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Did Whitney Cheatham read the charges right or does she know something we don’t know? ‘Cause she’s smiling so big in her police mug shot it’s making some people wonder. 

Police in Cullman, Alabama say the 33-year-old salon owner is facing 25 charges related to drug trafficking and practicing medicine without a license. 

Her arrest comes following an investigation into forged prescriptions used at multiple local pharmacies to obtain controlled narcotics, investigators say. 

It’s a breaking story and before we even recorded this segment, Cullman Police asked the public’s help to find Whitney’s dad, Kelvin Neil Cheatham, because he’s wanted on drug trafficking charges, too. 

Police say he's wanted on multiple felony charges, including drug trafficking, that are connected to the ongoing investigation at Infusion Wellness and Spa, where his daughter Whitney was taken into custody on August 16, 2025. 

Besides her father also being wanted by police, Whitney Cheatham’s arrest comes three months after her newly wed husband was arrested for traveling to have sex with who he thought was a 15-year-old girl in Blount County, Alabama, but it turned out to be someone posing as a minor for the show “Take Down with Chris Hansen.” 

This case has been brewing for some time, and we’ll stay with it as it plays out. Tell us what you think about the case and this bougie mug shot?! 

Join us for “What in the cornbread hell is going on in Cullman, Alabama?! Whitney Cheatham and Kody Smith.” 

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Gulf Breeze parent Tara Kamm is speaking out in the wake of the arrest of recent Gulf Breeze High School graduate Matthew McChesney, who has plead not guilty to possessing, trading and sharing 23 counts of CSAM. 

The incident has shaken the whole community and Kamm wants to see parents take the passion they feel over the Santa Rosa County School District’s handling of McChesney and put it into action and implement changes. 

Kamm is in a position to know. 

Unfortunately, she’s had to deal with investigations of sex crimes involving children before, including her own daughter who former substitute teacher Richard Mack pleaded no contest to touching inappropriately in 2018.

Kamm is talking for the first time publicly about what the four victims and their families say happened after the 9-year-old Gulf Breeze Elementary students went to administrators for help when they say Mack touched them in the classroom. 

She and the other girls’ families filed and settled a lawsuit against the district, several years ago, for ignoring red flags that Mack had been blocked from teaching at several local schools before he was allowed to work at Gulf Breeze Elementary.

Kamm said Asst. Principal Kim McChesney, Matthew McChesney’s mother, dropped the ball from the moment the girls told her what happened including initially only reporting two victims instead of four, asking the girls to demonstrate how he touched them, and implying the girls were “prepped” to accuse him and “egged” him on. 

These allegations, the recent arrests in Gulf Breeze of more than one teacher for crimes involving sex and minors, and lackluster response some parents say they’ve seen from school district administrators have kicked the lid off of Pandora’s box. 

Join us for the latest episode of the Gulf Coast Confidential podcast “Santa Rosa School District under fire over handling of Matthew McChesney investigation.”

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The arrest of recent Gulf Breeze High School graduate Matthew McChesney on 23 CSAM charges has set off a safety alarm for parents and the Santa Rosa County School District. 

In part, because he was arrested the same month that 36-year-old Gulf Breeze High School hospitality teacher and a private team soccer coach Molly Mersereau, was arrested for grooming and having a sexual relationship with a minor student.

Both cases grabbed national headlines and in both cases the suspects seemed to allow self-will to override common sense. 

McChesney's alleged crimes involving possession of images of children in sexual acts - ranging in age from infants and toddlers to elementary age students and teens - also ensnared his mother in the community's outrage and concern over the case.

Kim McChesney is Asst. Principal of Gulf Breeze Elementary School and parents are demanding answers from school district leaders about why she allowed her son to take part in the annual tradition of high school seniors walking the halls of Gulf Breeze Elementary in May, and even high-fiving students, when their home had just been searched and he was still under investigation for sharing and trading graphic pornographic images of children around the same age. 

That coupled with what parents say was her mishandling of an investigation years earlier involving the questioning of several young girls who accused their substitute teacher of touching them inappropriately has many parents at a boiling point, but the school district's response has not cooled their concerns.

Although Mersereau was let go from her job by the school board, which happened the day after we recorded this episode, the district's investigation into the McChesney's is said to be focused on child safety.

However, many parents aren't convinced. 

During the Aug. 7th school board meeting, the McChensey incident was sandwiched in between scolding a charter school for a poor grade and the school district leaning away from allowing fireworks at schools, two issues that seemed to draw more passion from school board members than the McChesney arrest which had also brought outraged parents to the meeting.

Superintendent Karen Barber said she understood why parents were upset and that the district was investigating and dedicated to child safety, but the questions remain about who knew what and when as to Matthew McChesney's alleged crimes. 

