DEMOPOLIS-Don’t be surprised if you see citizens in Demopolis placed under arrest next Wednesday. Several Marengo residents will be placed under arrest on Dec. 7, but it will benefit a worthy cause.

The American Heart Association, along with the Volunteer Cardiac Arrest “Parole Board” will hold the annual Cardiac Arrest Event at Brian W. Whitfield Memorial Hospital in the lobby from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Marengo County American Heart Association representative Shelley Buck said they have worked very hard to raise money for awareness and research and this event is a fun way to bring things to a close.

“This has been a campaign we have worked on for the past couple of months,” Buck said. “This is a celebration of the end of that campaign.”

A panel will choose who will be taken into custody, Buck said, and several other fun, informative events will take place.

“We will have a parole board of members of the community who have made a list of suggested arrestees,” Buck said. “We will also have food, blood pressure screenings and different types of literature. It should be a lot of fun.”

Hospital CEO Mike Marshall will serve as “Judge Heartless,” who will hand down sentences.

The Cardiac Arrest “Parole Board” hopes to reach a goal of $15,000 to help support AHA research, education and community service programs to fight cardiovascular disease.

The Marengo County Cardiac Arrest is unique, as it combines fund-raising and fun into one event.

A group of very important citizens will turn themselves in and be charged at the Cardiac Arrest for ‘crimes of the heart. In order to be released, the ‘Arrestees’ must post ‘bail’.

The purpose of this event is to acquire donations, which will assist the American Heart Association in its mission of reducing death and disability due to cardiovascular disease and stroke by 25 percent by the year 2010. Cardiovascular disease is America’s number one killer, claiming one life every 33 seconds.

The American Heart Association has also developed useful educational programs targeted toward all ages in order to teach them how to combat heart and blood vessel diseases. The work done by AHA research has led to advanced cardiovascular medicine in areas that include blood pressure medication, surgical procedures, nutritional standards and exercise modification.

Lives are saved everyday thanks to the work done, which has been funded by the money collected at events like this through the years.

The American Heart Association supports over $9 million in valuable biomedical research to universities in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Louisiana and Mississippi including grants to various schools of medicine and teaching hospitals.

For more information call Shelley Buck at the AHA at 205-510-1523 or e-mail Shelley.buck@heart.org. Any donations that can’t be delivered to the event can be sent to:

The American Heart Association

Attn: Shelley Buck

1449 Medical Park Drive

Birmingham, AL 35213