Some of the earliest members of the 22nd Judicial Circuit Drug Task Force were on hand for a luncheon recently to wish former member and long-time DTF commander Lt. Mark Odom well in his retirement. The luncheon was held in the Covington County Commission Chambers and was well attended by Odom’s co-workers, former co-workers, family and friends.
Odom began his law enforcement career at the Andalusia Police Department more than 30 years ago. He joined the Covington County Sheriff’s Office during the administration of Sheriff Wilbur Mitchell and went on to work for three other sheriffs – Anthony Clark, Dennis Meeks, and Blake Turman. He was only the second officer of record to have served 25 years with the Covington County Sheriff’s Office.
Odom spent the majority of his career as a narcotics investigator. He joined the newly -formed 22nd Judicial Drug Task Force and remained a part of that organization until its disbandment in 2022. For the last 15 years of the DTF, Odom served as the commander.
“I have worked with Mark since I started at Andalusia Police Department,” APD Chief Paul Hudson said. “He has always been someone I looked up to and learned a lot from throughout the years. He has been a friend I could always call on when I needed something or had questions. He has been and will always be a great friend. His retiring leaves a huge void in our law enforcement community.”
Dormer DTF member and current APD Capt. Brett Holmes said, “Mark Odom is absolutely one of the finest law men to ever serve in Covington County. When you think of great men like Sheriff Pap Gantt, Chief Bill Shaw and Chief Investigator Gary Hutcheson, Mark most definitely ranks alongside these men. Over the past 30 years, Mark has been responsible for assisting in the training of two current police chiefs, three assistant police chiefs and the director of SBI, just to name a few. Covington County is a better place thanks to Mark Odom.”
APD’s Capt. Paul Dean, also a former DTF member, said, “Mark and I were in some really dangerous situations during our time together in Drug Task Force. I never worried when Mark was around because I knew he had my back.
“Mark is a great officer and an even better man,” Dean said. “I’m proud to have been able to work side by side with him for several years and I’m even more proud to call him my friend.”
Odom was one of the first five officers in the local area to be certified as a methamphetamine clandestine laboratory technician in Quantico , Va. During his tenure with the DTF, he was responsible for the removal of hundreds of methamphetamine labs, thousands of pounds of narcotics and countless arrests involving drug dealers, manufacturers, and users.
Odom was also a founding member of the Covington County Incident Response Team (IRT). He is a both basic and advanced Special Weapons and Tactics operator and one of the first to become certified in this area. Further, he was trained and certified as an FBI firearms instructor, as well as a sniper/observer.
Before stepping down from the IRT after 10 years of service, Odom was involved in dozens of successful operations as the team leader of the Sniper/Observer team.
CHRISTMAS
The City of Andalusia will be closed Wednesday, December 24th, and Thursday, December 25th, for Christmas. Garbage will be picked up Friday, December 26th, for both Wednesday and Thursday Routes. Friday and Monday Garbage will be picked up on Monday December 29th. Please have garbage out the night before.
NEW YEAR
The City of Andalusia will be closed Thursday, January 1st, for New Years. Thursday and Friday garbage will be picked up Friday, January 2nd. Please have garbage out the night before.
If you have questions, please call 222-3316.
The City of Andalusia will be closed on Thursday and Friday, Nov. 27 and 28, in observance of Thanksgiving.
Thursday's and Friday's garbage routes will be picked up on Monday, Dec. 1.
Tuesday's and Wednesday's routes will be picked up on Tuesday, Dec. 2.
Please have your garbage out early. For additional information, call 334-222-3316.
The Andalusia City Council on Tuesday approved Ordinance 2025-04, which allows the sale of alcohol on Sundays after 12 p.m.
The ordinance goes into effect immediately upon publication. That publication is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 6, which means alcohol sales will be legal on Sunday afternoon, Dec. 7.
“This is a step we have needed to take for quite some time,” Mayor Earl Johnson said. “We know there are businesses who would not locate here until or unless we addressed the Sunday sales issue, which we have now done.”
The ordinance was approved on a 4-1 vote, with Councilman Joe Nix, Councilman Jeremy Craig, Councilman Kennith Mount and Councilman Presley Boswell voting in favor of the ordinance. Councilman Terry Powell cast the lone opposing vote.
Members of the Andalusia City Council on Tuesday joined developer Frank Thomas, who with his partners is developing the Cottages at Packer Field, for a groundbreaking.
Thomas is a Montgomery housing developer. His partners in the project include Julian Boyd, Chase Allen, Billy Cotter and Kathleen O’Ferrell.
The partners plan to build 22 new rental houses in the first phase of this development, and will add additional houses in the future. There will be a mix of 2-bedroom and 3-bedroom houses, that will be leased at market value. The houses should be available by early spring.
Mayor Earl Johnson said he could not overstate the importance of this project.
“We have needed new, modern housing for years,” he said. “We have lost potential economic development prospects who would have located here if we had had available housing for their employees.”
City administrator John Thompson noted that the property had been held in a trust for years, and the city had permission to use it for sports practices.
“When it came on the market, Sue Wilson reached out to let us know about it immediately,” he said. “It was the perfect, flat space to build new housing, with access to infrastructure already in place.
Thomas said the cottages will have hardie board exteriors, granite countertops, and stainless appliances.
Tina Caskey, regional manager of Regency Multifamily, which will manage leasing for the development, said that she already has units in other communities leased to people who work in Andalusia, but live elsewhere because they could not find housing here.
For leasing information, email , or call 334-766-1926.