Dothan Attorney Arrested on Theft Charges
Frederick McNab, a 52-year-old former Dothan attorney, finds himself back in trouble with authorities after allegedly stealing nearly $2 million from three different people. McNab was arrested and charged last Friday with 14 felony counts of first-degree theft of property, one felony count of second-degree theft of property, and one misdemeanor count of third-degree theft of property. These new charges bring the total number of felony theft indictments against McNab to twelve, and the total number of theft charges to twenty-five. The amount allegedly stolen by McNab in these theft cases now totals over $4 million.
Houston County Sheriff’s deputies first arrested McNab two days prior to Christmas after a grand jury returned multiple felony indictments against him alleging offenses of theft by deception. McNab posted bail totaling $812,500 shortly after his arrest.
McNab is scheduled to be arraigned on March 31st in a Houston County Circuit Court for the nine felony theft charges previously filed.
Theft of property offenses in the state of Alabama are generally separated into three degrees and carry the following penalties:
- Theft of Property in the first degree is a Class B felony
- A prison sentence between 2 to 20 years
- Fines not exceeding $10,000
- Theft of Property in the second degree is a Class C felony
- A prison sentence of 2 to 20 years
- Fines not exceeding $5,000
- Theft of property in the third degree is a Class A misdemeanor
- A prison sentence of no less than one year
- Fines not exceeding $6,000
If you or someone you know has been charged with theft of property, it is important that you contact an experienced criminal attorney to handle your case. The attorneys of Boles Holmes White are experienced in a variety of legal matters and have a history of success in the courtroom. Schedule a consultation today.
- Published in Criminal Law
Three Arrested in Dothan Armed Robbery Case
A brief armed robbery investigation by the Dothan Police Department officially concluded on Tuesday night with the arrest of three individuals. According to Police Sergeant Maurice Eggleston, Johnathon Walker and Joshua Marsh were taken into custody around 11:00 p.m. and charged with first-degree armed robbery. Demetrus Heath was arrested earlier in the day and also charged with first-degree armed robbery.
According to investigators, on March 14th a 22 year old male was approached in the 1000 block of South Bell Street and robbed by Heath, Walker, and Marsh. The victim was held at gunpoint by one of the suspects while the other two searched through the victim’s vehicle. The three suspects were able to flee the scene with items belonging to the victim but were later identified.
Dothan Police Lieutenant Will Benny, the supervisor of the criminal investigation division, released a statement confirming that no one had been injured during the robbery.
Police issued warrants for the suspects on March 17th and were able to arrest Heath, 18, during a traffic stop the following day. Walker, 20, and Marsh, 20, were taken into custody after turning themselves in to the Dothan Police Department later that evening.
All three suspects were taken to the Houston County Jail and are being held on $60,000 bail each.
In the state of Alabama, armed robbery is a class A felony with a sentencing range from 10 to 99 years in prison for a first offense. The sentence can be enhanced if the defendant has been convicted of prior felonies.
If you or someone you know has been charged with armed robbery, it is important that you contact an experienced criminal attorney to handle your case. The attorneys of Boles Holmes White are experienced in a variety of legal matters and have a history of success in the courtroom. Schedule a consultation today.
- Published in Criminal Law
Houston County Man Charged with Child Solicitation
Rodney Lynn Reese, 42, of Cowarts, is behind bars following a brief child solicitation investigation conducted by the Dothan Police Department. According to a statement from Dothan Police Sergeant Maurice Eggleston, Reese has been charged with felony electronic solicitation of a child and been taken to the Houston County Jail.
Investigators say on Tuesday March 6th Reese began communicating through a social media website, with a Dothan Police Officer whom he believed was a 14 year old female. During their conversations Reese said that he wanted to perform sexual acts with the 14 year old female and arranged to meet her locally in Dothan. Police took Reese into custody immediately after he arrived at the designated location where he expected to be meeting the girl.
Rodney Reese is currently being held on $75,000 bail.
As with most felonies, the range of punishment can include a deferred or suspended sentence, up to several years in prison. The long-term consequences can be more severe since online solicitation of a minor is considered a sexually related offense and defendants are often required to register as a sex offender. If a defendant fails to register, they can be charged with a new felony offense of failure to register as a sex offender.
If you or someone you know has been charged with child solicitation, it is important that you contact an experienced criminal defense attorney to handle your case. The attorneys of Boles Holmes White are experienced in a variety of legal matters and have a history of success in the courtroom. Schedule a consultation today.
- Published in Criminal Law
What is Child Support?
In Alabama child support is governed by Rule 32 of the Alabama Rules of Judicial Administration. The last revision of the guidelines became effective on January 1, 2009. The main change made was an extension of the guidelines to cover gross monthly income amounts in excess of 10,000.00. Currently the guidelines are calculated to apply to gross combined incomes of up to 20,000.00 per month.
Each parent is responsible for a percentage of the whole amount calculated. This percentage is determined by taking each parent’s monthly gross income and dividing it by the combined gross income of both parents.
Child support is awarded to the custodial parent per the percentage obtained by application of the guidelines and it is designated to meet the everyday basic needs of the minor child. The non-custodial parent will pay this percentage in monthly payments to the custodial parent. The custodial parent is responsible for his or her percentage also.
The “rub” so to speak with child support in Alabama is that even though the custodial parent has a percentage to pay there is no method to determine if that amount of money has been spent for the benefit of the minor child. The non-custodial parent however must be accountable for all payments made and can suffer severe consequences if the child support is not paid. The non-custodial parent may have his or her Alabama Driver’s License suspended, he or she may be held in contempt of court, have wages garnished by a withholding order, or may be placed in jail. In addition the non-custodial parent may not claim the payment of child support as an expense on his or her income taxes and the custodial parent is granted through the guidelines the ability to claim the minor children each year for income tax purposes.
There are only a couple of circumstances where the child support guidelines can be sidestepped and the application be avoided. Those are found in Rule 32 (A)(i)(ii) , and are as follows: “(i) A fair, written agreement between the parties establishing a different amount and stating the reason therefore; or (ii) A determination by the court based upon evidence presented in court and stating the reasons therefore, that application of the guidelines would be manifestly unjust and inequitable.” Rule 32 of the Alabama Rules of Judicable Administration.
These exceptions are not automatic and are at the discretion of the trial Judge in each case. Rarely does the court find that no child support should be awarded. Most Courts will award an amount of child support consistent with the guidelines.
It is also important to note that child support applies to all persons who share a biological child in common. There is not requirement that the parents have to have been married. If a couple has a child out of wedlock and have ceased their relationship the child support guidelines still apply. This is true even if the father is not listed on the birth certificate. The mother may file a petition for child support with the court and have the father appear. A paternity test ordered by the court will determine if the Child is the Father’s and if so the guidelines will be calculated and applied.
In summary, child support in Alabama is rigorously applied and monitored by the courts and other agencies. This is done to ensure that the minor children rather than the parents have sufficient means to live and have basic necessities provided to them by holding the parents responsible for their children and their care.
- Published in Divorce