Butler County Alabama

Kidnapper arrested in Butler County sentenced to 32 years in prison

MONTGOMERY, AL (WSFA) - A kidnapping suspect arrested in Butler County back in April 2010 has been sentenced to 32 years behind bars for forcing his ex-fiancee and their children into a car at gunpoint and making them to drive from New Orleans into Alabama so they could "start a new life."

Therral Hatfield Sr., 26 of Jefferson, Louisiana, was convicted after a three day trial in November 2010. According to court documents, Hatfield lured his former fiancee, 29-year-old Latasha Hill into a car and pointed a loaded gun at their two-year-old son, ordering her to drive in response to a recent break-up. The couple's wedding website says they were set to be married on September 18, 2010,  the kidnapping occurred just five months prior on April 21.

Documents explain that Hatfield forced Hill and their two children to drive from Louisiana through Mississippi and into Alabama over a 6 hour period. Hatfield allegedly told officers after his arrest that they were taking a family vacation to Atlanta to see Hill’s relatives. The spree ended in Evergreen, Ala., just inside the Butler County line after Hill smuggled a pen into a bathroom stall at the Yellowhammer convenience store in Escambia County, Ala. and wrote a note begging for help and left the note behind for someone to find.

Employees of the convenience store contacted law enforcement immediately after the note was discovered. The note described the car and indicated the direction they were traveling. Hill also provided a phone number so someone could call her family.

When officers arrested Hatfield at a traffic stop he gave them a false name, social security number, and date of birth. A search of the vehicle found a loaded Ruger 45 automatic handgun in the driver’s side door. Officers also discovered a box of ammunition, along with a backpack that contained more ammunition and four bungee cords in the car.

Hatfield was ordered to serve 5 years of supervised release along with his sentence. However, another suspect who assisted Hatfield with the kidnapping is still at large.

Hatfield was a native of New Orleans and was on the brink of being drafted into the NFL as a free agent running back. The crime happened the day before the 2010 NFL draft was scheduled to begin.

CENTEX UNFILTERED NEWS: Kidnapping Conviction Sidelines Former Pro ...

Evidence presented at trial showed that in the early morning hours of April 21, 2010, Hatfield, upset by the couple’s recent breakup, lured his former fiancee, Latasha Hill, 29, to a quiet neighborhood street in New Orleans. After climbing into her car, he pointed a loaded gun at their 2-year-old son’s head and ordered her to drive. Hill’s 7-year-old daughter was sitting in the backseat. A young male who assisted Hatfield with the kidnapping remains at large. During the ensuing six hours, Hatfield kept Hill and her children in the car as he drove them from Louisiana through Mississippi and into Alabama. Hatfield told Hill little about his intentions except that he was taking them to Atlanta to start a new life. As Hill’s friends and family learned of the situation and grew increasingly concerned, they called police and tried to convince Hatfield to turn himself in. Ultimately, Hill took action herself, sneaking a pen with her into the women’s restroom during a bathroom stop at the Yellowhammer convenience store in Escambia County, Alabama. While Hatfield stood outside the door, Hill hastily wrote out a note on the back of a paper towel asking for help. The note included a description of her car, the direction they were traveling, and a phone number for her family. After the note was found by another patron, Yellowhammer employees promptly alerted law enforcement.  Alabama State Trooper Adam Robinson spotted Hill’s car traveling northbound on Interstate 65 and initiated a traffic stop just inside the Butler County line. Officers found Hatfield in the driver’s seat and his fully loaded Ruger 45 automatic handgun in the driver’s side door sleeve. Hatfield had Hill’s cell phone in his pants pockets. A box of ammunition and a backpack containing more ammunition and four bungee cords were also discovered in the car. This case was investigated by agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation - Montgomery and New Orleans Field Offices, and the Alabama Department of Public Safety, with assistance from the Butler County (Alabama) Sheriff’s Office, the Escambia County (Alabama) Sheriff’s Office, the Conecuh County (Alabama) Sheriff’s Office, the Jefferson Parish (Louisiana) Sheriff’s Office, the St. Charles (Louisiana) Sheriff’s Office, and the New Orleans Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Nathan D. Stump and Susan R. Redmond.

Butler County, Alabama

The history of Butler County, Alabama, 1815 to 1885, with sketches of some of her most distinguished citizens and glances at her rich and varied resources

Butler County, Alabama, 1860 Federal census and schedule of deaths

A digest of the laws of the State of Alabama, containing the statutes and resolutions in force at the end of the General Assembly in January, 1823. To which is added, an appendix; containing the Declaration of Independence; the Constitution of the United States; the Act authorizing the people of Alabama to form a constitution and State government; and the Constitution of the State of Alabama / Compiled by appointment, and under the authority of the General Assembly, by Harry Toulmin, esq. With a copious index

Butler County, Alabama, obituaries