Atmore man charged with stalking, improperly touching female
By DON FLETCHER
News Staff Writer
The following felony arrests were reported by officers of the Atmore Police Department (APD) during the period December 12-16:
Anthony Montgomery
An investigation that began December 5 into reports that an Atmore man had been following a female employee of a local business for several days and had improperly touched her on at least one occasion, culminated in the man’s December 16 arrest.
An APD investigator determined that Montgomery, 53, was the man who allegedly committed the crimes, and arrest warrants were obtained charging him with first-degree sexual abuse, a Class C felony, and second-degree stalking, a Class B misdemeanor.
Under Alabama law, a person commits the crime of sexual abuse in the first degree if he or she subjects another person to sexual contact, which is defined as “the intentional touching of the sexual or other intimate parts of a person.”
A person commits the crime of stalking in the second degree if he or she, “acting with an improper purpose, intentionally and repeatedly follows, harasses, telephones, or initiates communication …with another person …or causes such person to reasonably fear that his/her employment, business, or career is threatened, and the perpetrator was previously informed to cease that conduct.”
Montgomery remained in the Escambia County Detention Center (ECDC) Friday, December 20.
Derek Staples
Staples was arrested December 12 on felony drug charges after police who responded to a reported “disturbance involving a firearm,” found several dozen grams of synthetic cannabis (Spice) in the ATV he was driving.
According to police reports, officers were sent to a Woods Road location in response to the reported gun-related incident. On the way there, an update notified them that one of the people involved in the disturbance had left in an all-terrain vehicle. The caller also gave a description of the suspect.
A patrol officer spotted the ATV as it moved along Woods Road and conducted a traffic stop. The operator, later identified as the 36-year-old Atmore man, reportedly gave his consent to a search of the ATV, and police discovered the Spice, along with a digital scale and numerous plastic baggies.
Staples was arrested on charges of drug trafficking and possession of drug paraphernalia. Jail records show he was still behind bars Friday, December 20.
Clifford Lewis
Lea Mathis
The two Pensacola, Fla. residents were arrested December 12 on numerous drug charges after an officer pulled their vehicle over when he saw it swerving as it traveled along Alabama 21.
The pullover happened around 11:25 p.m. and led to the arrest of Lewis, 59, who was driving, and his lone passenger, 35-year-old Mathis.
The reporting officer noted that Lewis “appeared to be under the influence,” and the Pensacola man’s inability to pass field sobriety tests confirmed those suspicions. Things only got worse for the couple from that point.
A check of Mathis’ ID showed she was the subject of several outstanding APD misdemeanor warrants. A K9 unit was called, the dog “alerted” on the vehicle, and a probable cause search revealed more than 10 grams of methamphetamine and several grams of fentanyl, as well as a digital scale and items used to ingest narcotics.
Lewis was booked into the ECDC on charges of DUI-controlled substance, drug trafficking, possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Mathis was charged with the same offenses, except for DUI.
Both remained in the ECDC Friday, December 20, under bonds of $1.5 million each.
Latoric Barron
The 37-year-old Atmore man’s past pot use caught up with him December 12, when he was arrested on a felony marijuana possession charge despite being in possession of only a small amount of the illegal weed at the time.
Barron’s vehicle was pulled over for an “improper lane usage violation” around 8:35 a.m. as it was being driven along Northgate Drive. As the officer approached the vehicle to speak with Barron, its only occupant, he “detected a strong odor of marijuana.”
That led to a probable cause search that turned up “a small amount of marijuana and multiple burned marijuana blunts,” which would usually lead to a misdemeanor possession charge.
However, Barron has previous convictions for pot-related offenses, and was charged with first-degree possession of marijuana, a Class D felony under the circumstances.
ECDC records show he was released from the facility on December 13.