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A police source confirms to NBC News that this is the suspect in an Alabama hostage-taking, Jimmy Lee Dykes, 65.
The first picture emerged Friday of the Alabama man who authorities say has held a 5-year-old boy in an underground bunker for more than three days after snatching him off a school bus.
A police source confirmed to NBC News that the photo is of Jimmy Lee Dykes, who authorities say took the boy after shooting and killing the bus driver Tuesday afternoon in the small town of Midland City.
Dykes, 65, described by authorities and neighbors as a Vietnam veteran and survivalist with deep mistrust of the government, has communicated with hostage negotiators through a long PVC pipe.
The boy has Asperger’s syndrome and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, a state representative said Thursday. Authorities have gotten medicine to the boy through the pipe, plus crayons and coloring books.
Bus driver Charles Albert Poland Jr., 66, was shot and killed while trying to stop the abduction. His children told NBC News that he thought of the children on the bus as his own, and took bullets for them as he might have for his son or daughter.
"Every time a child got on my dad's bus, they were no longer (with) their parents,' they were his," son Aaron Poland said in an interview that aired Friday on TODAY.
Police towed the bus away from the scene Friday after processing it for evidence.
The two men had a brief encounter a day before the siege, a neighbor said. Kelly Miller, who lives next door to Dykes, told NBC affiliate WSFA that Dykes boarded Poland’s bus Monday and spoke with him. She did not know what was said.
Then, on Tuesday morning, before the abduction, Poland gave Dykes a gift of eggs and marmalade to thank him for clearing off the driveway where the bus had to turn around, according to Miller.
Miller, whose sons Jessie and Jackson were able to leave the bus before the shooting, told the station that Dykes called her father to the property fence shortly afterward and gave him Poland’s gifts, saying: "Here. I don't want this."
Hours later, Miller heard shots and screams.
"Within seconds of me grasping what was going on, I knew it was Jim," she told WSFA.
Published reports have quoted neighbors as saying Dykes has spent as long as eight days at a time in the bunker.
A U.S. military official confirmed Friday that Dykes served a little more than four years in the Navy before being discharged in January 1969. He received several awards, including a medal for good conduct.
Neighbors have described him as a paranoid menace who killed at least one neighborhood pet and threatened children on his property. On the day of the school bus siege, he was due in court over allegedly shooting at a neighbor’s truck. Police have not said if they believe the planned court appearance was connected to the hostage situation.
RELATED: Son says bus driver in Alabama hostage crisis gave life for 'his children'
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A shot right beteween the eyes with a Assault Rifle
would be great that way Biden and Obama could
get on their band wagon on gun control idiots
You see kids; this is what happens when stupid unstable people (virtually anyone still willing to vote republican) are fed a steady diet of Fox News, Rush Limbaugh and other corporately sponsored misinformation about our government. Guess what, it’s the idiots telling you to fear the government that you should be afraid of!
All good shows. Good information.
Could he had been able to do this without guns? Oh! I remember it is not the guns, it is the people... But the NRA and the crazy gun lovers still are against checks that would make sure that only law abiding citizens have guns..
I imagine he could have done it without guns. Maybe just toss a bomb on the bus and kill lots of kids. Or how about a knife across the throat of the bus driver? I bet he would have found a way.
Another sick Liberal trying to spin the Obama Doctrine,
Another sick Republican with a gun in a state that claims it can protect its citizens and children. Looks like Alabama is like Texas...blowhards.
One kid & he is still alive. Blue States don't take care of their kids very well do they? I wouldn't call protecting your kids being a blowhard. I call it responsible.
Thanks to the President and his paranoia. people will go out an buy guns instead of seek treatment for their mental illness because they don't want to be labeled as mentally defective... Get help an lose your gun privileges.
People can seek treatment but remember dummy, health care is not a right.right?
Is that what they told you Wally? Maybe you should ask for help again. It's worth a try.
Deerhunter or is it BAMBI KILLER? A Ted Nugent? Is this guy your hero or kin?
Yes I'm a Deer Killer. Is there a problem? This guy is neither to me. He is crazy, kind of like how you post on here. Loony Tune. However he is extreme on the Right (we dn't know that yet) you are about as crazy & extreme to the Left. I would worry about you the same as people should have worried about this guy. Three bricks shy of a load.
Dykes should have been RED FLAGED for loss of his rights to keep and bear arms. There was plenty of evidence, there was a neighbors Pet shot to death, a neighbors Truck with someone in it was shot at.
Dykes exhibited very strange and antisocial behavior, was violent, shot a pet to death, and shot at a neighbor in his truck. This is the type of Person that MUST have a legal intervention to remove him from his guns.
This is exactly the type person that needs to be RED FLAGED before his actions escalate to killing men,women, and/or children.
If you know of anyone who exhibits this type of behavior....CALL the POLICE and Demand the Police take their guns.
Demand the police take their guns! And how are they to do that? What kind of court cases would it take to prove the guy was a nutcase before they could take those guns. This is real life - not TV. These "easy fixes" don't happen in real life. Perhaps if people work with the president to have very strict laws about who can get a gun, we can make some progress in that direction.
