Four arrests in car theft, drug trafficking cases

NATURAL BRIDGE    -  The high speed pursuit of a suspect vehicle by the Winston County Sheriff’s Office has led to the arrests of four persons, including alleged drug traffickers as well as two persons charged in a recent auto theft case in Haleyville.
Sean Michael Flake, Haleyville, has been charged with attempting to elude, tampering with physical evidence, criminal conspiracy to commit a controlled substance crime, possession of controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and faces an outstanding warrant on writ of arrest, according to Winston County Sheriff’s Investigator  Josh Edwards.
Flake has also been charged by Haleyville Police with first degree theft of property for being one of two individuals who stole a  red Mazda recently from a residence on 13th Avenue, noted Investigator Austin Lewis.
Melissa Sue Akers, of Haleyville, has been charged with first degree theft of property for her role in the car theft, as well as conspiracy to commit a controlled substance crime, as well as faces an outstanding warrant for Failure to Appear, law enforcement said.
Cleve Odom, 40, of Haleyville, charged with felony eluding and an outstanding warrant for escape third degree by the sheriff’s office, Edwards said.
Law enforcement are also  seeking the whereabouts of  Keith Ross Odom, 34, of Haleyville, who has already been charged with attempting to elude, tampering with physical evidence, conspiracy to commit a controlled substance crime, possession of controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, investigators said.

Flake and Akers had been recognized by the victims of the car theft, when the owners, at Jack’s Family Restaurant, saw their Mazda being driven by and actually into the restaurant parking lot, Lewis stated.
“I think they were actually trying to bully the owner of the car,” Lewis pointed out.
The keys had been left inside the Mazda at the 13th Avenue residence, located near Jack’s restaurant, when Flake and Akers got into the car and drove it away from the residence, actually taking it to a residence on County Road 28 in the Delmar area, where an individual, charged separately in the case, disassembled the car, Haleyville police pointed out.
“The car is pretty much totaled,” Lewis pointed out, adding the person on CR 28 used a saw to cut out the engine and other parts of the vehicle.
 “The vehicle was never sold to this guy,” Lewis noted.
Lewis stressed he was proud the recent traffic stop wrapped up the department’s car theft case.
“I am thankful Winston County got out there and helped. They are a huge asset in this,” Lewis stated. “It just takes people working together to get the job done.”
Flake and Akers were among the four individuals in a Chevrolet Malibu that led the Winston County Sheriff’s Office on a high speed chase, also ending with drug related charges in what Sheriff Snoddy referred to as drug traffickers.
“This is a pretty big case,” Snoddy said. “These individuals have been at large for some time and have been involved in quite a bit of criminal activity,” he added.
“We look forward to having these individuals in custody for hopefully some time,” he said.
“We appreciate the calls and complaints from the citizens of County Road 28, that led us to initial arrest,”  Edwards said. “Without them, this would not have been possible.”
On Aug. 28, the sheriff’s office was conducting patrols in the area of County Road 28, due to ongoing complaints of possible drug trafficking and speeding in that area, when a maroon Chevrolet Malibu was traveling on CR 28 toward Highway 13, Edwards stated.
“That vehicle was traveling beyond the speed limit,” Snoddy emphasized. “When we attempted to make contact, it appeared they were running from us.”
The sheriff’s office began pursuit of the vehicle, but the vehicle failed to stop, instead traveling onto Highway 13 and south toward Natural Bridge at a high rate of speed ranging from 130 to 150 miles per hour, Edwards said.
“The suspects at the time were making hazardous conditions for other motorists,” Snoddy explained. “They were driving in an erratic manner, that was a cause for concern for public safety.”
The pursuit traveled at a high rate of speed from Highway 13 to Highway 278, turning west on Highway 278 and traveling toward the area of County Road 9, law enforcement said.
During the pursuit, Sheriff Snoddy observed the suspects inside the vehicle tossing items, believed to be drugs and paraphernalia, out the passenger side windows, along a quarter of a mile area, investigators said.
It was believed that suspects were tossing from the vehicle such items as controlled substances, such drug paraphernalia as glass pipe and scales, investigators said.
“Due to statements that were made by some of the vehicle occupants, we believe that they were on their way to Walker County to pick up a large amount of narcotics, to bring back to Winston County to distribute,” Sheriff Snoddy pointed out.
The pursuit ended in the area of County Road 9, when the Malibu, being driven by Cleve Odom, pulled into a residence, where two of the suspects got out and fled on foot, Snoddy said.
The sheriff was able to run down one of the suspects in less than 100 yards and make an apprehension, but Keith Odom, the other suspect who fled, remains at large, sheriff’s officials said.

If anyone has any information on Keith Odom’s whereabouts, they are urged to contact the Winston County Sheriff’s Office at 205-489-2115.
“If you know where his whereabouts are, or you know where he is staying at, contact us anonymously, and give us the  details of his whereabouts,” stressed Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Josh Bennett.
“If you are found hiding him or helping him resist apprehension, additional charges will be sought as well,” Bennett stated.
The remaining three suspects at the scene were detained by the sheriff’s office, authorities said.
Agencies providing assistance at the scene of the traffic stop were Haleyville and Lynn police departments, Winston County Emergency Management, Winston County District Attorney’s Office and Hamilton Police Department K-9 unit, which searched the suspect vehicle for narcotics, sheriff’s officials said.
“I am very proud of my department and I’m even more impressed at the way that law enforcement in Winston County came together very quickly to assist and work together to apprehend these suspects,” Snoddy pointed out.

*When a defendant is charged with a crime, the charge is merely an accusation until or unless proven guilty in a court of law.