Naked man arrest stirs up Rick and Bubba listeners

DOTHAN, Ala. (WTVY) -When her eight year old son screamed Monday morning, Bridget knew something was wrong. So, she investigated and found the boy had encountered a naked man asleep in their laundry room.

She summoned her husband, who held the intruder at gunpoint until deputies arrived at their Malvern home.

Furious, Bridget then ignited a firestorm when she incorrectly told popular radio hosts Rick and Bubba on Tuesday that suspect James Franklin Dowling would be released from the Geneva County Jail on $50 bond.

That mistaken claim outraged listeners nationwide. It also infuriated Geneva County District Attorney Kirke Adams, who contacted Rick and Bubba to set the record straight.

“I’m disappointed in the reporting of the naked man. (Dowling) is currently in the Geneva County Jail. He has not been bonded out and (the judge) has set no bond. You need to make sure you give the correct information,” Adams told Rick and Bubba in an email. The hosts apologized.

Listen to Rick and Bubba segment

Bridget indicated her husband may have shot the intruder had he been more familiar with Alabama law. The family recently moved to the state from Texas.

She thanked neighbors who helped out during the ordeal caring for her two children.

Bridget believes that Dowling, who lives in Rehobeth, was high on illegal drugs.

Court records show he awaits trial on a Houston County drug charge following his arrest shortly after his release from prison.

That’s where he served about 30 months of a nine year sentence for receiving stolen property.

He also has numerous other charges, including Fraudulent Possession of Credit Cards.

Late Tuesday, a Geneva County judge set Dowling a $15,000 bond on the burglary charges. He also has a $1,500 bond on a theft charge related to the same incident.

Alabama law requires reasonable bonds for any charge except capital murder.