Features Editor

March 21, 2000 11 PM

A Brundidge man was found dead on the porch of the residence of a friend early Tuesday morning.

Officer Sherri Shackelford found J. D. Mason, 64, sitting in a straight chair on the porch of Johnny Henley’s residence, 621 Wilkins Street in Brundidge, around 6:53 a.m. after responding to an alert by a passerby that there was a dead man on the porch.

Mason was pronounced dead by Coroner Jerry Williams at 7:36 a.m. and the cause of death was unknown.

Brundidge Police Chief Moses Davenport said because Mason was unattended at the time of his death, an autopsy was required. Mason’s body was transported to the morgue at Edge Regional Medical Center in Troy by Haynes Ambulance Service. The forensic science lab in Dothan will pick up the body and perform the autopsy.

On Nov. 1, 1999, the same address, 621 Wilkins Street, was the site of a homicide. During an altercation between Connio Frazier and Otis Flowers, Frazier was strangled to death. The incident was ruled self defense and Flowers was not charge with the death.

Davenport said the address is the site of various types of questionable activity "to say the least."

Davenport said the Brundidge Police Department frequently answers calls at this address for "fighting, the constant flow of traffic, obstruction caused by the large number of vehicles at the residence, accidents related to the traffic and alleged robberies."

The Brundidge chief said residents of the neighborhood are disturbed by the crowds that congregate at 621 Wilkins Street and by the abusive language used. However, the complaints are verbal.

"We haven’t been able to get anyone to sign an official complaint," Davenport said. "People just don’t want to get involved. But it’s important for the people with the concerns to come forth so we will have something to act on."

As the chief spoke of his concerns, people began to gather at the residence, a couple with beer bottles in their hands.

"We have concerns – real concerns," Davenport said.

According to Henley, Mason had been at his house Monday night but left around 11:30 p.m. to return to his house at 721 McGwire Street which is one street over.

Henley said Officer Shackleford woke him up around 7 a.m. to tell him that Mason was on his porch dead.

"That was the first thing I knew about it," Henley said. "But he was usually sitting out here on the porch in the morning when I went to work. I’d stop and talk with him a few minutes before I left."

Henley said he did not think Mason had been on the porch all night.

"I think he went home and came back this morning to wait for me to come out," Henley said.

Davenport said foul play was not expected in the death of Mason, However, the death remains under investigation by the Brundidge Police Department and will intensify if the autopsy reports suggests anything of a questionable nature.