Friends mourn loss of Stinson

Atmore, Poarch and surroundings areas are mourning the death of Brad Stinson, who died Monday following a three-vehicle crash on Jacks Springs Road near Brushy Creek.

Stinson, who served as prosecutor and assistant attorney general for the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, was a back passenger in a vehicle that collided with an unloaded log truck that jack-knifed in front of the vehicle he was traveling in.

"We are deeply saddened by the recent passing of Brad Stinson, assistant attorney general, Poarch Creek Indians, our dear friend, family and colleague," said Stephane A. Bryan, tribal chairman and chief executive officer for the Poarch Band of Creek Indians. Brad was a hardworking, passionate and loyal employee of the tribe for many years. He will be greatly missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends at this difficult time."

"Brad was someone who made a lasting impression the first time you met him," said Butch Lee, who worked hand-in-hand with Stinson for eight or nine years while Lee served as a police officer and then police chief for Poarch.

"We worked together a lot and we became friends," Lee said.

Lee said he always admired Stinson's perspective of the law and his job to prosecute crimes.

"The law was black and white to him," Lee said. "He treated everybody the same and followed the law. He applied the law the same way no matter who you were. He was genuinely a good person."

He said Stinson would never agree with him just to be agreeable and there were times they disagreed.

"We agreed to disagree," Lee added.

Lee said he often went to Stinson for advice when he was serving as police chief.

"He knew more about Indian country law than anybody I've ever known," Lee said.

But Lee also said Stinson had a big heart.

"He'd prosecute someone to the fullest extent of the law," Lee said. "He was adamant in trying to help those who needed help, not just prosecute them and put them in jail. He wanted to get them back on their feet."

"It was heartbreaking for me when I heard it," Lee said of Stinson's death. "It was devastating. He left an impression on everybody he met and left an impression on me."

Lee retired near the end of 2015 but said he and Stinson stayed in touch often.

"He was a unique person and his job took a lot of time," Lee said. "But he always made room for his wife and two daughters. They were his life."

He said Stinson would visit his parents near Enterprise about every other week and the two would talk on the phone as the traveled over.

"We talked about things that were unrelated to work," Lee said. "You could go to him about work advice or life advice and he was always there."

Atmore Police Chief Chuck Brooks said the investigation into Monday's crash is still under investigation.

He noted a 911 call came in at 12:11 p.m. about a crash on Jacks Springs Road right at the city limits.

Brooks said the crash involved three vehicles: an unloaded log truck, the Chevrolet Equinox in which Stinson was a passenger and a Chevrolet pickup truck.

The Equinox and the pickup truck were headed south and the log truck was headed north. The log truck trailer jackknifed just south of the bridge over Brushy Creek into the path of the southbound vehicles.

Brooks said the Equinox slammed into the cab of the log truck and the pickup truck also hit the log truck.

Stinson had to be cut out of the vehicle and later died.

Brooks said the driver of the log truck told officers that a vehicle in front of him put on breaks that caused him to break and caused the trailer to shift, but noted Wednesday that has not been confirmed.

Brooks said the investigation continues.

A native of Norfolk, Va., Stinson is a former resident of Enterprise, Ala., and has lived in Atmore since 2008. he served as assistant attorney general for the Poarch Band of Creek Indians since 2010. He also served as the tribe's prosecutor and liaison to many outside agencies that deal with law enforcement, including district attorneys' offices and the U.S. Attorney's offices for the southern and middle districts of Alabama and the FBI.

His funeral will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Sept. 28, at First Baptist Church in Atmore with Dr. Larry Patterson officiating. Burial will be held at Oak Hill Cemetery.

Visitation will be held from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday (today) at the First Baptist Church of Atmore.