Man arrested on child pornography charges after mailing letters to House members, Ivey
A Dothan man was arrested and charged with four counts of dissemination of child pornography after mailing three suspicious letters to Alabama House members on Wednesday. A fourth letter was sent to Gov. Kay Ivey’s office, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said Thursday.
John Watson, 54, was booked in the Houston County Jail without bond. He was a driver license examiner in ALEA’s licensing division, the agency said. He was immediately placed on leave Wednesday and resigned Thursday in lieu of termination.
Alabama House officials called ALEA Wednesday to report several suspicious letters. Each letter contained multiple pornographic images, ALEA said.
Senate approves ban on cell phones in schools
The Alabama Senate this week approved a bill to ban K-12 students’ use of cell phones during the school day.
Senate Bill 92 by Sen. Donnie Chesteen, R-Geneva, says that starting with the 2025-2026 school year, no student can use a wireless communication device in any public elementary or secondary school building or on school grounds during the school day.
There are exceptions for some students with special needs, cell phone use under the supervision of school staff and in life-threatening emergencies.
Sen. Chris Elliott, R-Josephine, tried to amend the bill to allow students to communicate via their cell phones with their parents or guardians. Chesteen said allowing that communication would be too cumbersome. His fellow senators agreed.
The bill now goes to the House where a similar bill was approved last week.
The legislation is a priority mentioned in Gov. Kay Ivey’s state of the state address in February.
The bill also says the state department of education will develop and approve a digitally delivered course that addresses the risks of using social media and how to use social media safely.