BALDWIN COUNTY, Ala. Fog rolled into the area Tuesday morning and in some areas it caused significant problems for drivers trying to make their way through it.
On the Bayway, several pockets of almost zero visibility caused several wrecks, including one involving a dump truck.
ALEA reported slow going in several areas.
No significant injuries were reported in any of the motor vehicle collisions.
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Police and FBI agents have made arrests in Baldwin and Mobile Counties related to a missing mother and her children, but the victims are still missing.
For several days, multiple law enforcement agents have worked together, searching several areas and chasing down leads, and on Tuesday, Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch reported that two arrests were made related to the missing person’s investigation.
Aurelia Choc, 40, and her two children, 17-year-old Niurka Zule-Ta Choc and 2-year-old Anthony Garcia Choc, were last seen at their home on Friday, Jan. 30.
Monday, deputies and FBI agents went to two locations, a home on Apache Run Drive and a mobile home park off Old Pascagoula Road, both located in Mobile County. Minutes later, in what appears to have been a coordinated effort, Baldwin County Sheriff’s deputies and FBI agents attempted a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by another wanted person in Bay Minette. The driver led them on a chase that ended with the driver being taken into custody but another person, a passenger, fled from law enforcement on foot into a wooded area. That person was also soon apprehended.
Today, Sheriff Burch gave updates on the case during a press conference.
Burch updated where they were at in their investigation but said more work needs to be done to find those who are missing.
Burch reported that Juan Argueta has been arrested and charged with first-degree kidnapping in connection to the missing family but did not release further details.
The Sheriff reported that Silverio Garcia, one of the men apprehended, was reportedly in a relationship with the missing mother’s adult daughter. He has been arrested only on a firearm charge.
Garcia was the employer of Aurelia, the missing mother, Burch said.
He said Garcia and the father of 2-year-old Anthony Garcia are related, with one being the other’s uncle.
Burch said Garcia is an illegal immigrant from Guatemala and was in possession of a handgun. He was charged with certain persons forbidden to possess a firearm and has a hold for ICE.
The sheriff said that further details cannot be released but that search warrants have been executed, including one that was taking place as he spoke. He said a black van that had been at the missing family’s residence was also seized and was being searched.
He said he hopes the arrests will lead to information about where Aurelia and her family are. “We’re hoping someone will tell us where they are,” he said. “Anytime you arrest someone, you’re in hopes they will tell you what occurred. Our main goal is to find them safely and bring them back home.”
“I’m hoping we’ll find them alive,” Burch said.
The FBI has been working closely with local authorities and Sara Jones, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Mobile Field Office, said with the updates, it is important for residents to know the investigation is far from over. “Our work here is not done,” she said. “Our work will not be done until we locate Aurelia, Niurka, and Anthony.”
Mobile County District Attorney Keith Blackwood echoed that statement and said law enforcement will do everything they can to find the missing family.
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MOBILE, AL. Police in Mobile were able to capture three burglars in the process of committing their crimes.
On Monday, February 9, 2026, at approximately 7:01 p.m., 911 calls reported that someone was breaking into a home in the 2800 block of SpringHill Avenue and several officers responded.
Upon arrival, officers discovered a female subject attempting to leave an unoccupied residence after unlawfully entering the home through an unlocked window.
Upon further investigation, officers discovered the subject was also involved in a burglary in the 150 block of Randolph Street.
Police took Shereka Deeds, 42, into custody and she was arrested and transported to Metro Jail on burglary charges.
Also on Monday, February 9, 2026, at approximately 9:14 p.m., officers responded to the 1200 block of Lake Circle Drive W. in reference to another home burglary.
Upon arrival, officers discovered two male subjects were inside of the residence.
Upon further investigation, officers discovered that the subjects had unlawfully entered the residence through an unlocked door and rummaged through the home.
Justin Maulden, 33, and Needham Sparks, 31, were arrested and transported to Metro Jail.
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CONECUH COUNTY, Ala. A single-vehicle crash involving an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) that occurred at approximately 5:25 p.m. Monday, Feb. 9, has claimed the life of a Picayune, Miss., man.
Authorities have reported that Robert A. Ross Jr., 63, was fatally injured when he was thrown off the 2020 Honda Recon he was operating.
