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Cullman County District Attorney Champ Crocker announced
Wednesday that a grand jury had indicted Hanceville Police Chief
Jason Marlin and four of his officers on a variety of charges
that included accusations of mishandling or removing evidence
from the department’s evidence room.
“This is a sad day for law enforcement, but at the same time it
is a good day for the rule of law,” Crocker said during a news
conference.
The grand jury also issued a series of scathing findings about
the department following an investigation that included looking
at video of the department’s evidence room.
“There is a rampant culture of corruption in the Hanceville
Police Department that has recently operated as more of a
criminal enterprise than a law enforcement agency,” the grand
jury reported. Hanceville is small city of 3,200 people about 45
miles (72 km) north of Birmingham.
Crocker said one of the most concerning things was that there
was “unfettered access” to the department’s evidence room. He
showed photos of a hole in the wall and a green broomstick that
was used to “jimmy open” the door.
The grand jury found that the departmental negligence played a
role in the 2024 death of a dispatcher who was found dead at
work from a suspected drug overdose. Crocker did not elaborate
on the finding, but he said that “nothing was secure about the
evidence room” and the dispatcher had access to it on his final
day of work.
Three of the officers were charged with drug-related crimes, but
Crocker said that did not involve drugs held in the evidence
room. One of the officers was charged with providing hydrocodone
and steroids to other people, according to court records.
Court records did not show if Marlin has an attorney to speak on
his behalf. A text message sent to a possible phone number
listed for him was not immediately returned.
Hanceville Mayor Jimmy Sawyer issued a statement saying that the
city council will consider the grand jury’s recommendations and
will “act swiftly and decisively to address the problems within
the Police Department.”
“It is unfortunate that the actions of a few have tarnished our
city’s good name,‘’ Sawyer said.
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