Broken Badges: Alabama Grand Jury Recommends Abolishing Police Department Amid Corruption Scandal

By James Seidel | CC News Network

HANCEVILLE, ALA. — In a stunning rebuke of law enforcement corruption, a grand jury in Alabama has recommended the immediate abolition of the Hanceville Police Department, calling it a “rampant culture of corruption” that has operated more like a criminal enterprise than a law enforcement agency.

The announcement came Wednesday as five Hanceville police officers—including Police Chief Jason Shane Marlin—were indicted and arrested, alongside the spouse of one of the officers, in a sweeping probe into evidence tampering, drug distribution, and abuse of power.

“This is a sad day for law enforcement, but at the same time, it is a good day for the rule of law,” Cullman County District Attorney Champ Crocker said during a press briefing.

A Department Riddled with Corruption

The Cullman County grand jury issued a scathing report on the department’s failure to properly handle evidence, its role in drug-related misconduct, and its negligence leading to a dispatcher’s death.

One of the most alarming findings was the department’s mishandling of its own evidence room.

“Nothing was secure about the evidence room,” said DA Crocker.
Evidence was freely accessible to multiple people, including non-officers.
Some of the drugs in evidence were found in the office of a deceased dispatcher.

The Death of a Dispatcher: Negligence or Cover-Up?

The death of Hanceville dispatcher Christopher Michael Willingham has become a flashpoint in the corruption scandal.

Willingham, 49, was found dead on Aug. 23, 2024, at the police station.
His cause of death was ruled accidental due to the combined toxic effects of fentanyl, gabapentin, diazepam, amphetamine, carisoprodol, and methocarbamol.
The grand jury determined that Willingham’s death was a direct result of the department’s negligence.

The unsecured evidence room, which multiple people—including Willingham—had unrestricted access to on his last day of work, played a role in his death, according to the grand jury’s findings.

However, none of the officers arrested have been charged in connection with Willingham’s death.

Who Was Charged?

The indictments include top officials and multiple officers within the department:

Police Chief Jason Shane Marlin

• Charged with: According to Marlin’s indictment, he is accused of failing to report Wilbanks and Cody Kelso for violating ethics laws after being notified of the same by the State Bureau of Investigation.
  • Two counts of Failure to Report Ethics Crime
  • Tampering with Physical Evidence

  Marlin was released from the Cullman County Jail on a $30,000 bond.

Officer Cody Alan Kelso 

• Charged with:

  According to Kelso’s indictment, he is accused of distributing Adderall to man, Hydrocodone and Anabolic Steroids to Wilbanks, and Anabolic Steroids to Cody Kelso.

  The conspiracy charges stem from the conspiracy to distribute Anabolic Steroids to Wilbanks Cody Kelso.

  • Four counts of Unlawful Distribution of a Controlled Substance
  • Two counts of Conspiracy to Unlawfully Distribute a Controlled Substance

  Kelso was released from the Cullman County Jail on a $30,000 bond.

Officer William Andrew Shelnutt

• Charged with: Tampering with physical evidence

Reserve Officer Eric Michael Kelso & his wife, Donna Reid Kelso

• Charged with: Unlawful distribution of a controlled substance, conspiracy to unlawfully distribute a controlled substance
• While the Kelso couple’s drug charges are unrelated to the evidence room, they are accused of distributing controlled substances to other defendants in the case.

Officer Jason Scott Wilbanks 37, is charged with two counts of computer tampering, two counts of using office for personal gain, tampering with evidence, and two counts of solicitation to commit a controlled substance crime.

• Wilbanks, according to court records, is accused of using a department issued cell phone to get controlled substances from Eric and Donna Kelso. Those records also accuse Wilbanks of traveling to a local hospital while on duty to receive anabolic steroid shots from Donna Kelso.

All of the felony charges stem from abuse of power and evidence tampering, with the exception of misdemeanor tampering with evidence, which alleges that officers removed or mishandled evidence from the department’s evidence room.

The officers surrendered Wednesday, posted bond, and were released from custody, according to Cullman County Sheriff Matt Gentry.

A Pattern of Corrupt Policing in the South

The Hanceville Police Department isn’t the first law enforcement agency in the region to be accused of gross misconduct.

South Carolina’s “Good Ole Boy” System:

• Former Greenville County Sheriff Will Lewis was convicted in 2020 for guilty of misconduct of a public officer.
• Former Chester County Sheriff George Alexander “Alex” Underwood was sentenced to 46-months in prison for corruption and other crimes committed during his tenure as sheriff.
• Former Federal Correctional Officer Angela Crosland was convicted of multiple charges, including bribery, drug distribution, money laundering, and filing false tax returns, following a federal jury trial.

In Alabama:

• Birmingham police detective Rodney Wilson murdered his wife in 2011.
• Andalusia Police Officer John G. Barton was disciplined after he arrested a woman at her home because she refused to show him her identification.

The Hanceville case is just the latest example of law enforcement abusing its power, operating like a criminal enterprise, and failing to hold itself accountable.

Is the Hanceville Police Department Finished?

The grand jury has recommended that the entire department be abolished, stating it poses a “particular and ongoing threat to public safety.”

The Grand Jury issued the following findings and recommendations to Judicial Circuit Judge Gregory Nicholas after looking over the evidence presented and touring the Hanceville Jail:

• Any current or former Hanceville PD officer indicted be suspended from law enforcement
• That the Hanceville Police Department be immediately abolished
• That another law enforcement agency, whether local or state, be tasked with protecting the citizens of Hanceville
• That the Hanceville Police Department is a “particular and ongoing threat to public safety.”
• That there is a rampant culture of corruption in the Hanceville Police Department
• That the Hanceville Police Department has abused public trust by its failure of oversight, lack of leadership and negligent training and hiring.
• The Hanceville Police Department has failed to account for, preserve and maintain evidence and in doing so has failed crime victims and the public at large. The evidence is unusable.
• Following the Grand Jury’s tour of the Hanceville Jail, they stated that they had zero confidence in the Hanceville Police Department’s ability to maintain a jail or to meet the basic health and safety needs of jail personnel or inmates.
• That the death of Willingham is the direct result of the Hanceville Police Department’s negligence, lack or procedure, general incompetence and disregard for human life.

“Our citizens deserve a resolution, and we will act swiftly,” said Hanceville Mayor Jim Sawyer.
The Cullman County Sheriff’s Office is preparing to take over law enforcement duties in Hanceville.

“We will do whatever is necessary to protect our citizens,” said Sheriff Matt Gentry.

The City Council is set to review the grand jury’s findings, but with evidence tampering, corruption, and criminal charges against nearly half the department, the recommendation to dissolve the agency appears inevitable.

The Broken Badges Keep Falling

The collapse of the Hanceville Police Department is not just a local issue—it’s part of a larger crisis in law enforcement accountability.

Officers with unchecked power are abusing their positions.
Evidence tampering and drug theft within police departments is rampant.
Corrupt law enforcement officials often go unchecked until their crimes become too big to ignore.

CC News Network will continue to expose police corruption in the “Broken Badges” series.

If you have tips on law enforcement corruption, contact CC News Network.

James Seidel is an investigative journalist and founder of CC News Network, covering police misconduct, legal corruption, and accountability in the justice system.