The Lowndes County Cattlemen’s Assn. will hold its annual steak dinner fundraiser tomorrow and Saturday (April 25 and 26) in the parking lot in front of Ashley’s Furniture on Hwy 45 North. Ten dollars buys a 10-oz ribeye, baked potato and salad. This is the 15th year for the event, which raises money for scholarships.

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This Saturday (April 26) from noon till 2:00 p.m., the Ashley Furniture HomeStore will host a competition between charities to win a $5000 donation. Sealy Mattress Co. and Simmons Mattress Co. have each contributed $1000 and Ashley Furniture HomeStore is donating the other $3000, along with 10% of all the mattress sales from April 15 to May 5. Customers who purchase a mattress during this time frame will choose which of six charities they would like to receive a portion of their mattress purchase. Each organization will have one representative at the competition to compete for the $5,000 on Saturday. The competition will begin promptly at noon and will include a scavenger hunt throughout Ashley Furniture HomeStore's showroom. Each of the three representatives on the winning team will then compete in a final round to receive the Grand Prize of $5,000. The participating charities are Palmer Home for Children, Safe Haven, Habitat for Humanity, Father's Child Ministry, Columbus-Lowndes Humane Society, and Recovery House.

The Ashley Furniture HomeStore is located at 1721 HWY 45 N.

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The Brotherhood of Beta Kappa Tau will have a “boilin’ for charity” fundraiser for the United Way Saturday, April 26, from 1:00 p.m. till 5:00 p.m. on MUW’s Shattuck Lawn. Crawfish will be available for $6 per pound, including corn and potatoes. Tents will be set up with seating for 50. Game will be provided by the Campus Recreation Dept.

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West Point’s “Thursday Tempos! Free fun in the Park!” began last Thursday in Sally Kate Winters Park. The weekly programs featuring local talent will continue at 6:00 each Thursday in the park through May 29:

• Thurs., Apr. 24 - Jessie Littlefield Flynt and her band (she has recently cut 2 CDs in Nashville)
• May 1 - Church Hill Cherubs directed by Susie Marshall - singers and tappers
• May 8 - WPHS Concert and Symphonic Band, 7th & 8th Grade Bands, and Beginner Band directed by Ricky Brown
• May 15 - Oak HIll Academy Elementary Choral Classes directed by Hope Robertson
• May 22 - "The Life and Music of Fanny Crosby" to be presented by Josh Stevens and the newly formed Community Senior Choir - a great experience
• May 29 - The Torkays - a 1960's band featuring several West Pointers and formers West Pointers. Popcorn, soft drinks and water will be sold. In case of rain the shows will be moved to Center Stage.

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New Beginnings International Children’s and Family Services of Tupelo will host a “free international adoption wokshop” Saturday, April 26, from 10:00 a.m. til 12:00 noon at Beans & Cream, 60 Brickerton Street in Columbus. An adoptive family will be present at the workshop to share their adoption experience. An experienced team from New Beginnings will be present to address any question or concerns that prospective adoptive couples may have about the adoption process. Someone will also be present to consult with birth mothers who may be experiencing crisis pregnancy situations. Breakfast will be provided.

For more information contact Marcus Davenport at 662-842-6752 or at marcusdavenport@-nbicfs.org, Jennie Russell at jennierussell@nbicfs.org or Renae Hellen at renaehellen@nbicf.org to RSVP to the workshop.

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The Pipeline Group will host its annual “Public Education-Contractor Awareness” program next Tuesday, April 29, at the Trotter Center. The program is sponsored by eight companies, including Atmos Energy, that want to reemphasize the importance of knowing where underground utilities are before digging holes and trenches. The event starts at 6:30 p.m. and includes dinner catered by Mack’s Fish Camp. For more information call 724-933-7370.

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Unity Hospice Care is hosting a memorial service held on April 29 6:00 p.m. at First Assembly of God, 2201 Military Road. All who would like to attend in memory of their loved ones are invited. A reception will follow.

Following up on this memorial service, there will be a series of meetings in a grief support group, Pat's Place, held by Unity Hospice Care. The group will meet at 10:00 a.m. each Tuesday, May 6-27, at Main Street Presbyterian Church, 701 Main Street. Amelia Nolen, LCSW with Unity Hospice, will lead the group meetings. For more information or to sign up for the grief support group meetings, please call Unity Hospice Care at 662- 338-0007. This is a free service for the community.

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East Mississippi Community College will host the Northeast Mississippi Job Fair on Thursday, May 1st. The fair, featuring more than 50 employers, will be at the Lyceum at EMCC's Golden Triangle campus. The annual event is open to students from community colleges, as well as four-year colleges and universities, from 9:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. The general public is welcome to attend from noon until 2:30 p.m. EMCC's Golden Triangle campus is at 8731 S. Frontage Road in Mayhew, off Highway 45 Alternate. For more information, call Linda Gates at (662) 243- 1978 or visit www.eastms.edu.

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The MUW Chorale, assisted by the All Saints' Episcopal Church Choir from Tupelo, will present the Faure Requiem at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 1, at First United Methodist Church in Columbus.

Dr. Debra Atkinson, director of the Chorale and the All Saints' Choir, will conduct the performance. The soloists will be MUW voice professor Dr. Cherry Dunn of Columbus, soprano; and Dr. Iwao Asakura, professor of voice at Mississippi State University, baritone. The accompanists will be Elaine Byrd, pianist, and Ben Orr, organist.

The Requiem was written in 1887 and was inspired by the death of Faure's parents. It was first performed on Jan. 16, 1888, for a funeral at the Church of the Madeleine in Paris, where Faure served as choirmaster and later as chief organist. After several revisions that did not hold true to the original intent of the author, British composer John Rutter published an edition that is believed to be closest to what Faure intended when he wrote it for his choir of men and boys. It is this version that the MUW Chorale will perform.

The concert is free.

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The State Games of Mississippi will be held June 13-15, 20-22 and 26- 29 in Lauderdale and Neshoba Counties. The event kicks off with the Olympic-style Opening Ceremonies sponsored by AT&T Mississippi on Friday, June 20, at Dumont Plaza in Downtown Meridian and features the Parade of Athletes, the torch lighting and fireworks. In 2007, Meridian was host to over 4,500 athletes competing in 29 sports from over 300 communities throughout the state of Mississippi. The State Games of Mississippi is open to all amateur athletes. Participant’s age categories vary with each sport and all participants must be Mississippi residents for at least 30 days prior to the first day of competition in their sport. Participants in the past years have ranged in age from 4 to 92.

For more information on the Games, call 1-800-482-0205 or visit the State Games of Mississippi website at www.stategamesofms.org. E-mail requests may be sent to stgamiss@aol.com

Packet #771 - April 70, 2008

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Kitchen Revokes Karriem's Probation
Ex-councilman faces ten years in prison after flunking urine test
Karriem and his mother deny he used cocaine this time

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Following a hearing in Clay County Circuit Court last Friday morning, Judge Jim Kitchens revoked Rev. Kamal Karriem’s probation and ordered him to prison to begin serving a ten-year sentence for embezzlement. The revocation was sought by the D.A.’s office after Rev. Karriem’s urine tested positive for cocaine on April 2. It was the second time Karriem had failed a drug test since being sentenced to probation two years ago. The ruling came six weeks after Karriem was shot several times on 18th Ave. North by a longtime family friend who apparently thought that the pastor was intimately involved with his wife.