Join us for the latest episode of the Gulf Coast Confidential podcast, "Gulf Breeze Grad Matt McChesney Busted for CSAM, Teacher Molly Mersereau Arrested for Illicit Student Relationship." 

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A poor teenager from Louisiana had few options when he was charged with the murder of a local, prominent pharmacist in St. Martinville in 1946. 

In a town full of secrets, Willie Francis was the perfect scapegoat. 

He couldn’t even afford the defense attorney who eventually took over his case and his dad paid with two sacks of potatoes. 

Willie was convicted after a quick trial with little evidence, but executing him for the capital crime proved to be harder than finding him guilty of it.

No parish wanted to be known for housing the electric chair, so it travelled to wherever the convicted convict sentenced to die was located.

Willie was strapped to so-called “Gruesome Gertie” by an intoxicated guard and an even drunker trustee inmate who botched the execution and Willie survived being electrocuted - the first time. 

The mistake opened the door for an appeal, but the same system that unfairly charged and convicted the teen was not quick to admit any mistakes. 

Join us for more on this mis execution of justice in the next episode of Gulf Coast Confidential, “Twice Electrocuted, Once to Die: the trial and execution of Willie Francis.”

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Convicted killer Bernie Tiede is such a character that his true-crime case caught the attention of Hollywood, and he was featured in the film “Bernie,” who was portrayed by actor Jack Black.

In fact, the performer was so impressed with Bernie’s magnanimous personality Black would like to see him released from prison and the film’s producer and director, Richard Linklater, liked Bernie so much he let Bernie live with him between cases. 

Half the town of Carthage, Texas, would agree with them, that Bernie has done his time and should be out simply because he’s so likeable and the woman he was convicted of killing was known for being crochety. 

81-year-old Marjorie Nugent was his friend and companion, but in November of 1996, Bernie shot her four times in the back after he said she repeated belittled and stayed him on so much he just “snapped.” 

He hid her body in a freezer for months before friends and family finally pushed for answers. 

Join us for more on the latest episode of the Gulf Coast Confidential podcast, “Good Ol’ Bernie Tiede – Mortician Extraordinaire – Made Millions from Make-up to Murder.”

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A beautiful, fresh-faced Carrollton, Georgia teen who openly grieved for her mother and stepdad on Tik Tok was arrested on July 8, 2025, and was accused of fatally shooting this past February. 

Sarah Grace Patrick, 17, was charged with murder of her mom, Kristin Brock, 41, and her stepfather James Brock, 45. They were found dead in their home on Feb. 20th, “deceased from apparent gunshot wounds.” 

Their five-year-old daughter was the one who found the Brocks dead in their bed, and then told her big sister, Sarah, who then in turn called 9-1-1. 

That call would launch a five-month long investigation that involved local and federal law enforcement. 

A week and a half after the shooting, Sarah posted some sweet sentiments about her mom and dad saying the she “missed them” especially at night. 

The teen was active on Tik Tok before and after the crimes, her account shows everything from her glamorous side to typical teen fun. At times reaching out to popular true crime influencers to suggest that they cover her parents’ murders, adding that “it would be a big hit.” 

She even reached out to Ophelia “Mama Tot” Nichols in Mobile, Alabama, because she “needs a mama.” 

With no weapon found, no forced entry, and nothing stolen from the home and only the adults and two girls being in the house, some folks were shocked, baffled, and curious about what happened, while police Sarah continued to elicit sympathy and attention online. 

Now she’s behind bars claiming she is innocent, and members of the family are divided over her guilt. One thing’s for certain, the Brocks’ five-year-old daughter will now have to grow up without her mommy and daddy. 

Join us for the latest episode of the Gulf Coast Confidential Podcast “Wanna be Teen Tik Tok star Sarah Grace Patrick called 9-1-1, Charged with Double Murder.” 

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Right here in our little slice of Paradise is the home for fun, sun, fitness, beach, boating, swimming, surfing, dining on seafood...nothing could be more beautiful and wholesome. 

It's the perfect backdrop for an enviable highlight reel for any Social Media Content Creator! So how would one know if this was Real or just an Illusion...

Well Tik Tok has never been a platform known for people holding their tongue and creators and audiences alike serve up the tea, hot, cold, sweet, or bitter. 

No one knows that better now than the almost famous "Gulf Coast Stapletons,"  a wanna be influencer couple on Tik Tok who split their time between Pensacola, Florida and Birmingham, Alabama, showcasing their easy breezy, childless lifestyle.