I just this situation resolved and that the child can get home to his parents. I can only imagine what they are experiencing right now. My prayers go out to this family.
P.S. We have to have a serious discussion of mental health treatment in this society.
start with glenn beck , this man's mentor
How do you know his mentor isn't Bill Ayers? Because he used a gun & not a bomb?
Well he uses a gun not a bomb and he hates the present government which makes him...and he lives in Alabama which equals...drum rol...taaaaaaa Republican and he is white and a red neck
I think I finally understand why there is so much controversy about regulating guns. The people who are against gun regulation are stark raving lunatics, just like the perpetrator of this crime, and would never be allowed to legally buy a gun because of their paranoid delusions.
This noodle has been listening to too much of that fashionable, anti-gov't BS coming from the neo-nuts inhabiting the "Stupid Party".
This is probably the start of tidal wave of paranoid, anti-gov't butt-holes killing innocent folks. These f**king extremists should just leave this country-- and never, ever come back! Especially the idiots who try to justify this dumb goober's anti-gov't BS!
He's clearly a nut case, but his mistrust of government is soberly sane.
and his response is typical of right wing gun owners. cowards who attack chiildren
So you know he is a registered republican?
He meets all the requirements...gun lover, hates the government...threatens neighbors, easily gets a gun.........he's a Republican
I don't know how you can lump them together. I like guns, don't threaten my neighbors, and at least respect the government.
Sheila-846240
Wally hates everyone & calls them Republicans. Even though 40 % of gun owners are DemoRATS & 43% are women. He thinks it's only the Republican owners that snap.
In Alabama and being white he is a Republican, since according to Fox News all Democrats are Black and think Obama is the messiah...right?
Deer hunter...you mean Bambi killer,lol
I will be the first to admit that I am not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but seems like they could put something down the pipe that would make them go to sleep...then enter the bunker and get that baby out of there. How terrified he must be!!
A five year olds metabolism wouldnt hold up to what it would take to knock out a full size man, it would most likely kill the boy before the man was knocked out.
I bet he has gas masks. He is a survivalist, right?
who knows. the neighbors say hes nuts, but if hes that scary, who has been on his property to see? He may be in just a tornado shelter with a few cans of tomato soup saved up for all we really know. the press like to sensationalise everything lately.Hopefully he will just let the boy go soon.
He's a Glenn Beck soldier patriot just following Becks' plea for folks to start a revolution.
He's a soldier in Glenn Beck's army of patriots to take back the America he once knew..you know, kidnapping children and killing defenseless old men. Beck is proud of his soldier, his anti government patriot.
this kinda thing never happens except in liberal states. alabama is a liberal state, right?
He looks a lot like Cousin Cackle, who lived in a cave. ( Obscure baby boomer reference. )
Cousin It, was far more charming. But, I see the resemblance.
Well, yeah. He was a world-renowned ladies' man.
JimD-406742... 26 Jan 2013 Fairborn, Ohio 5 men broke into a mans house to rob him. He grab a gun shot two of them killing one, the others ran. Police said he probaly saved his own life. Check Dayton Daily News.
Good, so that justifies having every nut own a gun?
Chances are the man had no alarm system, no locks on his door . Funny about these stories that 5 men have nothing better to do than attack a broken down old house with an old man inside to do what? Ghee , says one crook, I think this old house may have a million dollars inside.
I am shaking my head in dismay! Justification of what?
Yes wallace, a much better idea would be to let ONLY the criminals own guns.
I agree background checks need to be more stringent, and "dealers" selling guns before the cooling off period need to be locked up.
Still, in the end, you can take guns from everyone, ban them, etc., and still the criminals will have guns, only then they'll know that the law-abiding citizen can't protect himself.
I know but the NRA says no background checks period
I think he is Glenn Beck's dad.
He looks like the cashier from Squidbillies.
let's see, he's been described as an anti government survivalist and a paranoid menace. So, how was he able to get his filthy hands on a gun? How will the NRA spin this? I'll bet he was a tea bagger, also.