After Kitchens made his ruling Karriem hugged his mother, Helen Karriem, and wife, Dinetta Karriem, in the courtroom. He also appeared to speak with some anger to his probation officer, Wyatt Mills, before being led away. Mills testified in the hearing that after testing positive for cocaine on April 2 Karriem initially denied using the drug and then admitted using it but asked “for one more chance.” Karriem denied the exchange.

Karriem suggested at the hearing that a false positive test was the result of medication he was taking for gunshot wounds he suffered on February 29. Helen Karriem testified at the hearing that she knew that her son had used cocaine in the past but was certain that he was not using it before testing positive on April 2. She also said that he has a bipolar condition and needs psychiatric help. Judge Kitchens said that the Mississippi Dept. of Corrections has programs to treat prisoners with drug and psychological problems.

Karriem was charged with embezzlement just before Christmas in 2004 after an investigation indicated that he had traded a City of Columbus cell phone for crack cocaine. The phone was not worth much but the person who had traded for it had made hundreds of dollars of phone calls that had been charged to the city. Karriem, then 46, was Ward 5 Councilman at the time. He reimbursed ?the city for most of the calls and hired Nebra Porter of Tupelo to represent him. After a preliminary hearing in front of Special Judge Alton Gillis on January 27, 2005 was bound over to the next grand jury. On May 9, 2005 he was indicted by the grand jury. The case dragged through the summer of 2005. In July 2005 Porter filed a motion to withdraw as counsel, saying that “the attorney-client relationship has deteriorated to a degree where effective repesentation of the client by undersigned counsel is not possible.” But she continued to represent Karriem. The trial was finally set for November 29, 2005.

Rev. Kamal Karriem looks at his mother after Judge Jim Kitchens
revoked his probation last Friday at the Clay County Courthouse.

On Nov. 21, 2005 Karriem pled guilty to embezzlement in front of Judge Kitchens. Responding to questions from the judge, he said he knew that the sentence could be zero to ten years. The plea statement he signed included this: “I declare that no officer or agent of any branch of government, federal or state or local, has made any promise or suggestion of any kind to me, or within my knowledge to anyone else, that I will receive a lighter sentence, or probation, or any other form of leniency if I plead guilty... I believe that my lawyer, Nebra Porter, has done all that anyone could to counsel and assist me. I am satisfied with the help she has given me.”

In his pre-sentencing report probation officer Wyatt Mills wrote that Karriem’s occupation was “preacher and part owner of Helen’s Kitchen.” Mayor Jeffrey Rupp said in a victim’s statement that Karriem still owed the city $106.03 for calls that had been made on the phone.

Kitchens sentenced Karriem to ten years in prison but suspended the sentence and sentenced him to five years’ probation. He also imposed a $200 fine and ordered him to pay court costs and finish paying the restitution. And he ordered him to pay $35 per month beginning on January 15, 2006. Kitchens told Karriem he was to avoid “injurious or vicious habits,” that he was to find a job and help support his dependents (he had historically been behind on child-support payments), and he was not to drink any alcoholic beverages or use “any type of illegal drug at any time.”

Karriem was supposed to start paying his $35 per month on January 15, 2006; on Jan. 3, 2006 he paid $20; on Feb. 6, 2006 he paid $40; on April 4, 2006 he paid $20; and on May 2, 2006 he paid $20. He never paid another dime. At his hearing last week he was in arrears $611.53 on his payments.

By July 20, 2007 Karriem was in arrears $511.53 on his court-ordered payments. On that day he tested positive for cocaine and on July 24 he was arrested and the D.A. moved to revoke his probation. On August 15 Nebra Porter informed the court that her representation of Karriem ended when he pled guilty to embezzlement.

A revocation hearing was held on Sept. 21, 2007, with Columbus attorney Rod Ray representing Karriem. Instead of sending Karriem to prison Kitchens ordered him to complete the Teen Challenge program at the House of Mercy in Hurley, Miss. Kitchens said that if Karriem failed to complete the program “he shall be required to serve said term.”

Kamal Karriem speaks to Wyatt Mills after Karriem’s
probation was revoked. Helen Karriem is on the left.

Karriem returned to Columbus for the funeral of Tony Dean, who died on December 30, 2007. He did not go back and reportedly told officials at House of Mercy that he was going to Columbus for the funeral of his brother and that he wasn’t coming back and that Judge Kitchens knew it.

On February 4, 2008, House of Mercy Intake Director Cathy Thompson wrote to Judge Kitchens and Wyatt Mills: “This is to notify you that Mr. Karriem has left the Teen Challenge of Arkansas program. The student arrived on November 5, 2007. He left on January 5, 2008 to officiate the funeral of his brother in MS. Kamal was to return to Teen Challenge by January 10, 2008. He called us on the 10th and said that the judge had released him and he would not be returning to the program... Entrance into and continud participation in Teen Challenge is voluntary. We try to discourage everyone from leaving prior to completion of the program. However, we are not able to keep anyone against his will.”

The next week (Feb. 11) Karriem was back in front of Kitchens. Karriem had reportedly been telling people that he was no longer on probation and Mills was confused about his status. Karriem said that he did not need to go back to the Teen Challenge program and said he was ministering to people in this community with problems. Judge Kitchens made it plain that Karriem was on probation and he ordered him to find a treatment program or that he would find one for him. Karriem made arrangements to start a program in Tupelo on March 4. But then on February 29 he was wounded on 18th Ave.

On April 2 Karriem reported to Mills and tested positive for cocaine. Asst. D.A. Frank Clark filed a motion for probation revocation the same day and Karriem waived a preliminary hearing. The revocation hearing was set for April 11 in the Clay County Courthouse, where Kitchens was holding court.

Karriem denies using coke
At last Friday’s hearing in West Point, Frank Clark said that Karriem had violated the terms of his probation by not making monthly payments and by using cocaine.

Mills testified that Karriem “left the Teen Challenge program illegally. He told people at Teen Challenge that Judge Kitchens told him he didn’t have to come back. Judge Kitchens didn’t do that.”

Mills said that he collected urine from Karriem on April 2 at his office and that it tested positive for cocaine.

Mills also testified that Karriem did not report to him from the time he left Teen Challenge until April 2. “I never saw him,” said Mills.

Mills said that when he told Karriem that his urine tested positive for cocaine Karriem “denied ever using cocaine,” but he said that when they got to the jail he admitted to using it and asked “would I give himone more chance.” Mills said that Karriem was taking painkillers after being wounded but that he checked with the state crime lab and was assured that combinations of those drugs could not cause a false cocaine test.

Clark asked Mills if he saw any alternative to revocation and Mills said he thought he was no longer a candidate for probation.

Rod Ray, representing Karriem, cross-examined Mills: “Didn’t we have a hearing in Columbus on February 11? I thought he [Judge Kitchens] ordered him to go somewhere by the end of that term.”

Ray said that he had tried to get Karriem “squared away” with Mills. Mills said that Karriem was supposed to report to his office on March 31 but didn’t report till April 2.

Karriem took the stand and denied using cocaine after the February hearing. Ray asked him why his urine sample on April 2 was positive for cocaine and Karriem said that he had been taking painkillers. He also said that he was taking medication for a post-traumatic disorder.

Ray reminded Karriem that at the February hearing Kitchens said he wanted Karriem in “long-term treatment” and that “we all agreed on the Harbor House in Oxford [Tupelo].”

