Hartselle lieutenant receives commendation
By Staff Reports
Hartselle’s Lt. Alan McDearmond was awarded a Certificate of Commendation at the June 13 meeting of the Hartselle City Council for his efforts which led to the successful recovery of a kidnapping victim and subsequent arrest of the suspect on April 21, 2023.
McDearmond received an automated email alert April 21 notifying him that a license plate reader had detected a stolen gray Infiniti from Massachusetts. The email included a photo of the license plate and a portion of the car’s rear, prompting McDearmond to respond. He located the vehicle at the Exxon station located at Alabama 36 and Interstate 65.
McDearmond found Antonio Jose Concepcion, 37, in the driver’s seat, accompanied by a female passenger.
“When I walked up to the car, I said the reason I pulled you over is because your vehicle is registered as stolen. She said, ‘It’s my vehicle,’ and she hands me the registration out of the glove box, but it’s not her name on the registration,” McDearmond said at the time.
He returned to his vehicle while another officer kept the Infiniti under observation.
Dispatch provided additional information from the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), indicating a potential connection between the stolen car and a missing person. To further investigate, McDearmond separated Concepcion and the woman to conduct a focused interview.
During the interview, the woman revealed disturbing details of threats and coercion, according to the lieutenant. She alleged that Concepcion had threatened to harm her adult daughter if she didn’t comply with him. McDearmond, in an affidavit filed in Morgan County District Court, quoted the woman stating, “Later, when they were pulled over, Concepcion pulled a knife out and threatened to stab me to death.”
Concepcion was arrested and currently remains in Morgan County Jail. If released on bond, Concepcion is prohibited from contacting or communicating with the victim or her family.
Eric Fleischauer contributed to this report.
