By Carol Robinson
AL.com
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Two Birmingham-area men, both former state inmates, are jailed in south Alabama after reportedly trying to deliver contraband to an Alabama prison.
Sherman Mickles, 35, of Pleasant Grove, and Robert Grady Oliver, 33, of Birmingham, are charged with trafficking methamphetamine, two counts of attempt to commit a controlled substance crime – distribution, first-degree possession of marijuana and prohibited activities.
Alabama Department of Corrections officials said Mickles, previously convicted in a gun store break-in in Tuscaloosa County and a robbery in Jefferson County, had a juvenile girl and an infant in the vehicle with him during the alleged crime.
ADOC officials on Sunday noticed a suspicious vehicle near state property and went to investigate. Prison authorities did not identify the state property.
Mickles was detained and the K-9 Unit tracked and then located the second suspect – Oliver.
A backpack recovered near Oliver included a bottle of vodka, a Bluetooth speaker, seven wireless earbuds, 11 USB blocks, 23 USB cords, 18 cell phones, a digital scale, 82 grams of methamphetamine and 988 grams of marijuana.
Both remain held in the Escambia County Jail .
Poarch and Atmore police assisted in the arrests. The investigation is ongoing, and additional charges may be pending.
Oliver has previous convictions in state court for child pornography possession and drug manufacturing.
Mickles pleaded guilty to second-degree robbery in Jefferson County in 2024 and was sentenced to 10 years in prison with 18 months to serve.
He was previously convicted in federal court in Tuscaloosa County in the 2016 break-in and theft of more than $14,000 worth of guns at Guns & Ammo LLC on Greensboro Avenue .
At least 25 handguns and 10 to 15 long guns, including AR-15’s, were taken.
Some of the stolen guns were recovered in a raid at a home in Jefferson County’s Edgewater community.
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