A Cullman County grand jury has indicted five officers from the Hanceville Police Department, along with a spouse of one of the officers, leading to their arrests on multiple charges.
Cullman District Attorney Champ Crocker made the announcement during a Wednesday afternoon press conference, alongside Cullman County Sheriff Matt Gentry.
“With these indictments, these officers find themselves on the opposite end of the laws they were sworn to uphold. Wearing a badge is a privilege and an honor, and the most law enforcement officers take seriously. A badge is not a license to corrupt the administration of justice, and when law enforcement officers abuse their power, they do damage to the public’s trust in law enforcement,” said Crocker.
He continued, “Our law enforcement officers in this county put their lives on the line every day to protect the citizens. And those officers who would break the law diminish the sacrifices of the overwhelming majority of officers who protect and serve, and when law enforcement officers do not meet the standard that they should, they will be held accountable.”
The grand jury recommended the Hanceville Police Department to be immediately disbanded, calling it “more of a criminal organization than a law enforcement agency.”
The indicted individuals and their respective charges are as follows:
Jason Shane Marlin, 51, the Hanceville Police Chief, faces charges of two counts of failure to report an ethics crime and tampering with evidence.
Court records indicate that Marlin is accused of improperly handling or removing evidence from the department’s evidence room. Additionally, documents allege that he failed to report officers Cody Kelso and Jason Wilbanks for ethics violations despite being informed by the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI).
Cody Alan Kelso, 33, has been charged with two counts of computer tampering, two counts of using his office for personal gain, tampering with evidence, and two counts of solicitation to commit a controlled substance crime.
According to court records, Kelso allegedly solicited anabolic steroids from Eric and Donna Kelso. He is also accused of removing or mishandling evidence from the department’s evidence room and traveling to a local hospital while on duty to receive steroid injections from Donna Kelso.
Jason Scott Wilbanks, 37, is facing the same charges as Kelso: two counts of computer tampering, two counts of using his office for personal gain, tampering with evidence, and two counts of solicitation to commit a controlled substance crime.
Court records suggest Wilbanks used a department-issued phone to obtain controlled substances from Eric and Donna Kelso. He is also accused of visiting a local hospital while on duty to receive steroid injections from Donna Kelso.
Additionally, records state Wilbanks accessed police department computers to gather information on two individuals, referred to as John Doe and Jane Doe, which he then allegedly shared with a co-conspirator. Like Kelso, Wilbanks is accused of mishandling or removing evidence from the department’s evidence room and soliciting anabolic steroids and hydrocodone from Eric and Donna Kelso.
William Andrew Shellnutt, 39, has been charged with tampering with evidence. Court records state that Shelnutt allegedly mishandled or removed evidence from the Hanceville Police Department’s evidence room.
Eric Michael Kelso, 44, is facing four counts of unlawful distribution of a controlled substance and two counts of conspiracy to unlawfully distribute a controlled substance.
According to court documents, he is accused of distributing Adderall and hydrocodone, as well as working with his wife, Donna Kelso, to supply anabolic steroids to Jason Wilbanks and Cody Kelso.
Donna Reid Kelso, 63, the spouse of Eric Kelso, faces two counts of unlawful distribution of a controlled substance and two counts of conspiracy to unlawfully distribute a controlled substance.
Court records indicate that she worked alongside her husband to provide anabolic steroids to both Jason Wilbanks and Cody Kelso.
Authorities have also linked these allegations to the overdose death of Christopher Willingham, a Hanceville 911 dispatcher who passed away in August 2024. His death has been described as a consequence of the department’s “negligence and disregard for life.”
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During the press conference, District Attorney Crocker voiced concerns over the security of the department’s evidence room.
“One of the most concerning things that we discovered in this process was that Hanceville Police Department’s evidence room was not secure,” Crocker stated. “Criminal evidence must be secured in order to have that evidence for prosecution and to ensure due process. This evidence room was anything but secure.”
To illustrate the point, Crocker presented a photo of the evidence room, highlighting a hole in the door and a broom leaning against the wall.
“This is someone who works there, and you can see this individual has this stick in his hand and is pushing it in the door, in the hole to jimmy open the door, and the grand jury watched a lot of videos, this is from security camera footage, showing this evidence room was routinely accessed by individuals who were not authorized to do so, going in and out using the stick through the hole in the wall,” he explained.
Another image displayed an individual with their head and upper body through the hole, attempting to unlock the door. Crocker described such incidents as “quite a common occurrence.”
In response to these concerns, Hanceville’s municipal judge has requested a state audit of the evidence room to assess the extent of compromised evidence.
“Some of those cases are in the Municipal Court of Hanceville. Some of those cases, if they’re felonies, are cases that we handle in state court. We are going to begin a review process of all those cases. We will look at those on a case by case basis. I am not optimistic about the ability to prosecute cases with hampered evidence,” said Crocker.
He also noted that Willingham accessed the evidence room on the day of his death and was found with evidence in his office. While no charges have been filed in connection to his death, the coroner has ruled it an accident.
Sheriff Gentry mentioned that while the City of Hanceville has not formally requested assistance from the Sheriff’s Office, discussions about intervention are already underway.
“I’ve already spoke with the Chairman of the County Commission. We’ve already started negotiations with the leadership in Hanceville to see what it would look like, but we would take over all responsibilities from patrol in that area, investigation in that area, dispatch and the jail,” said Sheriff Gentry.
Hanceville’s Mayor and Council released an official statement reacting to the arrests and indictments:
The City of Hanceville is committed to providing its citizens with the best possible community. Our City Council, Public Works Department, Fire Department, Parks and Recreation Department, City Hall, and all other divisions work diligently to create a city we can all be proud of. Unfortunately, the Hanceville Police Department has fallen short in its mission to serve the people.
As mayor, alongside the City Council, I assure you that we will continue to fully cooperate with all investigations and authorities. The people of Hanceville deserve full transparency regarding the extent of these issues. The Council will carefully consider all recommendations and act swiftly and decisively to address the problems within the Police Department. Our citizens, industries, and businesses deserve a resolution, and we will pursue and implement the necessary corrective actions openly and aggressively. We deeply regret the negative impact this situation has had on our community and the hard-working employees of our city.
The City of Hanceville employs many dedicated individuals across various departments who provide quality services to our citizens and Cullman County. It is unfortunate that the actions of a few have tarnished our city’s good name. Those entrusted with serving and protecting our community must be individuals of integrity and honor. While the vast majority of police officers and deputies are dedicated public servants, the misconduct of a few casts a shadow on the profession. Such individuals must be held accountable without delay. We will uncover the truth, and justice will be served.
I have spoken with District Attorney Crocker and informed him of our agreement that the evidence room should be audited by the appropriate authorities. At this time, I am unable to comment further, as we do not want to jeopardize the ongoing investigations or hinder the prosecution of those responsible.
Following the indictments and arrests, Hanceville’s Mayor and City Council released a statement addressing the situation.
All six individuals voluntarily turned themselves in to authorities and have since been released on bond.
This story will be updated as more details emerge.
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