News and Events

(DOTHAN, Ala.) On June 5, 2026, around 8:30 am, the Dothan Police Department received a call about shots fired at a business in the 1500 block of Montgomery Highway.  When officers arrived, the suspect, identified as Melva Lee Guilford, was actively firing her gun in the air and into a nearby vehicle.  Officers made contact with Guilford, and she complied with demands to drop the weapon.  Guilford was taken into custody without further incident.

According to investigators, Guilford was upset at relationship problems with the victim and arrived at the victim’s place of employment armed with a firearm.  The vehicle that was shot was the victim’s vehicle.  Guilford was arrested and charged with one count of Shooting into an Unoccupied Vehicle and Domestic Violence 3^rd.

(DOTHAN, Ala) As the investigation continues into allegations against Johnny Mark Dunaway, a former Jerry Lee Faine elementary teacher, investigators continue to process evidence and conduct interviews. As a result of the ongoing investigation, charges have now been filed against two school employees who received the complaints against Dunaway. Bertha Nicole Guilford, Title-IX Coordinator for Dothan City Schools and Sophia Lanette Hedrington, the interim principal at the time, have each been charged with one count of failure to comply with Alabama’s Mandatory Reporting law. Both individuals surrendered themselves to the Houston County jail where they were booked and released on a $1,000.00 bond each. This continues to be an ongoing and active investigation.

(DOTHAN, Ala.) On Friday, May 22, 2026, the Special Investigation Unit of the Dothan Police Department received a report of an additional juvenile victim related to Johnny Mark Dunaway, a former employee at Jerry Lee Faine Elementary School. Investigators conducted a full investigation into the allegations reported to include a forensic interview of the juvenile victim. As a result, on Thursday, May 28, 2026, Dunaway was charged with three additional charges of Enticing a Child for Immoral Purposes. A judge set the bond for these charges at $100,000.00 each.

The investigation is still ongoing, and evidence is still being processed. As investigators continue to learn more information, additional charges in the future cannot be ruled out at this time. Due to the juvenile privacy laws of the State of Alabama, specific details related to the crimes cannot be released.