Clanton to hire probation officers

Published 4:42 pm Tuesday, January 10, 2012

The Clanton City Council approved hiring the city’s first probation officers at Monday night’s meeting.

The council voted to hire Tera Mayfield and Wade Johnson to the new positions.

The officers will help keep tabs on the roughly 190 people on probation any given month and make sure court fines, fees and restitution are paid, Police Chief Brian Stilwell said.

The officers will check in with people on probation monthly and make sure all court orders are being followed. The ultimate goal is to get people off probation, Stilwell said.

In other business, the council took the following actions:

•Appointed Dan Nolen, Bonny Smith and Richard Moore to another six-year term on the Chilton County Industrial Development Board.

•Transferred the Edgars Southwestern Grill liquor license to Rene Gore. Gore had the license before she sold the restaurant and wanted it back, Mayor Billy Joe Driver said.

•Approved sending Fire Chief David Driver to the Alabama Fire Chief College next month in Tuscaloosa.

•Approved sending Stilwell to the Winter Alabama Police Chief’s Conference in Huntsville.

•Hired Erick Smitherman as a detective-lieutenant with the police department. He comes to the department from the Chilton County Sheriff’s Office.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story mixed up Johnson’s and Smitherman’s previous employment.