Karriem replied, “That was set for March 3 and I was shot on Friday [Feb. 29]. I had to catheters in me and was going to doctors a lot. I had outpatient surgery the third week of March.

Ray reminded Karriem that at the February hearing the judge told him what he had to do. Ray added, “You knew that he’d bent over backwards for you and given you several breaks.”

Karriem said he knew it and that he was ready to start the program in Tupelo on March 3 but got shot. “I’d have been there if I hadn’ got shot,” he said. He said he still wanted long-term treatment.

(See the full story in Packet #771).

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CMSD to Buy Land on Airbase Hill for School
Mitchell and Union Declared Surplus
Board OKs CAFB School Choice for Another Year
by Brian Jones

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The Columbus Municipal School District has bought an option on 54 acres of land in north Columbus to build a new middle school.

The land is owned by Ray and Rosemary Adams and is near Columbus Air Force base, between Bent Tree Plantation and the intersection of Highway 45 and Highway 50, almost to the Highway 373 split. The price is approximately $858,000, or $15,900 per acre.

Superintendent Del Phillips presented 11 potential sites to the board during Monday's board meeting; 10 of them were viable, and one failed to meet the minimum size requirements.

Before his presentation, however, board member Julie Jordan announced that she would be recusing herself from the discussion and voting.

"I would like to request to recuse myself," she stated. "My husband has been involved in real estate for about 30 years now, and I think that in order to try to remove any semblance of impropriety or anything unethical I am not only going to recuse myself from the votes, but from all discussions both now and in executive session. I have not had any discussions with any board members or with Dr. Phillips (about land) since the ad was put in the newspaper, and I'd like to keep it that way."

Jordan stepped down and sat in the audience for the duration of the discussion, and left the chamber during the executive session that followed.

Phillips then summarized the submissions received.

"We received 11, which I think is an extremely good number," he said. "I was hoping that we would have at least five. Ten of them met the minimum requirements. We asked for at least 17 acres. The state will not approve a land site that is less than 17 acres."

Four sites were submitted by realtors, he said, and seven by individual landowners.

The sites were:

• 25.24 acres located on Shelton Street in East Columbus, near RSC Equipment Rental, with an asking price of $1,894,500.
• 23.45 acres off of Tuscaloosa Road, adjoining the site above, with an asking price of $1,568,561.
• 36 acres off of Lehmberg Road, to the south of Lowndes Funeral Home, with an asking price of $798,500.
• 14 acres off at the southeast corner of Hemlock and McCrary Roads and near the Columbus High School athletic complex. This site did not meet the minimum size requirement.
• 40 acres on the east side of Nashville Ferry Road, at the corner where East Yorkville Road and Nashville Ferry split, with an asking price of $750,000.
• 22 acres directly west of the above parcel, with an asking price of $440,000.
• 35 acres on Bluecutt Road with frontage beside the post office and running north up the hill, with an asking price of $1,250,000.
• 35 acres on Bluecutt Road with frontage east of the boat facility, with an asking price of $1,350,000.
• 48 acres on Bluecutt Road, in the bend of Bluecutt near the medical complexes, with an asking price of $995,000.
• 70 acres off of Wilkins-Wise Road, north of Stribling Equipment, with an asking price of $700,000.
• 54 acres at the corner of Highway 45 and 50, with an asking price of $858,600. (This is the site that was eventually chosen.)

The board asked no questions about the property in open session. Instead, they discussed the land purchase in executive session. Upon returning from closed session they voted to purchase the Highway 45 North property.

In other land-related actions, the board voted unanimously to declare Mitchell Elementary and Union Academy surplus. As part of Phillips's plan to reorganize the district, Mitchell and Union will be closed. "When a building that is potentially going to be used for something other than a school purpose, you have to declare it surplus," Phillips said. "In consideration of potentially using those sites for the betterment of the community, we need to take care of this. Declaring them surplus will allow me to start those conversations with community members about using the buildings for other purposes."

Finally, the board approved an interlocal agreement with the Lowndes County School District granting school choice to Columbus Air Force Base students who would like to attend city schools. Until last year, the terms of a federal desegregation order sent those children to city schools. Once the city school district attained unitary status, however, those children returned to school at Caledonia as mandated by state law.

The interlocal agreement allows CAFB students to attend the city schools if they so desire. The agreement has a term of one year, and must be renewed to remain in effect.

"When we approved this the last time, we advocated school choice for all children," stated Bruce Hanson. "I just feel very strongly that this board should be on record as wanting to allow choice for all children."

"I would echo that," Jordan said. "While I think we should approve the interlocal agreement again, I would like to see us at some point reach an agreement that would allow all children to choose which school to go to."

All five of the board members agreed with that sentiment before voting unanimously to renew the interlocal agreement.

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Packet #770 - April 10, 2008

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Young Male Wounded in Leg on Byrnes Circle
“Arab” being sought

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A 21-year-old Columbus man was shot in a leg Tuesday morning on Byrnes Circle. Marcus Sherrod was rushed to BMH-GT by neighbors and underwent surgery. He is expected to recover. A male companion who was with Sherrod was not hit.

The shooting occurred shortly before 10:00 a.m. in front of 279 Byrnes Circle (on the southwest end of the circle, near the Spirit of Prayer Holiness Church). Police spokesman Sgt. Rick Jones said that an “ethnic male” is believed to be the shooter. Jones added that the shooter is believed to be of Middle Eastern extraction. Speaking yesterday, more than 24 hours after the shooting, Jones said that the shooter was driving a newer-model Impala. The color of the vehicle was still in dispute—it is probably dark blue but some witnesses said it was baby blue.

“This was not a random shooting,” Jones said. “Obviously they knew each other.” Jones added that Sherrod had not yet identified the person who shot him. (Jones was interviewed about an hour after a shooting yesterday morning that police think might have some connection to Tuesday’s shooting.)

CPD Officers John Pevey, John Duke and Bill McClure look for shell
casings and other evidence at the scene of Tuesday’s shooting on
Byrnes Circle. The Spirit of Prayer Holiness Church is in the background
Several bullets hit two trees out of the photo to the left about head-high.

Jones said that investigators were not saying how many shots were fired or what caliber of weapon was used.

Several neighbors were outside and nearby when the shooting took place and several others heard the shots and rushed outside. A neighbor told the Packet that Sherrod and a companion were walking away from Waterworks Road on Byrnes Circle when a Malibu or Impala pulled up from the opposite direction on Byrnes Circle and the driver got out and began shooting at Sherrod and his friend, who had passed by the car and were near the point where Byrnes Circle bends sharply to the east. The gunman then got back into his car and sped away.

Neighbors dove for cover when the shooting began. After the shooter drove away they saw Sherrod in a ditch near the curve in the road, his companion still with him. Sherrod was calling for help and a neighbor responded and drove him to BMH-GT.

The neighbor who drove Sherrod to the hospital said that she was asleep in her house when the shooting erupted. A friend of hers was watching TV in the front room and woke her up. Neither would give her name. The friend said that she heard tires squeal and very soon afterward heard at least four gunshots. She looked out a window and saw Sherrod fall into a ditch. She woke the homeowner up and they went outside. The wounded man cried, out, “Help, don’t let me die!” The women drove the homeowner’s car the short distance to Sherrod and Sherrod’s friend and another neighbor helped him into the back seat. Sherrod was bleeding heavily from his leg wound.

