crime

Timothy Vess Benton, who was indicted last month on two felony violations of Alabama’s Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, has been released from the Fayette County Jail after his bond was reduced from $1 million to $25,000. Circuit Judge Ben A. Fuller granted Benton’s motion to reduce bond Friday, Sept. 4. The State of Alabama opposed the request.

A Fayette County grand jury has indicted Timothy Vess Benton on two counts of violating Alabama’s Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), and he was arrested Aug. 4 by investigators with the Alabama Attorney General’s Office. Benton was booked into the Fayette County Jail, where his bond was set at $1 million. The new charges stem from events following a June 2025 ruling by Circuit Judge Samuel W. Junkin that modified Benton’s original sentence.

What began as a routine session of Fayette Municipal Court on July 21 turned into a violent confrontation that left a Fayette police officer hospitalized after a defendant allegedly assaulted two officers while resisting arrest. According to arrest records, Gregory Steven Vaughn, 52, of Winfield, was charged with second-degree assault, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and violation of a protection-from-abuse order following the incident. The altercation occurred Tuesday evening during a packed municipal court session at Fayette City Hall.

Alex Navey Cochran, 20, was booked into the Fayette County Jail on July 20 on six counts of attempted murder. His arrest follows the arrest of his father, Charles Emmanuel Cochran, on July 9 for the same charges. No additional information about the case has been released. The investigation is ongoing.

The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office and Berry Police Department were among several law enforcement agencies that participated in a large, multi-county investigation that resulted in the execution of 12 search warrants and the seizure of more than 1,500 kratom products on July 23. According to a press release from the 25th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, investigators from multiple local, state and regional agencies carried out search warrants at locations in Marion, Winston, Fayette, Walker, Jefferson, St. Clair, Etowah and Calhoun counties.

The investigation that ended Friday with Wendy Pamela Jean Bailey receiving two consecutive life sentences began with what initially appeared to be a tragic traffic accident. On Dec. 8, 2024, emergency responders were called to a single-vehicle crash on County Road 73 near the Glen Allen community. The crash claimed the lives of Steven Collins and the couple’s two-year-old daughter, Ryleigh Collins. Wendy Bailey survived after suffering serious injuries and being airlifted to UAB Hospital.

Charles Emmanuel Cochran, 41, was booked into the Fayette County Jail on July 9 on six counts of attempted murder and one count of parole violation. No additional information about the case had been released at press time as the investigation is ongoing. 

A Winfield woman charged in connection with the abuse of one-year-old Kahleb Collins was sentenced Friday to two consecutive life terms after pleading guilty in Fayette County Circuit Court. Wendy Pamela Jean Bailey, 24, pleaded guilty to first-degree domestic violence and aggravated child abuse of a child under the age of six. According to the 24th Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office, life imprisonment is the maximum sentence authorized for each offense under Alabama law.

A Fayette man arrested last year on child pornography charges has pleaded guilty and been sentenced to prison. Ernest Alford Cargile, 67, entered a guilty plea April 13 to possession with intent to distribute child pornography. According to court records, Cargile was sentenced to 20 years in the custody of the Alabama Department of Corrections. The sentence is to be served in full, with credit for 314 days already served. Cargile will also be required to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).

While illegal drugs remain a serious concern in Fayette County, Chief Deputy and Investigator Branndon Collins says recent trends point to progress with drug arrests down, fatal overdoses declining and more resources available than ever for enforcement and recovery. Collins, who serves on both the State Drug Task Force and the Homeland Security Task Force of Birmingham, said Fayette County continues to contend primarily with methamphetamine and marijuana, while fentanyl, though present, has not reached the levels seen in some neighboring counties.