Two Suspects Sentenced For Trespassing Case In Lamar County

TUSCALOOSA, AL — 24th Judicial Circuit District Attorney Andy Hamlin announced Wednesday that two defendants with extensive criminal histories have been found guilty of trespassing at a gated residence in Lamar County last summer.

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Hamlin said Lamar County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Beaverton resident Tony Jason Kell, 49, and Guin resident Carrie Ann Smith, 42, on June 8, 2022, after the victims pulled up to their property on Gattman Road in Sulligent to find the two individuals parked in front of their residence.

He went on to explain that the suspect vehicle was backed up to the home and was not running, while the victims’ car, that had been left at the residence, had its back hatch open.

Hamlin said the homeowners found that the offenders had opened the locked gate to the driveway and had the enclosed the gate behind them, before proceeding further down the 100-yard driveway to the front of the house.

“We didn’t believe that for a second,” Hamlin said. “Their intentions were clear. They were
caught in the act, in a situation that could have become dangerous.”

The District Attorney’s office requested jail sentences for both offenders due to the nature of the offense and their prior criminal histories. However, a judge denied the request during trial last week and both were sentenced to Both defendants were sentenced to 30-day suspended sentences and two years of unsupervised probation.

“I was pleased with the verdicts in the cases," Hamlin said. "However, I was disappointed that sentences of incarceration were not ordered, especially given the extensive criminal histories of these offenders. ... People work hard for their property, and I felt like jail was a good place for them to sit and contemplate their actions. My office will continue to monitor them and if they violate the terms of their probation, we will be back in court fighting to hold them accountable.”

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