GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. - Two North Alabama men have been convicted of cheating during a fishing tournament on Lake Guntersville.
A judge convicted Gary Lee Minor Jr. of Albertville and Robert Scott Gillaspie of Boaz after a nonjury trial Monday.
There were found guilty of theft by deception and tampering with a sporting event.
To avoid jail the men must pay $1,000 and court costs, spend two years on probation and perform 400 hours of community service work.
The men were arrested after winning a fishing tournament in Guntersville in April.
Another angler told the judge he saw the men stop at a dock and emerge with a large bass in a net that was taken from inside the dock.
The men indicated they'll appeal, but they're already banned from future fishing tournaments.
'Don't Tread on Me' gets onto plates
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - At least 250 Alabama vehicles will soon bear license plates featuring the rattlesnake emblem and "Don't Tread on Me" warning popular with tea party groups.
The state Revenue Department confirms the Montgomery-based Foundation for Moral Law has succeeded in getting 250 paid orders for the tags. That's the number the Revenue Department requires for production.
Foundation President Kayla Moore said Tuesday the success is a reflection of public dissatisfaction with government.
"They are tired of their Constitution being tread upon. They are tired of the rights being tread upon. They are tired of the government not recognizing they are there for the people," she said.
Moore's husband, Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, started the foundation. She said the foundation decided to use the symbol popular with tea party groups to raise money for operations. The tag costs $50, with $41.25 of that going to the foundation.
The tag is based on a flag from the American Revolution designed by Christopher Gadsden from South Carolina. It was meant to represent the 13 colonies and their battle for independence from Britain. Many tea party groups now use it to reflect their push for limited government.
Virginia, Arizona, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas have similar flags.
Man charged in 2013 slaying
DECATURVILLE, Tenn. - Authorities say a Decaturville man has been charged in the fatal shooting of a 28-year-old man last year.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says 39-year-old Dustin Len Lovelace has been indicted on charges including first-degree murder and especially aggravated robbery in the death of John Wesley Conway, also of Decaturville.
Conway was found dead of a gunshot wound on Nov. 9, 2013. Investigators are still trying to determine a motive for the shooting.
Posters with Conway's face on them were placed in storefronts in Decatur County, alongside posters asking for information leading to the discovery of missing nursing student Holly Bobo. Two men have been charged in Bobo's death, and officials said last week that her remains had been found. The cases are not related.
Lovelace was arrested Tuesday. It was not immediately known if he had a lawyer.