Judge Keeps Attempted Murder Arraignment on Schedule for Monroeville Teen

A Clarke County circuit judge has refused to push back the arraignment of a Monroeville teenager facing a serious slate of felony charges, keeping the case on its original schedule despite a defense attorney’s argument that he could not be in three counties at once.

The Ruling

Circuit Judge J. Perry Newton denied a motion filed by defense attorney W. Robert McMillan seeking to continue Tuesday’s arraignment of Calvin Fitzgerald Rankins III, 17, of Monroeville. The order was entered on a Sunday, and the arraignment remained on the calendar for Tuesday morning in Clarke County Circuit Court in Grove Hill.

McMillan told the court he faced an unavoidable scheduling conflict. He was set to appear at an election contest hearing in Wilcox County at 10:30 a.m. the same day, while also carrying multiple court settings at 9 a.m. in Monroe, Clarke and Conecuh counties. He argued that the continuance was necessary to provide effective representation and to avoid prejudice to his client, and stated plainly that the request was not made for purposes of delay.

Judge Newton was unpersuaded and denied the motion.

The Charges

Rankins was indicted by a Clarke County grand jury during its spring 2026 term. The indictments allege a series of offenses stemming from an incident in the fall of 2025.

The first indictment charges:

• Attempted murder – prosecutors allege Rankins attempted to kill a juvenile victim, identified in court records only by the initials A.J., by shooting him with a firearm on Sept. 28, 2025.
• First-degree assault – alleging he caused serious physical injury to the victim with a .22-caliber rifle.
• Unlawful distribution of a controlled substance – alleging he unlawfully distributed marijuana to the same juvenile.

A separate indictment charges first-degree robbery, alleging that Rankins attempted to steal U.S. currency from the victim while armed with a .22-caliber rifle and caused serious physical injury in the course of the robbery.

All of these remain allegations. An indictment is not a finding of guilt; it is a grand jury’s determination that there is sufficient evidence to require a defendant to answer the charges in open court. Rankins is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Custody Status

Rankins is currently free on a $100,000 bond that carries a court-ordered cash component, and he is subject to electronic ankle monitoring while awaiting trial, according to court records.

Bond conditions of this kind reflect a court’s effort to balance the presumption of innocence against public safety and the risk of flight. A cash component means a defendant or family cannot satisfy the bond solely through a surety company’s pledge; real money must be posted. Electronic monitoring allows the court to track compliance with conditions such as curfews or exclusion zones.

Understanding the Process

An arraignment is the procedural hearing at which a defendant is formally advised of the charges and enters a plea. It is typically brief, but it sets the trial track in motion – scheduling orders, discovery deadlines and pretrial motions all flow from it. Delaying an arraignment therefore delays everything downstream, which is one reason judges scrutinize continuance requests carefully, particularly in violent-crime cases.

Why a 17-Year-Old Is in Circuit Court

Rankins, 17, is being prosecuted in circuit court rather than juvenile court because of how Alabama law treats older teens accused of the most serious crimes. Under state law, a 16- or 17-year-old charged with certain offenses — including Class A felonies such as attempted murder and first-degree robbery, and felonies involving the use of a deadly weapon or causing serious physical injury — falls outside juvenile court jurisdiction and is charged as an adult. The consequences of conviction in circuit court are substantially more severe than any disposition available in the juvenile system.

Clarke County is part of Alabama's 1st Judicial Circuit, which also includes Choctaw and Washington counties. Circuit courts are the state's courts of general jurisdiction and are where felony cases go to trial.

Details of Tuesday’s arraignment hearing were not immediately available.