Harassment charge dropped against armed Alabama mayor in road rage case

Published 6:38 am Saturday, January 23, 2021

All charges have been dropped against an Alabama mayor and another person accused in a road rage incident last summer.

An Elmore County grand jury declined to indict Tallassee Mayor Johnny Hammock or the driver of the other vehicle, Keazanni Spencer, on misdemeanor harassment charges, WSFA-TV reported.

During a hearing, the mayor’s wife told a judge that the incident began after Spencer’s blue sedan, driving erratically, passed her, then later pulled in front of her and an occupant got out and cursed at her. Spencer testified that no one cursed at the mayor’s wife, but that she thought the woman was pulling over to use a phone so she went around her.

Hammock was driving his wife through the area about 20 minutes later when they noticed the same blue sedan, according to court testimony.

Spencer said Hammock blocked her with his pickup truck, then approached her car and asked if she had tried to run his wife off the road earlier. Spencer said Hammock was armed, though he never pointed the gun at the occupants or threatened them with it. She testified that Hammock cursed at her before identifying himself as the mayor and threatening to have her jailed.

The grand jury didn’t give a reason for why it declined to move forward with the case.