Pleaded guilty to 2nd degree rape Arson charges pending 2012, sex with minor 2019, arson Name: Heather Rich Whitten, Pell City, Alabama Age: 38 School: Williams Intermediate School [Pell City School System], Pell City, Alabama (previously taught 4th grade at Eden Elementary School [Pell City School System]) Position: 5th-grade reading & language arts teacher Victim: Boy, age approx. 12-15 Switchboard: St. Clair Times (7 Feb 2012): Pell City teacher accused of sex with minor WDNG (7 Feb 2012): Pell City teacher charged with rape WDNG (8 Feb 2012): Rape 'didn't involve school system' The Daily Home (8 Feb 2012): Rape 'didn't involve school system' Tags:
St. Clair Times (24 Feb 2012): Former teacher arrested on 3-count indictment WDNG (24 Feb 2012): Former teacher arrested on 3-count indictment
Whitten to serve 1 year in jail Judge Jim Hill sentenced Heather Rich Whitten, 38, of Pell City to five years in prison, but he split her sentence so she will actually serve one year and one day in prison and the remainder of her sentence on supervised probation. http://www.dailyhome.com/pages/full_story/push?article-Whitten to serve 1 year in jail &id=20418582
Former Pell City teacher who pled guilty to rape in 2012 indicted on arson charges A former teacher who pleaded guilty to the 2012 second-degree rape of a juvenile boy is again back in jail, charged with arson. According to court records, Heather Rich Whitten, 45, of Riverside, was indicted by a St. Clair County grand jury on charges of second-degree arson and criminal conspiracy to commit arson of a building at 11012 U.S. 78, Riverside. She is being held in the St. Clair County Jail in Pell City on a $15,000 bond. She was taken into custody Wednesday afternoon. Whitten was sentenced to serve one year and one day in prison and the remainder ... Continue reading... https://www.annistonstar.com/the_da...cle_42974fcc-b4b0-11e9-a49b-cbd3e0adfa46.html
Angela Mitchell and Ricky Van Mitchell 2 more indicted in connection with Riverside arson case A Cropwell couple was arrested in connection with the alleged arson of a building in Riverside. The arrests came just days after a former Pell City teacher was indicted by a St. Clair County grand jury on charges in the same case. District Attorney Lyle Harmon said Monday that Ricky Mitchell, 51, and Angela Mitchell, 46, husband and wife, turned themselves in to the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office on Saturday and were released shortly after on separate $25,000 bonds. He said the couple was indicted by a St. Clair County jury on charges of insurance fraud, second-degree arson and ... Continue reading... https://www.annistonstar.com/the_da...cle_292aa232-b8a7-11e9-9dca-bba5d5bae5cc.html
Pastor and wife arrested for fraud after church fire in St. Clair Co. A pastor and his wife have turned themselves in to St. Clair County authorities after being indicted for Insurance Fraud, Arson, and Criminal Conspiracy. Ricky Van Mitchell serves as pastor of Longview Institute and Emmanuel Fellowship Church in Riverside and he and his wife Angela Mitchell own the building. The indictments are the result of an investigation into a fire at the church on January 12, 2019. Authorities determined the fire to be suspicious and suspected fraudulent insurance claims. The Mitchells turned themselves in on August 3, each with one count of Insurance Fraud 1st Degree, Arson 2nd degree and ... Continue reading... https://www.wbrc.com/2019/08/08/pastor-wife-arrested-church-fire-fraud-st-clair-co/
Police: St. Clair County pastor, wife and former teacher conspired to burn down building A St. Clair County pastor, his wife and a former teacher convicted of rape, have been charged after being accused of conspiring to burn down a building for the insurance money. Ricky and Angela Mitchell, along with former teacher Heather Whitten, were indicted by a grand jury for second-degree arson and second-degree criminal conspiracy. The Mitchells are also facing an additional charge of first-degree insurance fraud. The incident occurred Jan. 12 at a building housing the Longview Institute church off of U.S. Hwy. 78 in Riverside. Whitten is a former Pell City teacher who was convicted of second-degree rape and ... Continue reading... https://www.cbs42.com/local-news/po...former-teacher-conspired-to-burn-down-church/
Alabama pastor and his wife charged in fire at their St. Clair County church An Alabama pastor, his wife and a former school teacher have been indicted in connection with a fire earlier this year at a St. Clair County church. Ricky Van Mitchell, 50, and his wife, 46-year-old Angela Mitchell, are charged with first-degree insurance fraud, second-degree arson and criminal conspiracy, according the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office and the Alabama State Fire Marshal’s Office. Ricky Mitchell was pastor of Emmanuel Fellowship Church. Also indicted on arson and criminal conspiracy charges was Heather Rich Whitten, 45, who pleaded guilty in 2015 to second-degree rape. The indictments stem from a Jan. 12, 2019 blaze ... Continue reading... https://www.al.com/news/birmingham/...-in-fire-at-their-st-clair-county-church.html
Pastor charged in St. Clair County church fire dies; judge orders body must be preserved An Alabama pastor indicted earlier this month in connection with a fire at his church has died. Ricky Van Mitchell, 50, suffered a fatal heart attack Monday night, said his lawyer Tommy Spina. He was pronounced dead at Grandview Medical Center. Mitchell was to appear in a St. Clair County courtroom Tuesday morning on a bond revocation hearing. He, along with his wife, 46-year-old Angela Mitchell, were charged with first-degree insurance fraud, second-degree arson and criminal conspiracy, according the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office and the Alabama State Fire Marshal’s Office. Ricky Mitchell was pastor of Emmanuel Fellowship Church. Also ... Continue reading... https://www.al.com/news/birmingham/...e-at-his-st-clair-county-church-has-died.html
