Bus driver remembered as a hero

MIDLAND CITY, Ala. (WALA) - The Midland City community is facing a sad reality with prayer and reflection as five-year-old boy spends his third night being held hostage.  

During a candlelight vigil the community not only prayed for the child, but remembered Charles Poland, the bus driver authorities said was shot and killed moments before the child was snatched.

Sharon Deloney said she lives near Poland’s home and knows his wife. She said Poland was a kindhearted man.

“Very caring, very giving, very gregarious and friendly and outgoing just a genuinely nice, nice man,” said Deloney.

Deloney said her neighborhood will never be the same.

“The heartache that is involved with it was very difficult. Just shock and disbelief that it could be in our area affected our family, our friends and our community,” said Deloney.

The crowd outside Midland City’s town hall included children, teens and men and women who knew Poland and had well wishes for the boy they are calling Ethan.

“(Our prayer is) that everything is going to be okay, and Ethan is going to get out soon,” said 16-year-old Katie Hiers.