Detention abuse, millions to Huntsville, food stamp replacement: Down in Alabama
Montgomery County sheriff asks FBI to investigate detention officers allegedly sexually abusing minors
An Alabama sheriff requested the FBI investigate possible civil rights violations after two detention officers were charged with sexually assaulting minors in a youth detention facility.
One 32-year-old officer is charged with one count of sexual abuse against a 14-year-old who was detained in the Montgomery County Youth Detention facility in December. The second officer, who worked at the facility for five years prior to his arrest, is charged with seven counts of first-degree sodomy in a series of alleged assaults on a different 14-year-old between Oct. 15 and Nov. 25.
Neither officer remains employed by the Montgomery County Youth Detention Facility. One of the suspects is out on bond, and the other is detained at the Montgomery County jail.
$57 million could be coming to Huntsville for military projects
The U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate both passed the defense bill this month, and $57 million could be coming to Huntsville from it.
The 2025 National Defense Authorization Act approves $40 million for a military testing facility at Redstone Arsenal and $17 million for a base for the Alabama National Guard in Huntsville.
The funding authorization totaled $895.2 billion for the Department of Defense, Department of Energy’s nuclear weapons programs, and other defense initiatives.
In the bill, congress additionally asked for a report on modernizing the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site that the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command oversees at Redstone Arsenal.
Alabama can’t replace food stamps lost to theft, scams
Congressional authorization that allowed Alabama to replace SNAP benefits lost to theft or fraud expired on Saturday. This means the state can no longer process affidavits involving theft unless congress acts.
Under federal legislation, states have been allowed to use federal money to replace residents’ EBT funds lost to card skimming, card cloning and other fraud since Dec. 21, 2022. But the legislation set Dec. 20, 2024 as the end date of the provision.
Scammers have stolen nearly $5 million in recent months from Alabama families who receive food stamps.
In November alone, the Alabama Department of Human Resources received nearly 14,000 requests from families seeking reimbursement for funds stolen by scammers.
All reports of skimming, cloning, or similar fraud will require confirmation verifying that all information reported in the request is true and correct.