Johnson, 60, of Sumiton, brought protein drinks to the jail for inmate Nicholas Rice who is in custody for multiple charges, including trafficking fentanyl. The medical staff at the jail suspected the drinks and found they had been tampered with.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - Jefferson County District Attorney Danny Carr is now sharing his thoughts on the retro-active inmate release law, and the confusion it has caused in the last three days. While he supports the effort to reintegrate reformed prisoners in to society, he is frustrated with the lack...

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - A cold, rainy day was the perfect backdrop for an event focused on better preparing Birmingham’s northside for severe weather. A new public-private partnership is helping revitalize Birmingham’s historic northside neighborhoods. The joint effort is between several organizations, including the City of Birmingham, the Alabama Department of Insurance, and Protective Life Corporation.

HOOVER, Ala. (WBRC) - Hoover Police are thanking residents for helping them potentially catch the suspect in a string of car burglary cases. At the start of the year, Hoover Police started investigating three car burglaries in the Royal Oaks Drive area. They were able to use security footage to get some images of the suspect. While his face was covered in the pictures, there were other clues for police.

CALHOUN COUNTY, Ala. (WBRC) - A local sheriff is concerned about the impact the release of hundreds of inmates earlier this week could have on county jails. Calhoun County Sheriff Mathew Wade said when the state sent the list of the roughly 400 inmates they plan to release, 12 of those prisoners were in the Calhoun County jurisdiction.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - Officials said there are an alarming number of opioid overdose deaths in Jefferson County, only one month into the new year. Jefferson County Coroner Bill Yates said they have already seen 47 suspected fatal overdoses so far this year. Officials are just waiting on lab reports to confirm the deaths. But, Yates said if it is truly 47 deaths in just one month, that is higher than they’ve seen in years. He said there’s no clear answer as to why.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - Along the shoulder of Bristol Street near the Birmingham/Tarrant line, you’ll find a vacuum cleaner, Amazon Prime boxes, what looks like a washing machine, old tires and a ton of other household garbage. You’ll also see a “No Dumping” sign posted on a tree near...

MENTONE, Ala. (WAFF) - A historic building in Mentone was destroyed in a late Thursday night fire. According to an official with North Lookout Mountain Fire, six fire departments responded to the report of a fire at the Hitching Post located at the corner of Alabama Hwy 117 and DeSoto Parkway.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office says a woman who was shot and killed Tuesday night was pregnant. The victim has been identified as Corieonna Shantrice Hines of Birmingham. She was 24. Two children were also shot during the incident. Birmingham Police were called to the...

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin announced the city will use part of a $81 million surplus in the city’s budget to boost up Birmingham Fire Department’s staffing. It’s set to be 37 new positions for nearly $2.5 million. Birmingham fire members tell WBRC that these...

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - Co-sleeping is when a child, normally an infant, and an adult fall asleep on the same surface together such as a bed or couch. The Statistical Data Report by the Jefferson County Coroner shows co-sleeping as the leading cause of death in the county over the last 10 years.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - “I’m disgusted to my core.” That was District Attorney C.J. Robinson’s reaction to the mass release of inmates across Alabama. Robinson is district attorney for the 19th Judicial Circuit, representing Autauga, Chilton and Elmore counties. He said 10 criminals from his district are getting released.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - Encouraging Black men in Birmingham to cooperate with and learn from each other is one of the goals of this weekend’s Black Male Summit. Darrell Forte, host of the “He Talks” podcast, and Dr. Brandon Brown, founder of The Leadership One Stop, are putting together a day of discussion focused on helping Black men navigate the obstacles they face. The paid, both of whom work at UAB, say the speakers will include Jefferson County District Attorney Danny Carr.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - Blount County’s District Attorney, Pamela Casey, called the release of state inmates a “disaster.” She said a man convicted of a 1994 murder is walking free without an ankle monitor. Casey said the Board of Pardon and Paroles assured her that inmates from...

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - The city of Birmingham has $81 million in extra tax dollars to put to use from a recent budget surplus. City leaders approved a plan Tuesday on how to spend the money. Mayor Randall Woodfin said the city will use the surplus to invest in the community. He says a majority if the money will be spent on neighborhood revitalization.