CREOLA CHIEF: OFFICER JUSTIFIED IN SHOOTING

District Attorney Says Suspect Anthony Presnall Likely Will Face Charges In
Mobile County Today

A Creola police sergeant who shot and wounded a drug suspect Sunday appears
to have done everything by the book, said Mobile County District Attorney
John Tyson Jr.

"There's not a question in this instance of officer misconduct," Tyson
said, adding that at this point he has no plans to bring the case to a
grand jury.

Sgt. Jimmy Richardson shot Anthony Presnall, 21, of Wagarville, in the
shoulder as Presnall tried to run him over while fleeing a drug sting,
police said.

Creola Police Chief Mike Williams also backed Richardson, an 11-year
veteran of the force who is also the department's firearms instructor.
Richardson remains on normal duty, Williams said, though he has also been
given the choice of taking a couple days off.

"I can clearly see it's a justified shooting," Williams said. "The thing
I'm concerned about is his well-being. You can tell, I guess, the stress
has hit him now. He didn't want to shoot the guy. He had to or get killed
himself because (Presnall) was definitely using the vehicle as a deadly
weapon."

Presnall tested positive for cocaine use, Williams said. Presnall has not
been charged yet in Mobile County, though Tyson said he probably will be today.

Richardson, through Williams, said he preferred not to comment Monday.

Meanwhile, Presnall was released from the hospital and is being held at the
Washington County Jail pending court action on a burglary charge.
Washington County deputies suspect he was one of three people involved in
two burglaries at the BP gas station on U.S. 43 in Wagarville, said Deputy
Preston Jones.

Investigators arranged a drug buy in order to arrest him on the burglary
charges, police said. Jones said Presnall knew he was a suspect and would
not return to Washington County.

The arrest meant that only one suspect was still at large, Jones said. But
not for long.

In the aftermath of the sting, police officers were standing near the gray
van Presnall was driving when a car pulled up with three occupants who
wanted to know what happened to the van and where Presnall was.

"I went back there to look, and lo and behold, there's our other burglary
suspect," Jones said.

That was Steven Craig Hoven, 24, who was taken into custody on burglary and
theft charges, police said. The other two occupants were wanted on other
warrants.

One of them, Presnall's older brother, Johnathan Shane Presnall, 28, was
wanted on a trespassing warrant from the Jackson Police Department. The
third, Amanda Brook Sullivan, had a warrant from Washington County for
failing to pay a court fine, according to the Sheriff's Department.

Police found a pistol in the car, Williams said -- a possible violation of
state law for the older Presnall, who, being a convicted felon, is not
supposed to possess a firearm.