The two women raced to the hospital with the two males in the back seat. E- 911 dispatcher advised police that the victim was being transported by private car, and described the car so police would give it passage. Police pulled up to BMH-GT about the same time as the car arrived.

The women who transported Sherrod to the hospital said that Sherrod was unconscious the whole trip, apparently from loss of blood. After the police had gone a pool of blood remained on the pavement near the spot where Sherrod fell into the ditch. And Sherrod also left much blood on the back seat of the car that transported him.

Sherrod lives on Waterworks Road just a couple of blocks from the scene of the shooting.

A source told the Packet that Sherrod is known as “Tootie” and that his friend is called “Hamburger.” Police have not released the friend’s name. According to the source, the shooter looks like an Arab and is called “A-rab.”

The shooting is not thought to be connected to the shooting of a 16-year-old female that occurred 25 hours later (See report in Packet #770).

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CHS Student’s Shooting Ruled an Accident

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A 16-year-old Columbus female was wounded in a leg by a bullet late yesterday morning, just 25 hours after Marcus Sherrod was wounded. Police thought at first that the shooting might be linked to the Sherrod shooting but soon decided that it was not. By mid-afternoon yesterday, after questioning several CHS students, police concluded that the shooting was an accident.

The shooting was reported at 11:08 a.m. yesterday, at which time the victim was already being rushed by private vehicle to BMH-GT.

Police were initially told that the victim was inside the house at 424 Idlewild and that shots came from a passing car. Police went to that house but could find no evidence of shots being fired. Officers at BMH-GT then relayed information that the shots came from woods behind the house, but again officers at the scene found no corroborating evidence. Two hours later police took three male CHS students into custody for questioning.

At 2:30 p.m. Sgt. Jones said that investigators had determined that the victim and a male student skipped class and were in a car on Bennett Ave. (east of Lehmber Road) when they examined a semi-automatic pistol. When the male racked the slide the weapon discharged, the bullet striking the female in a leg.

Jones said the students apparently tried to mislead police in an attempt to stay out of trouble.

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Columbus Man Catches State Record Carp

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Conservation Officer Jason Young, Judd Murphy and Melvin
Murphy with the new state-record grass carp Melvin Murphy
caught last Saturday at Prairie Waters.

Columbus businessman Melvin Murphy owns the new state record for grass carp. His monster fish, caught last Saturday evening at Prairie Waters in eastern Clay County, weighed 53.2 lbs— almos five pounds more than the old record of 48.4 lbs.

Murphy, who owns Three-Star Muffler on Gardner Blvd., caught the fish while fishing with his son, Judd, from a 12-foot john boat. Murphy said that they were fishing fairly close to shore and that he was using a Pumpkin Seed Lizard with a single hook, and 10-lb line when he felt three bumps on the lure, the same kinds of bumps a bass makes. Murphy thought that he was going to catch a bass, but this was no bass.

Murphy said the huge carp “pulled us all over that 50-acre lake.” It took Murphy 30 minutes to wear the monster down and bring him in.

Murphy took the fish to the Food Giant Supermarket to have it weighed and called Conservation Officer Jason Young to come witness the weighing. Young told Murphy that the fish was a new state record.

Murphy said that Judd had been catching bass that day but that he had been skunked until he caught the carp.

Judd is a second-grader in Sarah Jo Murphy’s class at Heritage Elementary (they are not related).

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Karriem Back in Jail

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Rev. Kamal Karriem, who was on probation when he was wounded in late February on 18th Ave. North, is back in jail. His probation was revoked when he went to the probation office on April 2 (apparently for his regularly scheduled appointment).

Rev. Karriem is scheduled to appear before Judge Jim Kitchens on April 11 for a probation revocation hearing. Last year Kitchens permitted Karriem to attend a faith-based rehab program on the Coast. Karriem returned to Columbus early and was reportedly involved in helping other people with substance-abuse problems when he was shot severa times on February 29, allegedly by Lennell Hearn. Hearn is also incarcerated at LCADC.

A probation official would not say why Karriem was arrested on April 2. He said that the facts will be presented at the revocation hearing tomorrow.

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Packet #769 - April 3, 2008

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Brooksville Man Indicted for Murders
that Brewer and Brooks Served Time For
by Scott Boyd
The Macon Beacon

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Justin Albert Johnson has been indicted for the killings that made Kennedy Brewer adn Levon Brooks famous.

Johnson, of Brooksville, was arrested in February by agents from the Mississippi Attorney General’s office after DNA evidence confirmed his connection to the death of three-year-old Christine Jackson back in 1992.

Sometime shortly after his arrest, Johnson reportedly admitted to state investigators that he was also involved in the 1990 death of three-year-old Courtney Smith.

The similarities in both murders were striking—even to investigators back in the early 1990s who had initially identified Johnson among several suspects.

Both young girls had been lifted from their homes during the night. Both had been sexually assaulted. And, both had been dumped in bodies of water near their Brooksville-area homes.

Johnson was in Noxubee County Circuit Court last week for an arraign ment in front of Judge Lee Howard. Assistant Attorney General Rhonda Hayes-Ellis read the charges in open court. Johnson entered not guilty pleas on both counts as public defender Shane Thompkins of Columbus stood at his side.

Dressed in jail-issued clothing, Johnson appeared alert and spoke to court officials as he was led into the courtroom. “Trying to be strong,” Johnson said as he greeted Sheriff Albert Walker.

Johnson was living with his parents on Sanders Hill Road just east of Brooksville when he was arrested last month. He knew he was being investigated and had called the Noxubee Sheriff’s Department several times in 2007 to complain about “harassment” from lawyers wyho were coming to his home.

Much of the Johnson investigation was conducted by lawyers working to free Brewer and Brooks. Attorneys from the New York-based Innocence Project had gained access to the DNA evidence that had been preserved from the investigation into Christine Jackson’s death. Their work focused on various methods, including the hiring of a scientist who spent time studying crayfish removed from the creek where Jackson’s body was found. His investigations reportedly showed the bite marks on Jackson’s body were actually made by crayfish and other aquatic life—and not Brewer’s teeth. Bite mark testimony from controversial forensic dentist Michael West was among the most damaging evidence presented at Brewer’s 1995 trial in Columbus.

Gloria Jackson, Christine Jackson’s mother, was living with Kennedy Brewer at the time of the girl’s death. She recently said she remembered Johnson lived near them in the Pilgrim’s Rest community back in 1992. She said investigators had initially questioned Johnson because he developed a reputation after an alleged sexual attack that was handled in Noxubee County Justice Court. Gloria Jackson said she doesn’t remember Johnson ever visiting in their home. She had gone out on the night that Christine was abducted and had left Kennedy Brewer in charge of the child. At trial Brewer said he had been drinking that night and had fallen asleep in a bed, with the child on the floor at the foot of the bed, also asleep.

Brewer was sentenced to death and spent the next eight years on Death Row at Parchman Penitentiary until the Mississippi Supreme Court ordered a new trial based on DNA tests that proved Brewer didn’t rape the little girl.

Brooks, who was convicted by a Noxubee County jury in 1992, spent 18 years in prison until Johnson’s alleged confession led to his release in February. He had been dating Courtney Smith’s mother at the time of the girl’s death. At his trial he was identified by an older sister as the man who grabbed the girl from the bed as they slept.

Prosecutors with the District Attorney’s office hae not announced if they will seek the death penalty for Johnson.

