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Alabama sheriff requests FBI probe into alleged sex assault at youth detention facility

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Alabama sheriff requests FBI probe into alleged sex assault at youth detention facility


Alabama sheriff officials have asked the FBI to investigate possible civil rights violations after two youth detention employees were charged with sexually assaulting minors at a facility, authorities said Monday.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department was notified of “potential criminal behavior” at the county’s youth detention facility on Wednesday, according to Assistant Chief Deputy Wesley Richerson. The sheriff’s department immediately opened an investigation and discovered that two detention officers had allegedly sexually assaulted two different boys on separate occasions, Richerson said.

That same day, sheriff’s deputies arrested Kentavious Miller, 32, and charged him with first-degree sexual abuse, according to Richerson. Deputies then arrested another detention officer, Labradford Jamell Armistad, 35, on Friday and charged him with seven counts of first-degree sodomy.

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“This is an extremely disturbing situation, and to be frank, I’m absolutely appalled at what the evidence has revealed in this case,” Richerson said during a news conference Monday.

Richerson noted that the investigation is still ongoing. While the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department remains the lead on the probe, Richerson said the sheriff’s department requested the FBI to open a criminal investigation into possible civil rights violations.

Both the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office and state prosecutors were also contacted about the investigation “because these allegations involve victims that are in custody,” Richerson said.

“Simply put, we will not tolerate those who abuse their abuse their positions to harm others, and we will ensure that all suspects are held accountable in this case,” Richerson added.

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Youth detention officers accused of sexual assault

During the investigation, the sheriff’s department learned that around Dec. 15 a “male juvenile detainee was sexually abused by a detention officer inside the facility,” according to Richerson. Investigators then obtained statements and evidence that led to the arrest of Miller.

Charging documents obtained by news outlet AL.com and television station WSFA alleged that Miller had entered a cell assigned to a 14-year-old boy, approached him while he was lying on a bed, and sexually assaulted him.

Investigators also found evidence that another minor was “sexually assaulted while he was previously incarcerated inside the facility,” Richerson said. He alleged that Armistad sexually assaulted a “male juvenile detainee while he was in his custody.”

Both Miller and Armistad are no longer employed at the youth detention facility, according to Richerson. Before their arrests, Miller had worked at the facility for about five months while Armistad had been employed at the facility for about five years.

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Miller was taken to the Montgomery County Detention Facility after his arrest on Wednesday and was initially held on a $7,500 bond, according to WSFA and AL.com. He was later released on bond.

Armistad remains in custody without bond, Richerson said.

Youth detention facilities across the U.S. under scrutiny

The charges in Alabama are the latest in a wave of cases and lawsuits involving youth detention facilities across the country. Allegations of abuse and neglect have sprung up in several states in recent years, including Texas, Kentucky, Ohio, and Illinois.

In a report released last year, the U.S. Department of Justice examined substantiated incidents from 2013 through 2018 and found that most juvenile detention staff who sexually victimized children faced no legal repercussions for their actions.

An eight-month investigation by USA TODAY’s Network of Ohio newspapers last year exposed years of oppressive lockdowns, deadly violence, and chronic understaffing in the state’s youth prison system. Earlier this year, two teenagers filed a class-action lawsuit against a Kentucky youth detention center and its administrators, claiming that they were subjected to oppressive isolation, denied basic hygiene, showers, and medications, and forced to listen to a toddler song.

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Back in May, a lawsuit was filed on behalf of 95 people who claimed that staff at youth detention centers throughout Illinois sexually abused them from 1996 to 2017 when they were between the ages of 12 and 17. Months later, the Department of Justice concluded that five Texas juvenile detention centers violated children’s constitutional and civil rights.

The department said the detention centers — which housed children between the ages of 10 and 17 — exposed children to excessive force, failed to protect them from sexual abuse, and deprived them of basic needs. The centers also discriminated against children with disabilities by denying them “reasonable modifications to complete programs required for their release,” as well as equal opportunity to education, according to the department.

Contributing: Tami Abdollah and Minnah Arshad, USA TODAY; Alex Gladden, Montgomery Advertiser; Bianca Moreno-Paz, Austin American-Statesman



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Alabama Shakes Set Spring 2026 Tour Dates

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Alabama Shakes Set Spring 2026 Tour Dates


Alabama Shakes have lined up a string of North American tour dates for 2026. Brittany Howard and the band’s spring run includes multiple stops in Florida and a concluding two-night stint at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Denver, Colorado. Check out the new dates, plus their previously announced festival shows, European itinerary, and Zach Bryan support dates, below.

Support for the headline shows comes from Joy Oladokun, Mon Rovîa, Lamont Landers, and JJ Grey & Mofro. For every ticket sold, $1 will go towards nonprofits around the United States via the Alabama Shakes Fund, a press release notes. There is, as yet, no word on a follow-up to the band’s 2015 album, Sound & Color, but they did sign to Island this year and release their first single since that record.

