True Crime Collection

2013 Alabama Bunker Hostage

On 29th January, 2013, just after 3:30pm, Jimmy Lee Dykes boarded a Dale County School bus that was stopped in Midland City and told the driver that he wanted to take 2 children, 6 and 8 years old, both boys, from the bus. The school bus driver, 66 year old Charles Albert Poland, Jr., refused to let him take the children and challenged Jimmy to shoot him. He blocked access to the aisle of the bus while Jimmy continued to argue with him.

Jimmy fired 5 shots, killing Charles, and left the bus taking Ethan Gilman, a 5 year old student from Midland City Elementary School who had autism, with him. After he had left the bus with Ethan, the students in the bus left through the front door, having to pass by the body of Charles, whom many of them had known for years. Authorities indicated that there was no pre-existing relationship between Jimmy and the hostage. 15 year old Tre' Watts, who was present on the bus, was the first person to call 911; he began the call when Jimmy boarded the bus.

After the shooting, Jimmy took Ethan to a 6 foot by 8 foot underground bunker on his property. The bunker contained homemade bombs and was equipped with a PVC ventilation pipe. Hostage negotiators cooperated with Jimmy in an attempt to obtain Ethan's release and to bring the situation to a favourable conclusion.

Soon after the shooting and abduction, Jimmy called 911 and gave instructions on how to communicate with him. FBI hostage negotiators arrived at the bunker and began communicating with Jimmy through the ventilation pipe, as he instructed.

Because Ethan had Asperger's Syndrome and ADHD, Jimmy accepted medication for him, sent through the PVC pipe along with a colouring book and crayons. It was later confirmed that Jimmy wanted a female reporter to broadcast him live in the bunker, and that he would commit suicide on live television. Investigators also revealed that he had been "training" Ethan to detonate the improvised explosive devices inside the bunker.

On 4th February, 2013, at 3:12pm, the FBI's Hostage Rescue Team breached the roof of the bunker using explosive charges after negotiations began to break down and they saw, using a hidden camera, Jimmy holding a gun. The agents threw stun grenades into the bunker before exchanging gunfire with Jimmy, killing him, and rescuing the boy. Ethan was taken to the hospital and was reported to be in good condition. According to sources, 2 improvised explosive devices were discovered, 1 inside the PVC pipe, the other inside the bunker.

Jimmy Dykes, a decorated Vietnam War Navy veteran, was identified as the gunman. He lived in isolation and supposedly lost contact with his 2 daughters, years before the incident, according to people who lived near him. He previously lived in Florida, where he was arrested for brandishing a gun in 1995. In 2000, he was arrested for marijuana possession charges. He moved to Midland City, where he beat a neighbour's dog to death with an iron pipe when it walked onto his property, warned children not to enter his property, and built a speed bump to prevent motorists from driving too fast down the street. Jimmy was also known to have patrolled his property at night with a shotgun and a flashlight. The day prior to the standoff, he was due in court for a hearing on a menacing case in which he allegedly fired a gun at neighbours. Jimmy had cleared a path on his property for school buses to take, and he had started speaking to Charles Poland weeks prior to the incident.

The following week, Phil McGraw interviewed Ethan and his mother. On 26th February, the bunker where Jimmy held him captive was demolished by officials, who stated that it posed "a biological risk".