Preston Benson

Executive Producer

Preston produces WHNT NEWS 19 at 6:00 on weeknights. He’s a huge fan of the New Orleans Saints and the LSU Tigers.

Recent Articles

  • Jury finds Bobbie Taylor guilty on six counts of animal cruelty

    LAWRENCE COUNTY, Ala. – A Lawrence County jury has found former animal services director Bobbie Taylor guilty on six of the 15 counts of animal cruelty against her. Jurors have been deliberating since Wednesday. Taylor had been accused of abusing between 250 and 300 animals in her care. WHNT News 19 first broke this story in June of 2015. In a bench trial, a judge originally found Taylor guilty in June of 2016.  Taylor’s attorney appealed that decision.  A mistrial […]

  • Man charged with murder in connection with overnight killing in Stevenson

    STEVENSON, Ala. –   A Stevenson man is behind bars charged with murder. Stevenson police respond to a shots fired call around 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday at a home at 211 Sharon Drive. Officers and Jackson County sheriff’s deputies found the body of 38-year-old Joshua Todd Smith of Jasper, Tennessee inside the home. Authorities then arrested 26-year-old Christopher Kenneth McCallie of Stevenson and charged him with murder. No bond has been set. Further details about the incident have not yet been […]

  • Titans, Mike Mularkey agree to part ways

    NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Titans have announced plans to part ways with Head Coach Mike Mularkey. Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk thanked Mularkey for his service in a post on the team’s website. She also said they had discussions about “extending his future with our team, but in those discussions about the direction of the team, it became evident that we saw different paths to achieve greater success.” The team is expected to hold a news conference on Monday to […]

  • Licensed counselor arrested on child porn charges

    MADISON COUNTY, Ala. – A licensed counselor in Madison is facing charges of child pornography. 58-year-old Wayde Zane Slocumb is a Licensed Professional Counselor at Alabama Psychological Services in Madison. Authorities with the Department of Homeland Security and the Madison County Sheriff’s Office executed search warrants at Slocumb’s home and business. The sheriff’s office says a forensic search of electronic devices has led investigators to charge Slocumb with possession and dissemination of child pornography. A look into Slocumb’s background gives […]

  • Roy Moore: “I have never engaged in sexual misconduct”

    Republican U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore on Friday denied any wrongdoing following a report in the Washington Post that contains accusations of inappropriate sexual contact by Moore against a 14-year-old girl in early 1979. On Thursday, the Moore campaign released a statement calling the report “garbage” and “the very definition of fake news.” Friday, the campaign released a follow-up statement. You can read the statement below in its entirety. “Yesterday, I made a statement that the allegations described in a […]

  • Poll: Do you think North Alabama can support the return of Minor League Baseball?

    MADISON COUNTY, Ala. –  Major League Baseball has approved the sale of the Mobile BayBears to the BallCorps ownership group. WHNT News 19 was the first to report back in July about a confidential investment document where the company hoped to purchase a Minor League Baseball team with the hope of relocating that team to Madison County. Tell us what you think.  Please vote in our online poll below.

  • Smoke prompts evacuation at Huntsville business

    HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — An abundance of smoke forced an evacuation at a Huntsville business on Tuesday afternoon. Huntsville Fire & Rescue Captain Frank McKenzie says lithium batteries caught on fire and released gas and a lot of smoke at Sanmina on Memorial Parkway near the intersection of Green Cove Road. The incident prompted an evacuation.  Captain McKenzie says no one was injured.  The cause of the incident is under investigation. WHNT News 19 has a crew on the scene working […]

  • Girl Scouts to hold back-to-school supply drive benefiting Tennessee Valley schools

    LIMESTONE COUNTY, Ala. – Back to school is on the minds of many people this time of year. Making sure students have supplies needed to start the school year off right is one of the items on many to-do lists. Some Tennessee Valley Girl Scouts are organizing a back-to-school supply drive with that very goal in mind. Members of Girl Scout Troop 469 will be holding the drive Saturday, July 22 from 2-4 p.m. at the Dollar General located at […]

  • Breaking: 18-year-old charged with capital murder in deadly shooting

    HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Huntsville police have made an arrest in connection with a deadly shooting police say involved two men conducting a drug deal. Police have charged 18-year-old Terrance Rodgers with capital murder following a shooting in the area of Alice Drive and Mt. Vernon Road. Officers first responded to a call of a shooting victim at 3700 Blue Spring Road, about a mile away from that intersection. They found 20-year-old Antonio Melson inside a car suffering from a gunshot wound […]

  • Decatur selects new school superintendent

    DECATUR, Ala. — The Decatur City School Board has selected a new superintendent.  Board members voted 4 to 1 in favor of Stephen “Michael” Douglas of the Oneonta City School District. The board held the vote at 7 a.m.  The selection is pending a contract agreement.  Board members they would pay a new superintendent up to $200,000. Boardmember Michele Gray King voted in opposition to hiring Douglas. Board President Karen Duke tells WHNT News 19 that Douglas said Friday that […]

  • Huntsville police respond to shooting call on Elizabeth Street

    HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Police are investigating a shooting on Elizabeth Street in Huntsville. Officers responded to the 3400 block near the intersection of Mastin Lake and Blue Spring shortly after 3 p.m. Police have told our crew on the scene one man has been taken to the hospital.  His injuries are not thought to be life threatening.    

  • Gate 10 reopens after morning repairs

    REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. – Redstone Arsenal officials have reopened the inbound and outbound lanes at Gate 10. Work crews have completed their repair work. Gate 10 has reopened for both inbound and outbound traffic. Thanks for your patience while Team Redstone road crews cleared a safety issue! — Redstone Arsenal (@TeamREDSTONE) May 22, 2017   Officials announced the closure this morning about an hour before the closure began.