Police need to find witness
Published 12:00 am Monday, July 7, 2003
The Linden Police Department still needs help putting together a case against Willie Thomas Marshall in a wreck last week that nearly paralyzed one man and sent three others to Bryan Whitfield Memorial Hospital in Demopolis.
On Tuesday, July 1, Marshall, 48, of Linden, ran over four people when he drove his car onto a curb. His blood alcohol level was nearly two times the legal limit.
One person who apparently knows nothing about what really happened is Marshall. After running his car over four bystanders, the suspect kept driving with a shattered windshield and somehow found his way to his niece’s house.
Though Linden Police likely would have found Marshall in due time, Marshall’s niece told police that she decided to drive her uncle to the Marengo County Detention Center.
Only one of the victims was over the age of 18. Juvenile names are not supposed to be released in media, but a 19-year-old, Carlton Gray, was seriously injured in the accident.
According to McClure, Gray broke his femur in two places, broke the tibia in his left leg, and he sustained head injuries. Gray was initially taken to Bryan Whitfield Memorial Hospital in Demopolis where doctors ordered that he be air-lifted to DCH Hospital in Tuscaloosa. However, a persistent thunderstorm Tuesday night made it impossible for a helicopter crew to come to Demopolis, and Gray was transported by ambulance to DCH.
Initially, doctors feared that Gray had suffered injuries that would lead to paralysis. On Friday, McClure said he heard from sources in Linden that Gray was regaining feeling in his lower extremities.
After the wreck, Marshall was charged with two counts of felony assault, two counts of assault-two, DUI and felony leaving the scene of an accident. His bond was posted at $15,000.
While McClure said he’s confident in the evidence his has compiled, he and Linden Police Chief Jeff Laduron both believe there is a witness who saw the accident.
If anyone has information about the accident, McClure asked that they call the Linden Police Department at (334) 295-8697.