Johnson was returned to the Chickasaw County Jail in Houston shortly after last Thursday’s arraignment. That’s the jail where he was taken after his arrest by state officials who reportedly didn’t want him incarcerated in Noxubee County for fear of his safety, considering all the attention in the cases.

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West Point Planning Commission Recommends Rejection of Mary Holmes Rezoning Request
Public Hearing Before Selectmen Postponed
by Brian Jones

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The West Point Planning Commission unanimously recommended that the city reject developer Vernon Studdard's plan to turn Mary Holmes College into a drug rehabilitation facility at a contentious March 27 meeting.

Studdard requested that 45 of the 191 available acres be rezoned from A0, which is agricultural, to C2, which would allow him to transform the college into a rehab facility. Studdard's plan calls for the rehab facility to operate under the Regimented Inmate Discipline program, which places inmates in a boot camp-like environment with military-style discipline. Inmates, who will be between 18 and 30 years old, will be on-site for a 13-week program, he said. The facility's capacity is 1,340 inmates at a time.

It will employ over 200 people, he said, with a payroll of $7 million.

However, Studdard was confronted with overwhelming public opposition, as well as skepticism from the commission.

The Planning Commission's rejection is not the final word. The Planning Commission does not have the authority to grant a rezoning request; that power lies with the West Point Board of Selectmen.

"The Planning Commission has not approval authority," explained Pete O'Shea. "Our job is to investigate and make a recommendation to the Board of Selectmen, who will take this up on April 1."

The campus is currently owned by the Presbyterian Church (USA), which is based out of Kentucky. The buildings are currently unused and deteriorating; they were last used as a shelter for evacuees during Hurricane Katrina.

During the initial portion of the hearing, Studdard made his case to the commission. Afterward, the commissioners and members of the public questioned him.

"Just like every other father in the United States of America, I have had kids that have had problems with drugs," Studdard said. "There was no relief in sight. I decided to try to put my daughter into rehab, and I called 56 rehabs. They told me the best I could do was a 180-day wait to get her into rehab. I personally as a parent couldn't take 180 days. I wanted her off somewhere where I wouldn't have to worry about it, and I couldn't do it. Somehow there needs to be a rehab that's big enough to take all these kids.

"I was in the car and I heard on the radio that Mary Holmes College is closed," Studdard said. "I thought that was the perfect opportunity to build a rehab that's big enough that it can take me, you, or whoever."

Studdard said that, if his plan is approved, he will buy the Mary Holmes College property for $3 million.

"It needs about $2 million of work to make it suitable," he said. "I called all the people I knew in the world that have had kids in trouble. The newspaper (the Daily Times Leader) wanted to know who they were, and I wouldn't tell them, but I'll tell you. One is Tommy Lee Jones, a very good actor. Another is the owner of Chick-fil-A. There's just several people who have been through what I've been through."

Studdard then went into the specifics of his plan.

"The only part of the college that needs work is the dormitories," he said. "We're going to build them back up and bring in military, Marine drill sergeants. It's going to be a paramilitary rehab. The whole deal is that these kids have an opportunity on their first or second offense of either going to Parchman or coming to us. Coming to us gives them 13 weeks of paramilitary boot camp. Once they graduate from us, they have another six months of probation. If they stay clean during that probation, then their original sentence is wiped out. I don't know how many of you have kids, but I don't want my kids having a drug charge on their record that's going to be there forever. This is a way of ending that."

Inmates will be cut off from all contact with the outside world, Studdard explained.

"What we're going to do is put a fence around the whole shooting match," he said. "There will be no phone calls or visits from parents. When these kids get out of what we're doing, our security will take them to the bus station and put on a bus and sent back to where they came from. They will not be in West Point. There's not going to be any more drug problems for West Point than there already are today. There will be no problems in the community."

Studdard complained about coverage of the issue in the local media.

"Yesterday there was an article in the paper criticizing me," he said. "I don't know how to respond to that. I played football at Ole Miss and I played football for the New York Jets. I owned one of the world's largest advertising companies and one of the world's largest construction companies, and I've always had somebody criticize me. Why, I don't know. The local newspaper here asked me if I was going to be the CEO. I told them no. I'm more likely to be an inmate than the CEO.

"Mary Holmes College is just sitting there," he continued. "The longer we let it sit there, the worse it's going to be. I just ask you to let us use that facility to help 5,064 kids a year. Paramilitary programs have a 75 percent rehabilitation rate. Helping 75 percent of 5,000 is unbelievable. I wish you would grant us this zoning so that we can build it. This is going to be a for-profit deal, and if it doesn't work out we'll be the first people to say so. We will leave Mary Holmes College to the citizens of West Point if it doesn't work."

His presentation complete, Studdard took questions from the commissioners and the public.

"Do you have any studies or anything that tells you how many employees will live in the city?" O'Shea asked.

"I really don't," Studdard said. "Some will live in West Point, and I'd imagine some would live in Columbus. They would want to live close by, and so I'd think they'd want to live here if there is enough housing for them. Do you think we've got enough housing here?"

"Well, if they're willing to take what we have we can probably accommodate that," O'Shea said, "but we'd probably have to do some building. I just have a hard time believing that military people are going to live in West Point when they can live in Columbus and be close to the air base. Have you received resumes from drill sergeants who are interested at this point?"

"We've gotten 1,117," he said. "Everybody wants this."

"And where are those resumes?" O'Shea asked.

"They're in my office in Aberdeen," Studdard said. "We've got a lot of people who've gotten out in the last 18 months, and they all want to keep doing what they were doing."

Studdard agreed to make the resumes available to the city for review.

"You said the ownership was private investors," asked commissioner Jimmy Wood. "Any local?"

"No," Studdard said.

"No Mississippi?" Wood asked.

"One Mississippi," Studdard responded. "The whole deal is that I only approached people whose kids had had drug problems. In yesterday's newspaper it said that I was trying to help a friend whose kid had had drug problems in rehab. That's a lie. I was trying to put my own kid in rehab, and I didn't want to admit that. So I lied and said it was my friend."

"We respect the fact that you're trying to help your family and help other drug users, but this is a business decision we have to consider here and that's why we're asking these questions."

Tom Darnell, who was representing the West Point Country Club, questioned how many jobs the rehab center would actually create, as well as the impact the center would have on the city.

"You've said that jobs would be added to West Point," Darnell said. "If we're 200 jobs and 144 of them are coming from out of town, that doesn't leave a whole lot for West Point. I've looked on the Internet at several other companies that do what you're talking about doing, and all of them were located outside of the city limits, sometimes eight to ten miles outside the city limits. This would be the only facility that would be inside the city limits. This is going to affect property values, especially in that area. It's not going to be a positive effect, it's going to be a negative effect."

Darnell characterized the facility as a prison.

"You need to call it what it is," he said. "It's a mini-prison. It is a prison that is going to be inside the city limits of our town, and it's not being discussed in those terms. I personally am not willing to accept that, and most of the people that I know are not."

"How much money are you personally investing in this?" asked Milford Forrest.

"I've got $1.4 million in this," Studdard responded.

"I live out there in Old Westwood," Forrest said. "I want no part of it. No part of it whatsoever. It would cause my property to go down. We don't want it, and I'm speaking for my whole neighborhood."

"Excluding the number of military personnel you're bringing in, how many jobs will this create for West Point?" asked Joey Michael. "And what would their base salary be?"