Ross was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The crash occurred on Old Federal Road, approximately three miles north of Repton city limits, in Conecuh County.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s (ALEA) Highway Patrol Division continues to investigate.
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SAN ANTONIO TX. They say that looks can be deceiving and for one truckload of fresh, green lettuce that might have been true if it had not been for the keen eye of law enforcement.
Two men now stand charged with trafficking methamphetamine that was hidden inside boxes of fresh lettuce.
Gerardo Pineda-Gallegos and Jose Lopez-Ruiz face federal charges for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, Attorney Justin Simmons announced.
According to the U.S Attorney’s Office, the arrests took place after weeks of investigations by the Homeland Security Task Force, which began back in mid-December when authorities identified the men as major methamphetamine dealers operating out of what has been referred to as a “wholesale produce warehouse.”
On December 15 of last year, surveillance allegedly captured Pineda-Gallegos and Lopez-Ruiz receiving large shipments of methamphetamine hidden within fresh produce at the warehouse. The report also states that both men made multiple trips in and out of the warehouse facility before loading a cargo van and driving to a nearby office space, where they would later take the drugs to be prepared for mass distribution.
After watching the facility for a few weeks, a multi-agency team, including DEA and FBI agents, along with the San Antonio Police Department Drug Trafficking unit, executed a search warrant on the office location.
Inside, agents and officers found around 100 boxes filled with lettuce.
A follow-up search revealed 998 ball-shaped packages of methamphetamine concealed within the produce, weighing approximately 555 kilograms – about 1,223 pounds.
Federal agents have found similar trafficking operations using produce, fruit, fish and everything in between to smuggle their drugs.
If convicted, both defendants face 10 years to life in federal prison and fines of up to $10 million each for the drug scheme.
The arrests put another spotlight on a troubling trend of drug traffickers hiding large shipments of drugs in what, at first glance, seem like ordinary food products to cross state lines.
Border Patrol agents at all ports of entry have stepped up their interdiction of drugs in recent years resulting in substantial drug seizures.
In April of last year, Customs and Border Protection officers reported that they found $14.6 million worth of meth hidden in a large shipment of bell peppers and cucumbers at the Pharr International Bridge border crossing.
Only a few months later, in July of 2025, The Dallas Express reported on a similar scheme involving $15 million worth of meth hidden in carrot shipments.
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MOBILE, AL. Mobile police officers were dispatched to a person shot call at an area hospital on Friday, February 6, 2026, at approximately 8:30 p.m.
When officers arrived at the hospital, they were told that a male had just arrived by personal vehicle with a gunshot wound.
Upon arrival, officers discovered the victim received a non-life-threatening injury after he was shot a short time earlier.
Upon further investigation, officers discovered the victim was inside of a vehicle at an unknown location when a known passenger improperly handling a firearm had accidentally shot him.
A juvenile male subject was arrested and transported to Metro Jail.
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MOBILE, AL. A burglary at a home was reported to 911 on Saturday, February 7, 2026, at approximately 6:15 a.m.
Multiple police officers responded to the 6600 block of Wesley Drive in reference to a burglary in progress.
Upon arrival, officers surrounded the house and discovered that someone had forced their way into the residence.
After making verbal commands for the subjects to exit the dwelling, police said that two subjects came out of the home and were detained without incident.
Upon investigating further, officers arrested Tiffany Spencer, 46, and Bernard Hopkins, 66.
Both were charged with burglary and booked into the Mobile Metro Jail.
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MOBILE, AL. The Mobile Police Department and Mobile Fire Rescue and EMS responded over the weekend to two serious motor vehicle collisions that resulted in fatalities.
On Saturday, February 7, 2026, at approximately 10:09 a.m., officers responded to a traffic accident in the 6100 block of Bear Fork Road.
Upon arrival, officers discovered a vehicle caught fire after striking two trees. Mobile fire immediately extinguished the fire and made entry into the vehicle.
The driver was pronounced deceased on scene.
Upon further investigation, officers discovered the vehicle was traveling west towards Moffett Road when it crossed into the EB lane and left the roadway.
The victim has been identified as Neil Robinson, 52.
On Sunday, February 8, 2026, at approximately 5:40 p.m., officers responded to the area of Callahan Drive and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive in reference to a traffic accident reported at that location with injuries.
