No bond reduction for suspect in bomb-related crime

Published 2:25 pm Tuesday, June 6, 2017

By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

COLUMBIANA – A 44-year-old Alabaster man who has been indicted on charges alleging he possessed drugs, firearms and an active pipe bomb is still being held in the Shelby County Jail on bonds totaling more than $1.2 million after his handwritten request for a lower bond was denied in late May.

Jason Hall

Shelby County Circuit Court Judge Bill Bostick denied a bond reduction request from Jason Lanier Hall, who lists an address on Fourth Avenue Northeast, on May 22. Bostick’s order came a few days after Hall submitted a handwritten motion requesting his bond be reduced.

In his request, Hall claimed he was arrested “without a warrant and without probable cause,” and claimed his “arrest proceeded from a unreasonable search and seizure in violation of his Fourth Amendment rights.”

Bostick denied Hall’s bond reduction request because Hall filed the request without first having it signed by his attorney.

The Shelby County Drug Enforcement Task Force arrested Jason Hall alongside his son, 24-year-old Demarco Hall, on April 21, 2016, and charged them with multiple felonies.

Jason Hall is facing felony counts of possession of a destructive device, first-degree receiving stolen property, possession of an illegal firearm, unlawful possession of a controlled substance, first-degree unlawful possession of marijuana and a misdemeanor count of possession of drug paraphernalia.

Task Force members responded to Jason Hall’s house the night of April 21, 2016, after they received an anonymous tip, and made contact with the Halls. After realizing Demarco Hall was on probation for a previous felony domestic violence charge, Task Force members requested help from Office of Probation and Parole officers, and began a search of the suspect’s property.

During their search, officers allegedly discovered seven firearms Jason Hall was not allowed to have because of his criminal history, marijuana, heroin, prescription medication and cocaine. Officers also allegedly discovered materials linking the suspects with the “Gangster Disciples” street gang.

Of the seven firearms allegedly found in Jason Hall’s possession, four were stolen from Calera, Montevallo, Tuscaloosa and Madison County. The firearms charges were turned over to the Birmingham office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, according to Drug Task Force Commander Lt. Clay Hammac.

Also during their search, Hammac said officers discovered an active pipe bomb in a vehicle on the property, prompting the Task Force, the Alabaster Police Department and the Alabaster Fire Department to evacuate a 300-yard radius around the house while the Hoover Police Department’s bomb squad responded to the scene.

Hammac said the bomb squad safely detonated the bomb at the scene before allowing nearby residents to return to their homes.