District Attorney Houston says fight efforts lacking
By Marty Roney
Montgomery AdvertiserPRATTVILLE -- Elmore County education officials have come under fire for their efforts in rounding up participants in a Feb. 1 fight at a basketball game at Prattville High School.
Houston
Autauga education officials seem to have taken the fight "more seriously" than their counterparts in Elmore County, said District Attorney Randall Houston, who serves Autauga, Chilton and Elmore counties. Prattville teachers and administrators have readily turned over to Prattville police names of students identified on video as participants in the fight, he said.
"It appears Elmore school officials haven't taken that same approach," said Houston. "You have to send a strong message when something like this happens."
The fight, which began during a girls basketball game between Prattville and Stanhope Elmore high schools, involved more than 90 people and has resulted in 21 arrests. Of those, only five are Stanhope Elmore students and four others are non-students from Elmore County.
The fight captured national media attention. The video, which depicts the fight spilling out of a balcony and onto the gym floor, aired on network broadcasts, including NBC's "Today Show."
FIGHT ARRESTS
Twenty-one arrests have been made following the Feb. 1 brawl at the Stanhope Elmore High-Prattville High basketball game and a fight that occurred Jan. 16 at a Prattville fast-food restaurant. The altercation at the restaurant was the cause of the fight at the game, police say. Those arrested have been charged with misdemeanors. All adults were released on $500 bonds. The juveniles were released to parents or guardians.
Restaurant arrests
* Leander Morris 19, of Millbrook, harassment
* Christopher Deaundrey 18, of Elmore, harassment
* Johnnie Leeanozg Davis 18, of Coosada, harassment
* 17-year-old: of Coosada, criminal mischief
Game arrests
* Leander Morris 19, of Millbrook, disorderly conduct
* Travis Darnell Williams 19, of Prattville, disorderly conduct
* Michael Jarrod Anderson 18, of Prattville, disorderly conduct
* Cordic Lovelle Coleman 18, of Prattville, disorderly conduct
* Johnnie Leeanozg Davis 18, of Coosada, disorderly conduct
* Ronnie Lamar Young, Jr., 18, of Elmore, disorderly conduct
* 17-year-old: failure to obey a police officer
* Two 17-year-olds: disorderly conduct
* Six 16-year-old: disorderly conduct
* Two 15-year-olds: disorderly conduct
Source: Prattville Police DepartmentThe brawl overwhelmed the four Prattville officers on duty in the gym, and police responded in force when the call for backup was issued. Officers used electric stun guns in the effort to gain control of the situation.
Although parents, teachers, administrators all have called for swift action in identifying and arresting participants, just three students from Stanhope Elmore have been disciplined. The three were sent to alternative school, said Elmore County Schools Superintendent Jeff Langham.
Langham, who said dozens of teachers and administrators have reviewed video tapes of the fight, disagreed that the county system has been lax in its response.
"It's most disheartening that perception is out there," he said. "We have taken this incident very seriously. We are gravely concerned about what happened, but have had limited results in identifying any students that may have been involved."
Louie Fryer, principal at Stanhope Elmore, did not return numerous calls seeking comment.
Most of the Elmore County residents who have been charged were identified by the Prattville Police Department, said Millbrook Chief Kenneth Bradley. Stanhope-Elmore is in Millbrook.
Bradley said his department sent a few names to Prattville police, but added that unless the students have been involved in juvenile cases, his officers and investigators had trouble identifying them.
"I find it hard to believe that teachers can't identify students," said Tina Glass, a PHS parent who was at the game when the fight occurred. "The day after the fight, my teenage daughter came home with the names of who was going to be arrested from Prattville. She knew the names before the police made the arrests.
"If a 16-year-old knows what's going on, teachers at Stanhope should know who's involved."
Elmore officials have sought the public's help in trying to come up with names, Langham said
"We'll play the video for anyone who may be able to tell us who was involved," he said.
"What you have to keep in mind is this incident happened in Prattville," Langham said. "There are going to be more Prattville students involved. If it had happened at Stanhope, we'd be looking down that barrel instead."
Police think the fight had its roots in an altercation between students from the schools that happened two weeks before at a Prattville fast-food restaurant.
The fight after the basketball game started in the upper portion of the seats at the Prattville gym. Officers broke up that fight in about 45 seconds, but when they were escorting people from the gym the fight started again. At its height, officials estimate about 90 people were involved, fighting on the gym floor and hurling chairs. The basketball game was cancelled in the wake of the fight.