"About a hundred," Studdard replied. "The base salary would probably be around $45,000."

"So you'll pay a cook in the kitchen $45,000?" Michael asked.

"No," Studdard responded. "We'll pay the administrative officer $250,000. We'll pay the cook $15,000.

"A lot of people are asking me how we're going to run this," Studdard added. "The answer is I don't know. We're hiring the best people in the world to run the rehab unit."

"How much money are you going to make out of this?" Forrest asked. "I don't know," Studdard said. "

I may lose money. I hope to make money on it, but I don't know."

"Are the city of West Point or Clay County involved in this financially?" Darnell asked. "Are we providing any funds or having a bond issue or backing any of these expenses? Are we on the hook for any of that?"

"The commission has been told that the city of West Point and Clay County will not put up any funds," O'Shea stated.

When questioned about the identity of the CEO, Studdard refused to release the name.

"I know who it is, but he has another job right now," Studdard said. "If I release that information, he won't have a job about 15 minutes from now."

Studdard also explained that the facility will have heavy security, and will require little in the way of backup from the West Point Police Department.

"What we have is, we have two drill sergeants with each squad 24 hours a day," he stated. "When they're sleeping, there's two Marine drill sergeants walking between the beds. We'll have sixteen security guards sitting there, waiting for something to happen."

Studdard faced his most stringent questioning from Jackie Edwards, the director of Community Counseling Services.

"I have a treatment facility in this town for adolescents," she said. "I have 15 beds and it is never full. I'm sorry that your daughter wasn't able to get into rehab, because we have vacancies all the time. I have a facility in Columbus called the Pines. One is for women, one is for men. There is never a time when you would need drug and alcohol treatment when you could not call one of those facilities and get in. Don't tell us that there is nothing out there, because there is."

"I've never heard of it," Studdard said.

"These people live here, and they know better," Edwards retorted.

"I live in Aberdeen and I've never heard of it," he insisted.

"Are any of those facilities behind a fence?" Woods asked.

"No," Edwards said. "They're open for you to come in at all times."

"And what's your age range?" O'Shea asked.

"Adolescents over here is up to 18," Edwards said. "From 18 to 80 in Columbus. I have continual care, outpatient, inpatient, residential and everything that you can have for drug and alcohol rehabilitation."

"What's your rate of success?" Studdard asked.

"It's the highest in the state of Mississippi," Edwards said. "We have the lowest recidivism rate in the state. Our success rate is 92 percent."

"I've never heard of it," Studdard insisted.

"Well, I'm sorry, these people have," Edwards said, drawing laughter from the crowd.

"Is there a need for this?" Wood asked.

"No, there is no need for this," Edwards replied.

"Last year in the state of Mississippi 1,741 went to prison for drugs," Studdard said.

"Not from this county," Edwards said. "We started the adolescent offender program that the Department of Health and Human Services has adopted for the whole state. By state law, every county has to have an adolescent offender program. We started that 18 years ago here. We were given an award in Jackson for starting that program. You're saying that there are no resources here, but you've got your facts wrong. I employ almost 400 people in seven counties, many of them working in drug and alcohol."

"Do you get referrals from the court system?" O'Shea asked.

"Absolutely," Edwards responded.

"Earlier you made a statement that this was for-profit," said Ward 4 Selectman Keith McBrayer. "Where are you going to make your money?"

"Primarily from the parents, or from the state," Studdard said.

"I would love to get in on that," Edwards interjected. "You tell me exactly where that state money is coming from. I want to know exactly what department, what bureau, exactly where the reimbursement is coming from, because I've been at it for 20 years and there is no grant money out there if that's what you're looking for."

After closing the floor to further questions, the commissioners voted unanimously to deny the request for rezoning.

A public hearing was scheduled for April 1 before the Board of Selectmen, but was cancelled after a request from Studdard. A new hearing date has not yet been set.

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Packet #768 - March 27, 2008

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MHP Troopers Bradley Edmonds and Lindsey Kidd walk back to their cars on Hwy 182 West after looking for fugitive Daniel McCoy on foot for an hour near the river early yesterday evening. The troopers started chasing McCoy’s car in Noxubee County and they were joined by LCSO deputies as the chase neared Hwy 82 West. The fugitive car turned east on Hwy 182 and went off the road just west of Leroy’s Landing (near the river). Adrian Irby and Corey Smart were quickly apprehended but McCoy escaped into the woods. He was finally captured at 7:44 p.m. after a WCBI-TV newsman saw him go into a mobile home. McCoy was wanted on warrants for sales of cocaine, and on a bench warrant for failure to appear. Smart was also wanted on a bench warrant. Officers said they had been looking for McCoy for months.

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Man Survives Stabbing; Girlfriend Charged

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Bleeding heavily from a chest wound, and his clothing soaked in blood,
Amonty Young is placed on a gurney outside his apartment on Bishop Circle.

A Columbus man narrowly survived a stab wound to the chest early Monday morning. His live-in girlfriend was detained at the scene and has been charged with aggravated assault/domestic violence.

The stabbing occurred around 3:00 a.m. at 301 Bishop Circle, #25 (in an apartment complex just east of Lehmberg Road). When deputies arrived they found Amonty Young lying in a pool of blood in the parking lot in front of his apartment. His shirt and pants were soaked in blood and a trail of blood droppings led from the apartment. Paramedics applied pressure to a wound in his upper left chest area as they loaded him into an ambulance.

Young’s girlfriend, Etwona Mosby, walked onto the scene after officers arrived.

Young was conscious at the scene but appeared weak. He was transported to BMH-GT and was rushed into emergency surgery. LCSO Investigator Tony Cooper said that Young had lost a lot of blood and his temperature was falling .

Mosby initially denied stabbing Young but he apparently was able to identify her as his attacker before he was driven away. Cooper said that a steak knife believed to be the weapon that stabbed Young was found in the apartment’s kitchen sink. Perkins said that Mosby called the stabbing an accident.

Perkins said that it appears that after Young was stabbed he tried to call for help on his cell phone but that Mosby took the phone away from him and then went to Country Aire Apts. to get help. Young, meanwhile, went to neighboring apartments trying to wake people and get someone to call an ambulance. Mosby was arrested when she returned from Country Aire Apts. She did not have any marks on her body to indicate that Young had struck her.

Perkins said that the couple have a history of discord. About a month ago Mosby called 911 to report that Young had broken windows in her car and apartment, but before deputies could pick Young up she dropped charges against him. Perkins said that Mosby and Young are both in their early 20s.

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Noxubee Jury Finds Suspected Drug Dealer Not Guilty
He didn’t know about 16 lbs. of pot his motel room
by Scott Boyd, The Macon Beacon

Packet editor’s note: This article appeared in last week’s Macon Beacon.

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When suspected drug dealer Steven Paul Center was arrested at the Oak Tree Inn back in 2006 he was just a man who was in the wrong place at the wrong time—or at least so says the Noxubee County Circuit Court jury that found him not guilty last week.

Center was cleared on his drug dealing charges last Friday afternoon after two days of testimony about his alleged involvement with a huge stash of marijuana that was confiscated during the raid on two motel rooms by the Macon Police Department.

Center, of Arizona, was arrested along with two other Arizona men—Robert Williams and Albert Walker, and Brooksville native John Harris—following a stakeout of the motel. Macon Police had received a tip about drug sales operating from the hotel rooms that were rented to Harris.

