Progress at Centennial Memorial Park after drunk driver destroys monument

ANNISTON, Ala. (WBRC) - Last October, 74-year-old Franklin Henderson plowed through Anniston’s Centennial Memorial Park. Henderson destroyed the park’s Korean War monument and damaged the city’s fire department.

Anniston Police received a call about the incident around 4 p.m. that day. The driver put the car in reverse and hit the gas, damaging a few panels of the World War I and World War II monuments, before stopping at a retaining wall.

Ken Rollins, one of the founders of the park, says they have made significant progress in replacing the memorial.

“We have a law enforcement tag that we get revenue from that was able to write a check for $66,000 for this to be replaced,” says Rollins. “It is being engraved as we speak. I look forward for it to be back up in the next month. The stone is bought. It should be back in place before Veterans Day.”

Henderson was charged with driving under the influence.

The total cost for all the repairs was close to $100,000, and Rollins says his insurance company did cover some of the repairs.

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