Foley, Ala. – (OBA) – In a significant development in Baldwin County, the Sheriff’s Office has arrested Alec Dvorak following an investigation that began as a financial crime but escalated to charges of elder and child abuse. The investigation, which initially focused on Dvorak fraudulently opening accounts using his grandparents' information, uncovered emotional abuse against the elderly couple and physical harm to a child in his care. Dvorak's charges include Financial Exploitation of the Elderly, Elderly Abuse/Neglect, Child Torture/Abuse, Chemical Endangerment of a Child, and Identity Theft. His associate, Destini Ott, has been charged with Tampering with Physical Evidence. The arrest and charges highlight the diligent efforts of the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office in protecting vulnerable individuals.

For geographical context, County Road 12, where the stun gun related to the case was discarded, is located in Foley, about 5 miles north of Orange Beach. 

The Baldwin County Sheriff's Office provided additional information below.

Over the past two weeks, investigators with the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office have been involved with an investigation that began as a financial crime and ended with charges related to elder and child abuse.

On January 8, 2024, the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office received information that Alec Dvorak fraudulently opened accounts using his grandparents’ information. After several days of chasing down leads and multiple interviews it was determined that Alec Dvorak used his family members’ identity to open accounts and credit cards and received several thousand dollars through those accounts.

During our investigation we also learned that Dvorak emotionally abused his grandparents by verbally threatening them over the past few months. Based on that information, warrants were obtained for the arrest of Dvorak on the charges of Financial Exploitation of the Elderly in the First Degree and Elderly Abuse/Neglect in the Third Degree.

Uniformed deputies assigned to the Street Crimes Unit located and arrested Dvorak on January 9, 2024. During his arrest on the warrants, deputies located methamphetamine and paraphernalia in his possession. There was a 9-month-old child in the vehicle at the time of this arrest. The child was given to a family member who quickly reported strange marks on the child’s body.

Investigators with our Violent Crimes Unit immediately began following up on this information. After several interviews, and a physical examination by a medical doctor, it was determined that some of the marks on the 9-month-old were burns. Those burns were consistent with electronic burns, and it was determined that they came from a “stun gun” that Dvorak used to threaten and assault the child with.

After confirming this information, Deputies immediately sought and received a search warrant to search Dvorak’s residence for the stun gun. Unfortunately, they were unable to locate the weapon. They later learned that Dvorak’s girlfriend, Destini Ott, moved the stun gun from the residence and threw it out on the side of County Road 12 in Baldwin County.

Investigators were able to locate the stun gun on January 11, 2024. After examining the weapon and consulting with medical staff, the spacing and shape of the probes matched the electronic burns that were discovered on the 9-month-old.

Dvorak was additionally charged with three counts of Willful Torture/Abuse of a Child, Chemical Endangerment of a Child and two counts of Identity Theft. Destini Ott was charged with Tampering with Physical Evidence.

This investigation is still ongoing and will require additional follow-up before it is closed, but we wanted to share with the public that an arrest has been made in this case. We would like to thank our sworn and non-sworn staff for their hard work on this investigation. The long hours worked by our investigators, seamless cooperation with our Patrol Division and communication with other agencies have not gone unnoticed. We appreciate their continued dedication to duty and for protecting those who cannot protect themselves.