City HR Director Files Assault Claims Against Fairhope Mayor
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COMMUNITY CALENDAR: Ongoing and Upcoming Events, PAGE 4 Local students receive big help Homebuilders Association give away $7000 in The Courier scholarships PAGE 5 INSIDE MAY 24, 2017 | GulfCoastNewsToday.com | 75¢ City HR Director files assault claims against Fairhope mayor Gulf Coast Media has in the claim. “While she did viewed a copy of the claim so, she shook me violently filed with the city, includ- leaving me dazed. While ing a page that contains shaking me, the Mayor Ready for lift-off some of Heathcoe’s nar- yelled ‘How many f------ rative of what led to the times do I have to tell you to Students learn about, alleged assault. do something?’” build, and launch According to the claim, Heathcoe wrote “the rockets for a special the incident occurred on mayor’s assault and bat- badge Dec. 29, 2016. Heathcoe met tery” left her injured and Page 3 with Wilson and Fidler in emotionally shaken. She a meeting where Wilson added she was unable to wanted to create a part- carry out her work at top time position and fill it with form and it continues to her campaign volunteer, leave her emotionally dis- Lynn Mazer. tressed. Heathcoe wrote she Heathcoe wrote in the advised the mayor that claim she had filed a police PHOTO BY CLIFF McCOLLUM they needed to create a job report with the Fairhope Fairhope Mayor Karin WIlson has been accused of assaulting HR Director Pandora Heathcoe in a description for that posi- police, but has not pro- claim filed by Heathcoe last week. tion before it could be filled, ceeded to swear out a war- and said Wilson replied she rant against Wilson. Submitted BY CLIFF McCOLLUM sources Director Pandora Two sources have told “didn’t care.” Attached to the claim was [email protected] Heathcoe against the city Gulf Coast Media the full Heathcoe wrote she re- a uniform incident/offense Keep marching on of Fairhope after an alleged report contains Heathcoe’s iterated the position must report filed earlier this year EDITOR’S NOTE: THIS STORY assault against Heathcoe narrative about what hap- be a budgeted line item with the Fairhope Police Cadets from com- MAY CONTAIN LANGUAGE THAT by Fairhope Mayor Karin pened when the alleged as- because city rules do not Department. bined units march in COULD BE SEEN AS OFFENSIVE Wilson. sault by Wilson took place allow for the hiring of new The document is dated memory of Bataan TO SOME READERS. VIEWER The claim was filed Fri- and that former Fairhope employees in non-budgeted Dec 29, 2016, and reports Death March DISCRETION IS ADVISED. day, May 19 with the city Public Works Director Jen- positions. a harassment (simple as- Page 34 clerk’s office, according to a nifer Fidler was present “Wilson started scream- sault) occurred at 1:33 p.m. A claim has been filed confidential source within when that incident took ing ‘We don’t have a f------ by Fairhope Human Re- the city. place. budget,’” Heathcoe alleged SEE ASSAULT, PAGE 2 Daphne Celebrating the class of 2017 holds public hearing on 914-lot Surprise visit When one student subdivision can’t attend her HS By CLIFF McCOLLUM graduation, another [email protected] brings it to her Page 34 Daphne’s city council held a public hearing May 15 on several de- velopments that could PAGE 20 DEATHS be coming soon to the Bonnie N. Carlson city, including the 914-lot William Roger Chandler Jubilee Farms develop- Leigh Reasonover Dees ment that has garnered Nora Ann Farley some controversy. According to the devel- Linda M. Fulks oper, the Jubilee Farms Rose H. Givens project, located on Ann Louise Gordon Highway 181 and Austin Breneman Loder Road, would take 15 to 20 Jimmie Joyce Martin years to be built out to Ernest B. Mullings its full capacity and said Robert Q. Roddam plans include 25 percent Richard Dowdy Taylor (or 88.17 acres) of the Sr. Congratulations to the 2017 graduates from schools across the Eastern Shore. For our full collection of graduation photos SEE DAPHNE, PAGE 2 from those events, visit gulfcoastnewstoday.com. SEE GRADUATION, PAGE 2 INDEX Gulf BALDWIN LIVING, 5-7 OPINION, 11-12 Coast CLASSIFIED, 8-9 PUZZLES, 10 Media HEALTH, 22-26 SPORTS, 13-15 VOLUME 123 • ISSUE 43 LEGALS, 27-32 TV LISTINGS, 16-19 1 SECTION • 36 PAGES 2• The Courier • May 24, 2017 • Gulf Coast Media tion for “her nerves” and the alleged assault continues handled internally by legal counsel.” ASSAULT to affect her ability to work. During an interview with Lori DuBose on WABF 1480 CONTINUED FROM 1 She is seeking damages in the amount of $100,000 AM Monday morning, Council