Upon arrival, officers discovered a vehicle traveling on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive left the roadway and struck a power pole, ejecting two rear passengers.
Both victims were pronounced deceased on scene. Their names will be released once their family has been notified.
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TROY, Ala. What started as an observation of a Troy University police officer escalated to a pursuit when a suspicious vehicle fled from the officer who tried to conduct a traffic stop on the driver.
Authorities said that the officer watched the vehicle acting suspiciously at around 1:45 a.m. early Sunday morning.
Police say the driver accelerated and fled at a high rate of speed, prompting the officer to pursue, and the vehicle crashed into a light pole on Elm Street near the Troy University campus.
Both the driver and passenger, the only two occupants in the car, were pronounced dead at the scene.
Troy University police said the two individuals were residents of Troy but were not Troy University students.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency on Monday identified the two people as Rosolando V. Givens, 52, and Alkesa S. Liptrot, 45.
ALEA confirmed that Givens was the driver, and Liptrot was the passenger.
Authorities said Givens and Liptrot were not wearing seat belts.
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BALDWIN COUNTY, Ala. A motor vehicle collision just minutes past midnight Monday morning ended tragically in a fatal shooting.
A single vehicle crash was reported at 12:07 a.m. at the intersection of County Road 64 and Oakdale Drive. A caller to the Baldwin County 911 Communications Center also reported hearing gunshots.
Police, several fire departments, and Medstar responded to the area.
A person believed to have been the driver of the vehicle that crashed reportedly ran into nearby woods, where he was found with what authorities say was a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
There are no reports of any other injuries.
Law enforcement said that this incident is under investigation.
The name of the person has not been released.
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FOLEY, Ala. An exciting new 55-plus community development is planned for Foley, and it’ll be packed with amenities.
Cresswind at Sandy Creek is expected to have more than 1,300 homes over a 750-acre area.
According to a Kolter Homes news release, this is the Delray, Florida-based company’s first Alabama venture, “expanding the award-winning active adult brand into a high-growth Gulf Coast market.”
Kolter Homes broke ground on the project in mid-January and expects to open it in 2027.
The new community will feature ranch-style floor plans, including open-concept interiors, outdoor living spaces and “chef-inspired” kitchens, according to the release.
Additionally, the community will have Club Cresswind, which is a community hub that will feature an arts and crafts room, a SmartFIT training center, a lounge, social ballroom, yoga and an aerobics studio.
According to a news release, outside activities for the community will have a resort-style pool, lap lanes, a sundeck, covered social spaces and tennis courts, as well as scenic walkways and 30 pickleball courts.
Kolter Homes said that this project will combine luxury and location and elevate senior living.
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MOBILE, AL. A judge’s order has shut down a clinic in Mobile after allegations of fraud.
South Alabama Medical and Rehab clinic owners are now under criminal investigation by state and federal law enforcement. The business is located at 3202 Old Shell Road in Mobile.
The Mobile County Circuit Court has granted a temporary restraining order to close a clinic accused of a “deceptive scheme” and prohibiting its affiliates from soliciting new business. This action follows a lawsuit filed by the Mobile County District Attorney’s office, which accuses the clinic of exploiting car accident victims through fraudulent medical and legal practices.
The investigation into mobile rehab clinic owners involves allegations of fraud and exploitation of patients for profit. The Mobile County Circuit Court has granted a temporary restraining order to close a clinic accused of a “deceptive scheme” and prohibiting its affiliates from soliciting new business. This action follows a lawsuit filed by the Mobile County District Attorney’s office, which accuses the clinic of exploiting car accident victims through fraudulent medical and legal practices.
Investigators have seized records and other documents and are interviewing former patients.
Authorities say that this clinic appears to have an extensive pattern of fraud schemes and that there are hundreds of patients who may be victims.
This investigation is ongoing and could likely end in criminal charges.
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MONTGOMERY, Ala. The Child Predator Death Penalty Act, meant to protect children from sexual predators, has been passed by the Alabama Legislature.
The Senate approved the measure with a 33–1 vote after it passed the House earlier this session. The legislation was sponsored by State Rep. Matt Simpson and State Sen. April Weaver.
