Stewartville man arrested for St. Clair murder charges

Billy Ray McAnnally

 

By Christa Jennings

Senior Staff Writer

 

A man from the Stewartville area was arrested earlier this month for another agency on murder charges.

Chief Deputy Scott Hammond reported that on December 11, the Sheriff’s Office received a call from St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office requesting deputies go to an address in Coosa County to see if they could make contact with a black GMC extended cab truck supposedly driven by Billy Ray McAnnally.

Hammond reported that McAnnally, 36 years old, was wanted in St. Clair County for two counts of murder with a vehicle.

Sheriff Michael Howell responded to the location given to attempt to verify the truck was there. While traveling north on Alabama Highway 21 in the Stewartville area, Howell saw what appeared to be the vehicle in question traveling northbound.

Howell followed the vehicle just inside Talladega County, and the vehicle came to a stop across from Browns Chapel. A female got out of the passenger’s side of the vehicle, and the driver sped off, traveling down U.S. Highway 231 southbound back into Coosa County.

The driver, Billy McAnnally, turned on Coosa County Road 41 then onto County Road 70. As Howell pursued the vehicle, other units joined the pursuit.

The pursuit ensued all the way back to Highway 231, then onto County Road 150 and back to County Road 41.

Deputies were going to attempt a precision immobilization technique, or PIT, maneuver when the vehicle swerved and hit the bumper of Deputy Travis Ward’s vehicle. This disabled the other vehicle, which came to a stop on County Road 41 next to the West Coosa Senior Center in Stewartville.

McAnnally was arrested December 11 for charges in St. Clair County and turned over to the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office. Felony charges against him are pending in Coosa County.

According to the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office, McAnnally’s bond was set at $1.5 million for grand jury indictments of reckless murder. As of press time he remained in custody at the St. Clair County jail.