Alabama Shakes:

04-16 Richmond, VA – Allianz Amphitheater at Riverfront ~
04-17 Asheville, NC – ExploreAsheville.com Arena ~
04-18 Charleston, SC – High Water Fest
04-22 Memphis, TN – Grind City Amphitheater +
04-24 Atlanta, GA – Synovus Bank Amphitheater at Chastain Park +
04-25 Raleigh, NC – Red Hat Amphitheater +
04-26 St. Augustine, FL – St. Augustine Amphitheatre %
04-28 Tallahassee, FL – Adderley Amphitheater %
04-29 Boca Raton, FL – Sunset Cove Amphitheater %
04-30 Clearwater, FL – The BayCare Sound %
05-02 New Orleans, LA – New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
05-24 Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre #
05-25 Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre #
06-13 Manchester, Tennessee – Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival
07-01 Leeds, England – Millennium Square
07-02 Wasing, England – On the Mount at Wasing
07-03 London, England – Alexandra Palace *
07-05 Ghent, Belgium – Gent Jazz Festival
07-07 Lucca, Italy – Summer Festival
07-09 Lisbon, Portugal – NOS Alive Festival
07-10 Bilbao, Spain – BBK Live
07-11 Madrid, Spain – Noches del Botanico
07-25 Eugene, OR – Autzen Stadium ^
09-19 Dover, DE – The Woodlands ^

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~ with Joy Oladokun
+ with Mon Rovîa
% with Lamont Landers
# with JJ Grey & Mofro
* with Tyler Ballgame
^ supporting Zach Bryan



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Jacob Crews scores 20 for Missouri in 85-77 win over Alabama State

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Jacob Crews scores 20 for Missouri in 85-77 win over Alabama State


COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Jacob Crews scored 20, and Anthony Robinson II added 19 in Missouri’s 85-77 win over Alabama State on Thursday night.

Crews shot 7 of 9 from the field, including 6 of 8 from the 3-point arc. Mark Mitchell added 15 points for Missouri (9-2), and Sebastian Mack added 10.

The Tigers had a 15-0 run in the first half, heading into the locker room up 52-39. Alabama State was held scoreless over a 4:19 drought in the middle of the second half to open a 9-0 run for the Tigers. The Hornets (3-8) responded with their own 10-0 run to bring the game within eight, 74-62. The Tigers regained control, though, to keep their eight-point lead the rest of the game, handing Alabama State their fourth loss in a row.

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The Tigers shot 65% (33 of 51). Both teams shot 50% from the free-throw line.

Alabama State outscored Missouri in the final period, 38-33. Asjon Anderscon scored 23 for the Hornets, leading all players in scoring.

Up next

Missouri hosts Bethune-Cookman on Dec. 14.

Alabama State travels to Cincinnati to face the Bearcats on Dec. 17.

___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

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Katie Windham Highlights Alabama Areas of Improvement on The Joe Gaither Show

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Katie Windham Highlights Alabama Areas of Improvement on The Joe Gaither Show


Let’s crank up a Thursday edition of “The Joe Gaither Show on BamaCentral” with Mason Woods and Katie Windham as we start getting ready for next week’s College Football Playoff game between Alabama and Oklahoma. Windham detailed how the Crimson Tide can improve over the next few weeks, we discuss the team’s health and look back at our last road trip to Norman. The show then discusses the Heisman Trophy finalists before addressing a Kalen DeBoer coaching rumor.

The program opens by power ranking the holidays before discussing Windham’s three areas the Crimson Tide can improve over the next week. Our trio picks the easiest area the team can improve and how Alabama must perform in Norman. Windham details our last trip to Oklahoma as we go down memory lane to the Sooners’ 24-3 victory last season.

The show continues on by getting Windham’s thoughts on Alabama’a College Football Playoff selection and if the Crimson Tide actually deserved its place in the field. She brings up a unique aspect of Alabama’s blowout loss in the SEC Championship and how it played into the program’s inclusion in the College Football Playoffs.

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We move from next week’s game into a small discussion on Notre Dame’s reaction of being left out of the field and how it relates to Alabama’s future home-and-home dates with the Fighting Irish. Will the two esteemed programs still face off in a few years?

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The show heads into the only college football action of the weekend by highlighting the strong Heisman Trophy finalist field. Who brings home the bronze statue?

Lastly, we spend the final bit of the show talking about Michigan firing Sherrone Moore and the reports of the Wolverines considering persuing Kalen DeBeor for their next head coach. Will DeBoer leave Tuscaloosa for Ann Arbor?

We’re so appreciative of our sponsors who make the show possible. Check out Derek Daniel State Farm in Alabama for your insurance needs. We’re also proud to partner with Purple Turtle Roofing on the program. From your first call to the final nail, our mission is to make sure you feel confident, cared for, and covered, literally.

Call (205) 462-7340 Extension 800 to leave your thoughts in a voicemail, and you’ll be featured on the show. You can also join us live in the comment sections Monday through Friday at 8:15 a.m. CT.

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The show can be seen on the BamaCentral YouTube channel. Keep up with each show on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. Shows can also be heard on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon.


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