Dressed in riot gear, officers from the Macon Police Department converged on the rooms and arrested the four suspects.

When arrested, Center was in an upstairs room on the back side of the hotel. Also in the room was an assault-style shotgun with a pistol grip and more than 16 pounds of marijuana sealed in duct-tape-wrapped blocks stored in a duffle bad, and a smaller amount in a zip-lock bag found in the bathroom.

An agent from the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, who claimed he was summoned to the scene by the Macon Police, said he questioned Center about the dope. “He told me the small bag was for his personal use, but he said he didn’t know anything about the marijuana in the duffel bag.”

Throughout the trial, defense attorney Lisa Ross of Jackson characterized Center as an innocent bystander, someone who was “in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Assistant District Attorney Charlie Hedgepeth had a different view of Center and said “he was either the head honcho or he ws guarding the dope for the real head honcho.”

Potentially damaging evidence was presented when Hedgepeth introduced the shotgun-style assault weapon that had been traced to Center. Macon Police Officer Darold Mitchell and Lucious Mason told jurors that Center admitted to owning the shotgun.

The all-black jury deliberated two hours before returning their not guilty verdict for possession of the 16 pounds with intent to deliver. The jury was also asked to decide on a second count related to the bag of “personal use” dope that Center admitted was his. In describing the “personal use” marijuana that was seized, Hedgepeth said crime lab tests revealed it contained an amount large enough to justify a felony charge. Hedgepeth told the jurors in his closing remarks: “If you’re not convinced enough to convict him on the 16 pounds, then at least convict him of possession of the smaller bag.” The jury announced they couldn’t reach a conclusion on the charge for the smaller amount. It’s doubtful that Center will be brought back for a new trial on the smaller amount.

Hedgepeth also warned jurors in his closing remarks that finding Center not guilty woudl be tantamount to opening the doors of Noxubee County “wide open” for drug dealers.

Following the trial, juror Ruby Patton said she an dher fellow jurors didn’t believe the big bag of marijuana belonged to Center. “I voted to convict him for the smaller bag, but there were only three of us who voted guilty on that charge,” she said.

There’s been no announcement of trial dates for Center’s co-defendants. Harris, who is out of jail on bond, is expected to face trial in September.

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Packet #767 - March 20, 2008

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The pilot of this crop-duster suffered only minor injuries last Friday afternoon when he crashed west of GTRA while on a practice flight. The plane went down on Richard Honsinger’s farm about a mile north of Artesia Road and just east of Guerry Road.

The Air Tractor 301 belongs to Lowry Flying Service, which is based at GTRA (the company has just one other crop-duster). The pilot had reportedly just started working for Lowry Flying Service and was reportedly carrying water in the chemical tank and familiarizing himself with the GPS guidance system when he crashed. Floyd Lowry said that the plane stalled in a turn but declined to name the pilot. Asked if the engine failed, he replied that it did not but that the pilot “had a bad day.”

The plane was flying from east to west when a wing-tip apparently caught the muddy soil. The tail section and the radial engine were ripped loose and the rest of the plane continued another 20 yards before coming to a stop. Dist. 5 Volunteers were dispatched to the scene around 8:00 p.m. but they and deputies had trouble finding the crash site in the dark. By the time they found it they were advised that the plane had not been carrying chemicals and that the pilot had been gone for several hours. An FAA investigator went to the scene last Saturday morning. An FAA investigator did not return Packet calls. [I’ll make a better effort to find out who he was by next week. Ed.]

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Clay County Settles Joe Huffman Suit for $220,000
Huffman's Diaries Still an Issue
by Brian Jones

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A suit filed by a former Clay County sheriff's deputy against Sheriff Laddie Huffman and former District 5 Supervisor David Winfield has been settled.

Attorney Jim Waide, who represented former deputy Joe Huffman, announced the $220,000 settlement Monday.

"This whole process has been devastating to Joe," Waide said. "He has dedicated his whole life to law enforcement and to combating narcotics in Clay County, and this suit has really hurt him. It has had a terrible impact on his personality."

Joe Huffman, who served for twelve years with the Clay County Sheriff's Department, is currently employed by the Mississippi Department of Corrections in Starkville.

The $220,000 settlement is being paid by the county's insurance carrier, St. Paul's Travelers.

"The defendants are not paying," Waide stated.

The final sticking point is the disposition of Joe Huffman's law enforcement diaries. When Joe Huffman was a sheriff's deputy, he kept details diaries of all of his law enforcement activities. Sheriff Huffman claims that he should be allowed to keep the diaries, but Joe Huffman maintains that they are his.

The diaries are currently being held by Huffman's attorney. Judge Jerry Davis will decide who will get to keep them, Waide said.

Suit Filed in Summer 2006
The suit was filed in July 2006. Huffman, who served as a sheriff's deputy from 1992 until his resignation in March 2004, alleged that Sheriff Huffman had harassed him out of his job after he participated in the prosecution of David Winfield's son, Ray Winfield, on drug charges. The suit further alleged that Sheriff Huffman and David Winfield used their political influence to interfere in investigations against Ray Winfield, and that they prevented his hiring by the West Point Police Department.

Huffman, in addition to being a deputy, also served as a contract agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics. According to the complaint, which only represents one side of a legal argument, the first time Joe Huffman and Ray Winfield crossed each other's path was in the 1990s, when he received "repeated complaints" from members of the community about Ray Winfield's drug usage, drug dealing, manufacturing of drugs and intimidation of citizens.

"Plaintiff Huffman has attempted to enforce the law against Ray Winfield," the complaint reads, but was "frustrated in his efforts by the desires of Defendants Sheriff Laddie Huffman and David Winfield to assure that Ray Winfield is not punished on an equal basis with those who have political influence."

In July of 1997, a Chickasaw County grand jury indicted Ray Winfield on a methamphetamine charge. He pled guilty, and was sentenced to non-adjudicated probation.

In April of 1998, Ray Winfield was arrested in Tupelo after an automobile accident. According to the complaint: "On or about April 3, 1998, while still on probation from Chickasaw County … Ray Winfield, while under the influence of methamphetamine, crashed the truck he was driving into a vehicle being driven by an elderly Tupelo resident, Gloria Gomez. The collision resulted in the partial amputation of Gomez's foot. Winfield failed to stop when he ran over Gomez and continued on for several miles but was finally arrested by City of Tupelo police officers who found him in possession of methamphetamine."

In spite of the fact that Ray Winfield was out on probation on meth charges from Chickasaw County, Circuit Judge Thomas Gardner again sentenced him to probation on February 10, 1999.

While he was out on probation, Joe Huffman and Probation Officer Johnny Hancock continued to receive complaints from citizens about his criminal behavior, according to the complaint.

Ray Winfield was arrested for meth possession again in March 2001. Hancock caught him with 11.77 grams of meth, which he turned over to Joe Huffman. Hancock also filed an Affidavit of Violation of Probation. A probation hearing was set for May 30, 2001.