The couple drew the outrage of online followers and others when Josh Stapleton, one half of the "Gulf Coast Stapletons," was sentenced to 5 years in prison and 15 years of probation after pleading guilty to 20 counts of sexual exploitation of children.  

The arrest made headlines in Josh's home state of Georgia and across the country where investigators say he dowloaded some 40 images of CSAM or Child Sexual Abuse Material which according to the indictment included pictures of pre-pubescent children in various of types of bondage, even on playground equipment. 

The investigation was launched five years ago and Josh Stapleton was just sentenced June 24 and started serving his time.

Many of the couple's more than 80,000 followers called the Stapletons out for pretending to be something they weren't - normal and wholesome - because it turns out the second half of the couple, Brittani Stapleton, said, "Absolutely, I knew about this," when he was first investigated five years ago and yet they were married and she was okay with it. 

She even said their friends who had children were okay with it because they told them about it and a lot of those friends had their back. 

The situation has highlighted that social media highlight reels aren't always what they seem and folks feel betrayed that these two were posing in the most beautiful place with some of the ugliest behavior just beneath the surface. 

Join us for the latest episode of the Gulf Coast Confidential podcast, ’Absolutely I knew’: Gulf Coast Stapleton’s Brittani standing by her man Josh on CSAM charges.

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Jerry Odum was always trying to find a way out of commitments or promises that he made himself. 

He would be the first to let you know he was the smartest person in the room and drop it in when he could that he was "a millionaire." 

A non-stop pathological liar who would lie about any and every thing, even when it wasn’t necessary.

If Jerry had given Vickie Edge an ounce of the sympathy he gave himself, he might not have killed her.

But that's what he did in August of 2020. He told investigators it was the only option he thought he had when faced with the realization that his lies about having money and getting married were about to blow up in his face. 

Instead, he beat his betrothed, Vickie Edge, to death with a baseball bat that he bought just for that purpose.  

He didn’t even make any effort to bathe himself after the murder he just “wiped off with a brown rag." 

And the ultimate insult was to disrespect Vickie not only in life but in death, too. 

He just threw a pink and white comforter over her because he couldn’t stay in his own house with “the body." 

The murder happened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Jerry plead guilty and was sentenced in February 2021, just seven months after he killed Vickie, and the entire incident was missed by many. 

She was beloved by many for her generous spirit, kind heart and her dedication to family and friends.

Join us for the latest episode of the Gulf Coast Confidential podcast, "What in the murder and matrimony in Milton: The Jerry Odum story."

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What goes on in someone else’s mind is a mystery, unless they let you in on the secret. 

Benjamin Elliott was a studious, intelligent teen who was “enamored” with his dad’s sword collection and a survival knife his dad gave him. 

Pretty normal hobbies for a young man from Texas, but what was not normal was what he did with the knife. 

He unsheathed it in the middle of the night, then walked across the hall to the bedroom of his sleeping twin sister, Meaghan, where he stabbed her twice in the neck.

As she bled to death, he placed a pillow on her face to stifle any effort she made to scream, prosecutors said.

But Benjamin says he didn’t do it any of it on purpose, that he was experiencing parasomnia, or sleeping walking, when he killed her. 

He controlled the situation so well he didn’t even wake up his parents when he attacked her. 

His dad awoke when he heard the voice of a 911 operator on the phone with his son who had called in the emergency without any sense of urgency or panic. 

And the case only gets crazier from here. 

Join us for this bizarre episode of the Gulf Coast Confidential podcast, “Bloody Nightmare: Sleepwalking teen Benjamin Elliott stabs twin sister to death in waking ‘nightmare.’”

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Sexy, classy-looking men dancing for dollars and putting on a show for women.

The neveau concept revolutioned not only Indian immigrant Steve Banerjee's Los Angeles nightclub, that was barely getting by on disco and backgammon, but it also caught fire across the country, thanks in part to the cast of characters that helped Banerjee launch the dancers including former Playboy model Dorothy Stratten.

Women would line up out the door to experience the for-women-only "fantasy" of the Chippendales Dancers performance, which grew from the humble beginnings of guys bumping-and-grinding in gym shorts to wearing cuff and collars and sleek tear-a-way pants. 

But behind the scenes of the wildly successful enterprise, Banerjee grew more jealous by the day of his business partner, the creative genius Nick DeNoia, who grew the Chippendales Dancers from a sleezy nightclub act to a sophisticaed, nationwide production named after a high-end line of antique furniture because Banerjee thought it sounded "classy."  

Instead of sharing the stage and their financial fortune, Banerjee's murderous greed imploded their partnership, their futures and their lives.  

Join us for the latest episode of the Gulf Coast Confidential podcast, “Jealousy, Greed, G-strings, and Gyrations: The Chippendale Murders.” 

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