Alabama town prays for gunman to release 5-yr-old
MIDLAND CITY, Ala. (AP) - This town of 2,400 nestled amid peanut farms and cotton fields has long relied on a strong Christian faith, a policy of "love thy neighbor," and the power of group prayer.
Those beliefs have been strongly in evidence in the six days since a gunman killed a school bus driver, snatched a 5-year-old boy off a bus full of youngsters and fled with his hostage to an underground bunker.
Police say 65-year-old Jim Dykes killed 66-year-old Charles Albert Poland J. before escaping with the kindergartener, who has Asperger's syndrome and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, according to a state lawmaker who has spent time with his mother.
On Sunday, more than 500 people filed into the Civic Center in the nearby town of Ozark to pay their final tribute to Poland, whom they hailed as a hero for protecting the other children on the bus before he was gunned down and the little boy grabbed.
Across the street from Dykes' property, fliers imploring people to pray for the little boy were stuck onto the chain-link fence outside of the Midland City Elementary School, where he is enrolled. The fence also has been adorned with black, white, and red ribbons.
Residents have gathered for candlelight vigils on a nightly basis to pray for the child. And people are hopeful the hostage drama will lead to a renewed faith in God and to a closer-knit community.
"This has drawn a lot of people closer to Christ," said Midland City Mayor Virgil Skipper. "When you get something like this, it always changes things."
Skipper described Midland City as a place where people work, pray and spend time with their families. He said the only other event that shook up the town this badly was in 1963, when a train crashed into a station wagon in the middle of town and 11 members of the same family were killed. Only a 1-year-old girl survived.
"That was the worst thing I can recall, until this," Skipper said.
In a community where neighborly love appears to be the guiding force, the bus driver's death and little boy's kidnapping have both rattled and saddened residents.
"We're devastated this could happen here. We don't know what to think," said Winifred Ramsey, 77, a retired insurance agent who has lived in Midland City since she was 12. "We never thought anything like this would happen. We're just slow-paced and love our neighbors."
Taylor Hodges, the pastor of the Midland City Baptist Church told his congregation on Sunday that, "We're grieving the loss of a way of life here in Midland City. That's what it feels like to a lot of people here."
Despite the trauma, community members had not forgotten their Southern hospitality - and it seemed to be catching.
Across a busy highway from the dirt road leading to Dykes' house, members of a nearby church cooked barbecue for the news media over the weekend.
On Sunday, four FBI agents brought fried chicken.
Those beliefs have been strongly in evidence in the six days since a gunman killed a school bus driver, snatched a 5-year-old boy off a bus full of youngsters and fled with his hostage to an underground bunker.
Police say 65-year-old Jim Dykes killed 66-year-old Charles Albert Poland J. before escaping with the kindergartener, who has Asperger's syndrome and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, according to a state lawmaker who has spent time with his mother.
On Sunday, more than 500 people filed into the Civic Center in the nearby town of Ozark to pay their final tribute to Poland, whom they hailed as a hero for protecting the other children on the bus before he was gunned down and the little boy grabbed.
Across the street from Dykes' property, fliers imploring people to pray for the little boy were stuck onto the chain-link fence outside of the Midland City Elementary School, where he is enrolled. The fence also has been adorned with black, white, and red ribbons.
Residents have gathered for candlelight vigils on a nightly basis to pray for the child. And people are hopeful the hostage drama will lead to a renewed faith in God and to a closer-knit community.
"This has drawn a lot of people closer to Christ," said Midland City Mayor Virgil Skipper. "When you get something like this, it always changes things."
Skipper described Midland City as a place where people work, pray and spend time with their families. He said the only other event that shook up the town this badly was in 1963, when a train crashed into a station wagon in the middle of town and 11 members of the same family were killed. Only a 1-year-old girl survived.
"That was the worst thing I can recall, until this," Skipper said.
In a community where neighborly love appears to be the guiding force, the bus driver's death and little boy's kidnapping have both rattled and saddened residents.
"We're devastated this could happen here. We don't know what to think," said Winifred Ramsey, 77, a retired insurance agent who has lived in Midland City since she was 12. "We never thought anything like this would happen. We're just slow-paced and love our neighbors."
Taylor Hodges, the pastor of the Midland City Baptist Church told his congregation on Sunday that, "We're grieving the loss of a way of life here in Midland City. That's what it feels like to a lot of people here."
Despite the trauma, community members had not forgotten their Southern hospitality - and it seemed to be catching.
Across a busy highway from the dirt road leading to Dykes' house, members of a nearby church cooked barbecue for the news media over the weekend.
On Sunday, four FBI agents brought fried chicken.
Yeah that will help.
 @Techchefpdx Well, you won't.
"Across a busy highway from the dirt road leading to Dykes' house, members of a nearby church cooked barbecue for the news media over the weekend.On Sunday, four FBI agents brought fried chicken."
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I know this is a very serious matter - where I hope they can get a sniper in there to take out the guy, but seriously - these last two sentences cracked me up!! I can just see it now...suits in sunglasses bringing fried chicken to the BBQ. HAHAHAHA!
 @washcomom Yeah...nothing "hahahaha" about anything here, chuckles.
 @tigress  @washcomom I think the point is that it's odd detail. Or foreshadowing. Maybe it's code to the kidnapper that if the coward kills the child, they're gonna cook the chicken with a flamethrower.Â
 @tigress  @Playanekes I said it was a serious matter, and all I was chuckling about was the fact that there was a community BBQ and FBI agents brought fried chicken. It's an odd detail, as Playanekes pointed out.Â
I totally understand that when a child with either autism or Aspbergers are out of routine, things can go very awry. I'm not being insensitive to the boy, at all. I think this story hit a little too close to your heart to stand back and see it for what it was.Â
 @Playanekes  @washcomom I have no problem with dark humor, in fact, I love it. But as the mother of a son with Asperger's, I know that even the slightest deviation from routine for kids with autism is horrifying. This situation? This poor kid is experiencing terror that is off the charts, ten times worse than a kid without autism. All he wants is his mom. Thing is, if he's terrified right now, that's a good thing because it means the little guy is still alive.Â
@washcomom How would a sniper shoot someone in a bunker?
 @Oregon7812 Well - they got him! He's dead, and by whatever means, he was taken out.Â
@washcomom Probably a sniper.
Oh man prayer, why didn't I think of that. Â That always works!
I wonder if they could wait until the middle of the night and drop some sleeping gas into the vent and get them out?
 @Pointblank They've got a vent. Hook a tailpipe up to it. The kid is younger and will live longer, but you don't have to kill them, just wait long enough for them to become lethargic and sleepy.The Romans would have just filled it up with water and watched what floated out.
What a creepy town. Sounds like the beginning of a horror movie or novel about a spooky cult.
 @I_Miss Steven King is already figuring out how to make a million-dollar novel out of it.
 @I_Miss That creepy town as you call it used to be all over the country! We where raised to care about our family, friends and neighbors.. it was ok to hug friends and family - people where actually close and cared about each other. Unlike today with all the nasty minds and uncaring pc male cow bowel matter.. Â
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Yeah, looking out for each other and have a purpose in life sounds horrible.
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 @Dr. Rawdog That's a fact.Too easy, man.
 @Dr. Rawdog Ha ha very funny...almost as funny as the title of the news using the word GUN in it when it should be crazy man holds kid hostage not gun man holds kid hostage. However we know that KATU is biased like most media so not that a slant like that would not be expected...