This bill strengthens criminal penalties for certain sexual crimes against children under the age of 12. House Bill 41, also filed as Senate Bill 17, classifies first-degree rape, first-degree sodomy, and first-degree sexual assault involving victims under 12 as capital offenses eligible for the death penalty.
Attorney General Steve Marshall praised the passage, saying, “I applaud the Alabama Legislature for passing HB41, the Child Predator Death Penalty Act, which sends the strongest possible message that our state will not tolerate crimes against our children, who are among our most vulnerable citizens. Our children deserve to grow up safe, protected, and free from harm. This legislation provides law enforcement and prosecutors with the tools they need to pursue the ultimate penalty against those who commit the most depraved acts against children.
Marshall also commended legislators who supported the bill, noting that it affirms Alabama’s commitment to child protection.
The bill now awaits Governor Ivey’s signature.
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ESCAMBIA COUNTY, Fla. A mother has been charged in the death of her 5-year-old son after authorities recovered the body of the boy Friday morning around 10:15 a.m. from the Perdido Bay off Lillian Highway in a trash bag.
Deputies initially responded around 9:30 a.m. to the 9500-block of Lilian Highway near San Sebastian Circle after receiving a call from Smith’s sister, who Sheriff Chip Simmons says “shared some concerns about her 5-year-old nephew.”
Deputies conducted a further investigation but did not say what led them to the spot where the body was found.
Jalynda Smith, 36, was booked into Escambia County Jail on Saturday at around 1:40 a.m. on a charge of Aggravated Negligent Manslaughter of a Child.
She’s being held without bond.
Court records show Smith was arrested in Escambia County in March 2022 for child neglect. That charge was later dropped after Smith completed a Pre-Trial Intervention parental skills course.
After the boy’s body was recovered, crime scene investigators were sent to search Smith’s apartment, which is about 30 minutes from where the boy’s body was found, but the sheriff’s office has not released if anything was found there.
The sheriff’s office is still asking anyone with information to call them. They can be reached at (850) 436-9620 or 911.
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HOOVER, Ala. Hoover police officers were dispatched to a call at 8 a.m. at a residence on River Lake Drive in the Southlake neighborhood off Valleydale Road.
Police said that a male on scene had shot and killed his father during a domestic dispute prior to police arriving at the residence.
As several police officers made entry into the home, the son, opened fire on police, who engaged him and both an officer and the suspect were shot.
Both the injured officer and the suspect were transported to UAB Hospital. The conditions of the officer and suspect have not yet been released.
Hoover Police Captain Daniel Lowe said that the officer is stable and expected to make a full recovery
Because officers discharged their weapons, the investigation was turned over to the State Bureau of Investigation. With ALEA conducting the investigation any further questions about this incident should be directed to them.
The Hoover Police Department would ask for continued prayers for all affected by today’s events. We would also like to thank our community for the outpouring of support and the numerous law enforcement agencies who responded and offered assistance.
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LILLIAN, Ala. Multiple fire departments had to be called in to assist the Lillian Volunteer Fire Department with a major structure fire.
The call went out on Saturday, February 7, 2026, after 911 received several calls reporting that a home was on fire.
Several structures and around 40 acres burned in what officials are calling one of the largest fires in the history of Lillian.
The Elberta, Summerdale, Perdido Beach and Lillian firefighters fought the blaze for hours.
Officials say several structures, including four free-standing garages, multiple vehicles, two boats and nearly 40 acres of woods and brush were destroyed in the blaze.
There were no reported injuries.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
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ORANGE BEACH, Ala. A group of country music artists are coming to the Wharf in Orange Beach, and they are sure to bring some of their biggest hits and a few new songs as well.
Gary Allen and Tracy Lawrence, with Diamond Rio and Easton Corbin, are coming to Orange Beach on Saturday, June 6, 2026, at 5:30 p.m.
Allen is known for songs like “Right Where I Need to Be,” “Every Storm,” and “Watching Airplanes,” while Lawrence is known for songs like “Paint Me a Birmingham,” “Find Out Who Your Friends Are,” and “Alibis.”
Some of Diamond Rio’s most popular songs include “One More Day,” “Meet in the Middle,” and Norma Jean Riley.” Easton Corbin’s songs include “All Over the Road” and “A Little More Country Than That.”
Tickets go on sale on Friday, February 6, 2026, at 10 a.m.
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