PRICEVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — Priceville Police Officer Garry Chapman is appealing the city council’s decision to suspend him for ten 12-hour shifts following a chase that led to a deadly crash in September.
Court records show the appeal was filed in Morgan County Circuit Court on Thursday. It states that the Priceville City Council’s decision to discipline Chapman was in error and that the council’s policies and procedures regarding the appeal hearing violated his right to due process.
Chapman was fired in late September and decided to appeal that decision to the city council, who voted unanimously to reinstate Chapman to the police department on Oct. 13, handing down the suspension and the promise of more training in the future.
Chapman’s attorney Scott Morro told News 19 that he and Chapman believe in the benefits of additional training and are not disputing that part of the council’s order.
Background on Chapman’s firing
In the initial firing decision, Priceville Mayor Sam Heflin agreed with Chief Jerry Holmes’s assessment of the situation, saying Chapman violated the police department’s chase policy by not considering how many people might be in the path of the chase.
Heflin and Police Chief Jerry Holmes met with Chapman on September 19 for a hearing. During that hearing, Heflin determined Chapman had violated the department’s chase policy.
According to his personnel file, Chapman was hired by the department on January 28, 2025, and fired on September 22, 2025. On the day of his firing, he sent an appeal to Mayor Heflin, which led to the hearing on October 13 where Chapman was ultimately reinstated.
The chase and crash in Hartselle
Officials said that Chapman was involved in a police chase that ended in a deadly crash in Hartselle. The chase ended in a crash when Archie Hale, the suspect Chapman was chasing, hit another vehicle carrying 17-year-old Tristan Hollis and three other teenagers. Hollis died in the crash, and the three others were taken to the hospital.
On September 6, Chapman started the chase on I-65 in Priceville because he believed Hale was driving under the influence. He turned on his lights and sirens and notified dispatch. The certification of findings said Hale ran a stop sign at the intersection of the interstate and Highway 36 and almost hit another car. He also temporarily drove off the road.
Chapman continued chasing Hale into downtown Hartselle on Highway 36, with speeds at one point reaching 100 miles per hour. The Priceville Police Department specifically highlights this part of the chase as in violation of the department’s policy, saying Chapman should have re-evaluated whether the chase should continue.
That policy said officers are responsible for making sure people in the area of the chase are safe. In the hearing, Heflin found that Chapman did not consider how much traffic was in the area. Chapman also told the department he was not familiar with that part of Hartselle, which should have been a reason to stop the chase, according to department policy.
Hale, the suspect Chapman was chasing, is charged with reckless murder. He is being held in the Morgan County Jail without bond.
Through an investigation of Chapman’s social media, News 19 has learned that Chapman is the son of Duane Chapman, also known as Dog the Bounty Hunter.
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