He just attends a gun show, acts crazy , threatens everyone and they sell him a gun
Geez, this sounds like our psycho neighbors in Springfield Ore. The man has two past assault charges on record against him. About 18 months ago he assaulted another neighbor while he was in charge of their two small grandchildren and when his wife came home from the bar they menaced the neighbor with a gun for calling police. He recently assaulted his step-son where he fled to his older sister's home covered in blood; the sister called police. Then a month later this mans 8 year old daughter called her older sister because the parents were drunk, out of control and police were called. The wife stole a disabled veterans bank card and withdrew hundreds of dollars out of his account without permission to fuel her gambling addictions, she has punched a KJ in the head, and punched a fellow BCA billiard teammate in the eye, shoved/threaten/assaulted another disabled veteran on the BCA pool circuit, which the BCA does not stand up to this crazy woman and allows continued harassment on the teams. She harassed a married couple and fellow BCA teammates which she carried over onto Face Book, they blocked her so she used a fake third party Face Book account to continue harassing and threatening them, while naming 10 people she had spying on her victims for her. This woman stole a lesbian's personal property and donated the victims belongings to Goodwill. She harassed and threatened a disabled female who refused to take her side and support her rampages, then chased her neighbors down the street after they told this woman she nor her family were welcome on their property and she yelled "What are you going to do about it!" The entire time this woman was harassing, stalking, threatening, stealing and assaulting her victims she was a volunteer for Woman's shelter who promoted a safe environment for victims. In between she stripped at a local bar, bent over, spread her butt crack revealing a wad of dirty toilet paper. Other customers recorded the incident, but this woman claims she didn't do it that it was one of her victims that stripped in public even though it was video taped and uploaded onto youtube. Her tattoos prove it was her. Now she is volunteering for a homeless shelter where she can perpetuate her crimes on those less fortunate. We call this the Ted Bundy syndrome. He terrorized the public just like this woman all the while she tries to portray herself as a law abiding Christian, whose favorite book is the Bible while your cover is your volunteer services. These people are just like this man, they are a danger to society but nothing will be done because there is no money to run the courts. People like this should have no gun rights and should be forced into the mental health care program for 5 years of psychotherapy.
I would be harrassing the sherif about it. Miss use of a weapon like that can not be tolerated and shows cause.
And if we believe that......have you got a deal for us! Perhaps you both need some assistance.
Damn.. !!!
Yet another potential GOP presidential candidate runs into trouble...
It's like they just can't catch a break here.... LOL!!!!
Citizen Frank, I knew it was someone, Poppa Smurf your right. The crazy bass needs some good professional help thats for damn sure. Sounds like this has been escalating right up to this point, trouble with the neighbors, harming animals, shooting at cars mmm. This little boy needs his Mom and Dad, wish this bast$rd would realize his innocense and release him soon.
Why don't these people just kill themselves,say what you want, it takes guts to kill yourself,I guess they are just cowards.
I agree, if you are that unhappy with life, kill yourself. It does take guts, nobody cares, but it does take guts.
They should have a news blackout about this. Publicity is exactly what this type of mentally ill person wants.
just another wacko that needs to be put down like a DOG...!!
I'm guessing in Alabama this guy is kin to both the sherrif and the family he kidnapped the child from..
Bubba done took Jethro ...whut? You know how he hates dem feds and loves little boys...yup.
Whut we gonna do? I dunno..listen to Glenn Beck and get some mo ideas.
Let's not wrap the child's family and the Sheriff into a disgusting scenario wallace. That isn't fair at all. Particularly to a family whose child is in serious danger. Reports are that the little boy does not know this man.
Most of your posts have been good, but this one needs to be cleaned up, don't you think?
Yes, but seriously, Alabama? The Republican state that hates Blacks and liberals and thinks Obama is the anti Christ.
I get it wallace! But not appropriate to bring the little boy's family into it! This little boy is in serious danger and his family is in serious trauma. There is a time and place!
My problems with this seems like this Alabama town is way too leanient with it's citizens & crimes according to the case he was previously charged with & pending!
Don't it lift anyones eyebrows that killing a animal the courts there let this cat out that easy?
& besides that, they knew he had a (Gun or Gun's) threatning his neighborhood with terror!
You see it yet?
If this was anywhere else in America, His azz would have been LOCKED UP IMMEDIATELY pending a physco exam at the very least!
So, with just those issues mentioned I smell a whole lotta dead dog doo doo within the entire town's court & justice system!
Plus the fact with all this hype going on with guns around the country, ain't nobody can tell me their court is living in the times of Andy & Barney of Mayberry with this guy as a different kind of Ottis the crazy drunk (ONLY WITH A GUN) was allowed all he was doing there without a single cop lifting a finger or knowing what he was capable of!
I Just Don't Buy it! sorry!
That's Dade County for you... bunch of sorry officials... including Sen. Hari Ann, who was almost convicted of bribery!!
When I brought up this type of thing I was told to "get back on my meds".
I am glad to see someone else saying it, waaaaaaaaaaayyyy too much of this all of a sudden, makes me wonder. EVIL government and media agenda?????????
Oh yes, if you have a gun and live in AL you can get away with a lot more than you could in many places. I know some people who have them who need to have them taken immediately because they are just plain unstable, but nothing will be done about it. It's considered more "normal" in many areas to have one or several guns and do things you would get arrested for in other places than it is to not own a gun. Scary stuff.
Davej101 & ram-762581... BOTH have it RIGHT!
BUT! > Spockethead & wallacet1947! We all know how big a boy's YOU ARE! You better git YOUR MEDS FILLED SCOOTERS! Cuz yer > ~Delusional~ for being a Supporters for your Hero's > Obamabumbler & The New Black Panthers! You're BOTH >INSANE!
EVEN > Roy D. Mercer! would say >>> Those Alabama Cops & Judges need a 55 gal drum Azz Whoopin!