President Jack Burrell against the city. and Councilman Jay Robinson confirmed the claim had p.m. involving a 59-year-old female victim. The claim filed with the city is not a civil claim, but been filed Friday and said city staff was looking into the Sgt. Craig Sawyer with the Fairhope Police Depart- one that procedurally has to be filed with the city before matter. ment said he could not reveal the name of the victim or the matter could be taken to a civil court. Burrell said he had heard about the alleged assault the potential suspect due to a departmental policy. While Wilson did not return phone calls from Gulf some time ago, but said he had only heard rumors. “Our policy prohibits us from naming a victim of an Coast Media, she did post the following on her official “I had been hearing of this for quite some time, but offense if that victim might be called to testify in any Facebook page Saturday afternoon: only as rumors,” Burrell said. “Rumors hurt, and so you judicial proceedings,” Sawyer said. “I remember when I contemplated running for Mayor don’t act on rumors. What we have concrete is that a Sawyer said there was an investigation into that inci- how worried my husband was for me,” Wilson wrote. claim has been filed.” dent by the Fairhope Police Department. “I kept asking him what he thought could happen that Robinson, who is an attorney, said he wasn’t certain “Because of the obvious conflict of interest between would warrant such stress? what the next step would be for the city. us investigating someone in a potential criminal matter “He’d give me hypothetical situations and I always re- “I assume our city attorneys are working on it behind who is in our chain of command, the victim was re- sponded, ‘but that’s not the truth.’ If we allow worry and the scenes and figuring out how to move forward,” Rob- ferred to the county’s magistrates,” Sawyer said. “They doubt to control our decisions based on an unknown inson said. “I don’t know what the next step is from the can investigate this because it is also within the county future, there would never be positive progress. city’s perspective.” jurisdiction as well as the Fairhope jurisdiction. We doc- “I’m surrounded by opportunists, people who believe Both said everything involving the incident is prelimi- umented it and referred the victim to the magistrates I’m naive and those who try to demoralize me. But no nary at this point. for the county.” one can or will take away the truth.” “We have to proceed with caution,” Burrell said. Sawyer said as of right now, no warrants have been Shortly after this article was posted on gulfcoastnew- “While it’s a very serious matter, we have to let the sys- signed and no arrests have been made. stoday.com mid-day Monday, Wilson took to her Face- tem work. As council members, we take care of what we “As with any misdemeanor offense, the victim has book page again to release another statement on the can take care of and we let the legal system take of what one year from the date of the offense to go see a magis- claim it’s supposed to take care of.” trate to sign a warrant,” Sawyer said. “Since this alleg- “Many people are reaching out for additional infor- When called for a comment by Gulf Coast Media, City edly occurred in December of last year, the victim still mation about a claim that was filed on Friday,” Wilson Attorney Marion “Tut” Wynne said he and his staff had has until December to sign a warrant.” wrote. “I am confident that the facts will demonstrate reviewed the claim and had turned it over to the city’s Heathcoe wrote in the claim she is receiving medica- that no assault occurred. Responses to the claim will be insurer for further investigation. of Daphne and would then resident in a nearby sub- DAPHNE likely annex into the city, division, told the council a GRADUATION CONTINUED FROM 1 which the city could ap- number of area residents CONTINUED FROM 1 prove or deny. If denied spoke up against the proj- include 25 percent (or annexation into the city, ect, but said Council Presi- 88.17 acres) of the total the developer would then dent Ron Scott made them site being left as open likely go to the county for feel as though their issues space, nine acres of which approval. were of “no consequence” is wetlands. Mayor Dane Haygood since they did not vote in The project is designed said he was been aware of city elections. to include several ameni- the project for some time “Our concerns appear to ties for residents, including and wanted the project to have fallen on deaf ears,” parks and a large network come into the city so that Raider said.