From the complaint: "On or about May 30, 2001, Corrections Officer Johnny Hancock attended a probation revocation hearing set before Circuit Judge Thomas Gardner. However, immediately before the hearing was to begin, Defendant Supervisor David Winfield, accompanied by an executive official of the Mississippi Board of Supervisors, Jack Gregory, entered Judge Gardner's chambers. Judge Gardner then instructed Corrections Officer Hancock and a Lee County Corrections Officer to leave. Judge Gardner then privately met with David Winfield and Jack Gregory. Following this illegal, unethical, ex parte meeting, Judge Gardner then held a hearing in open court where Probation Officer Hancock presented the evidence to Judge Gardner that Ray Winfield had been caught with methamphetamine in Clay County while on probation. Nevertheless and without any legitimate basis for doing so, Judge Gardner entered an Order dated July 31, 2001, refusing to impose the fifteen-year suspended sentence and leaving Ray Winfield on probation. Normally, when a convicted felon commits another felony while on probation, a circuit judge will routinely revoke the probation. The influence of David Winfield and Jack Gregory on Judge Gardner, exercised in an illegal, ex parte private conference, kept Judge Gardner from revoking the probation. The refusal to impose the sentence violates the Code of Judicial Conduct 3B(7) which states 'a judge shall not initiate, permit, or consider ex parte communications…' "

Last week after wowing the crowd at the Pohl Gym Barack Obama and his
entourage stopped at The Little Dooey’s on Hwy 45 North to pick up a go order
on the way back to GTRA. The stop lasted about 20 minutes and led Obama’s
Secret Service detail to shut down traffic on the highway, but the Packet missed
the whole thing and so did other local media. Little Dooey’s owner Bart Woods
said that Obama’s advance people had been eating at Little Dooey’s since arriving
in town several days before the candidate. Little Dooey’s was asked to cater
some food to MUW and then a few minutes before the entourage left MUW the go
order was made: 4 fish baskets, 15 hushpuppies, 8 BBQ chicken sandwiches, 4
racks of ribs, slaw, tater tots, hot sauce, and a big cheeseburger for one of the
Secret Service agents. By the time it was ready Obama was talking to voters in
the middle of the highway, and that’s where Woods personally delivered him his
food. The order came to $133.21 and Little Dooey’s was paid in cash. While all
this was going on Obama was in the parking lot, the restaurant and the street
shaking hands and hugging voters. The photo here was taken by a Little Dooey’s
employee. Photos can be seen on gettyimages.com—search for Litte Dooey’s,
Columbus, Obama. (Photo by reader)

According to the complaint, Joe Huffman realized that he would not be able to get a fair trial for Ray Winfield, due to David Winfield's influence over state and local law enforcement. As a result, he decided to turn the case over to the FBI. This, in turn, caused Joe Huffman to have problems at work, as Sheriff Huffman demanded that he have no further involvement in the Winfield case. According to the complaint, "Defendant Sheriff Huffman repeatedly questioned Plaintiff Huffman about the Winfield investigation. In response, Plaintiff Huffman told Defendant Sheriff Huffman that the investigation was being handled by the FBI. Defendant Sheriff Huffman responded that Plaintiff Huffman should stay out of the federal investigation."

Because he was a contract agent for the FBI, Joe Huffman considered this to be an illegal order and, at the FBI's request, presented the case to the federal grand jury in February 2003. The grand jury indicted Ray Winfield for possession with intent to distribute, and he pled guilty and was sentenced to one year in a federal penitentiary.

Sheriff Huffman then allegedly began to retaliate against Joe Huffman for testifying before the federal grand jury. The complaint states that Sheriff Huffman terminated a federal contract with the FBI under which Joe Huffman had worked as a contract agent, a position that brought in an additional $10,000 in compensation per year. He terminated Joe Huffman's contract with the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, and reduced Joe Huffman to a uniform officer and placed him under the supervision of a much less experienced officer. Finally, he searched Joe Huffman's office and illegally and secretly tape-recorded all phone lines at the sheriff's department.

In an affidavit, former West Point Police Chief Bill Gibson states that Sheriff Huffman told him that he was harassing Joe Huffman because of the role he played in prosecuting Ray Winfield.

From Gibson's affidavit: "Sheriff Laddie Huffman had admitted to me the reason for his pressure against Deputy Joe Huffman was the prosecution of Ray Winfield. In September 2003, Sheriff Laddie Huffman told me that he knew Joe Huffman had been involved in the criminal investigation of Ray Winfield, even though he (Laddie Huffman) had told Joe Huffman to stay out of this federal case. Sheriff Laddie Huffman told me that since Joe Huffman refused to stay out of the federal investigation, it was now time for Joe Huffman to leave the Clay County Sheriff's Department."

In September 2003, Gibson attempted to hire Joe Huffman as a police officer with the West Point Police Department. However, his recommendation was overruled without comment by the West Point Board of Selectmen.

From Gibson's affidavit: "I considered Joe Huffman to be the best qualified applicant for a law enforcement position that I had ever had since I had been the Chief of Police of West Point, Mississippi. Mayor Kenny Dill agreed with my assessment and joined in this recommendation. However, the city of West Point, Mississippi, refused to hire Joe Huffman also refusing to give any reason."

According to the complaint, Joe Huffman resigned from the Clay County Sheriff's Department in March 2004 because Sheriff Huffman was making his working conditions "intolerable." In his letter of resignation, Joe Huffman states that he is leaving the sheriff's department because he feels that Sheriff Huffman is making it impossible for him to do his job.

"You have refused to renew my Federal Bureau of Investigation credentials, even though the Federal Bureau of Investigation has agreed to pay Clay County $10,000 to cover my overtime," Joe Huffman wrote. "When you refused to accept federal money you have hurt not only me but also Clay County.

"Because of the numerous restrictions placed on my work, I have in effect had my hands tied," Joe Huffman wrote. "As I cannot properly perform my job with my hands tied, I cannot in good conscience continue to work for the Clay County Sheriff's Department or you, Sheriff Laddie Huffman.

"I leave knowing that I have served this county well. I, however, cannot continue to work under the restrictions placed on me," Joe Huffman concluded. "The pressure that you applied to me because I treated everyone the same and applied the laws accordingly was not fair. The citizens of Clay County deserve to know that the laws apply equally and will be upheld accordingly."

In July 2005, Gibson again attempted to hire Joe Huffman. The Board of Selectmen again foiled him.

From Gibson's affidavit: "After Scott Ross was elected in 2005, I again sought to hire Joe Huffman. Mayor Ross told me that if he recommended Joe Huffman for hiring, John Cummings, James Watson and Bubba Wilkerson would not support his recommendations for other city positions.

"Sheriff Laddie Huffman is the employer of West Point Alderman, John Cummings. (The Mississippi Ethics Commission investigated Cummings in 2006, and found that payments made by the City of West Point to the Clay County Sheriff's Department funded Cummings' job. Cummings resigned his position with the Sheriff's Department and paid a $1,000 fine.) Sheriff Laddie Huffman was the brother-in-law of Alderman Bubba Wilkerson. Supervisor David Winfield is a close associate of James Watson. The three-person majority who refused to hire Joe Huffman are all close political allies of Sheriff Laddie Huffman and Supervisor David Winfield and participate actively on their behalf in political campaigns."

No legitimate reason for not hiring Joe Huffman was ever stated by the board.

Disputes Over Fees
Although St. Paul's Travelers agreed to pay Sheriff Huffman's legal expenses from the beginning, they originally declined to pay David Winfield's, prompting the county to pay over $30,000 out of its fund balance for his legal defense. This prompted outrage in the community and led to numerous members of the public protesting to the Board of Supervisors.

In August of last year, St. Paul's agreed to pick up David Winfield's tab as well. They reimbursed the county $33,390, which was the total amount spent to that time on his defense.

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Maria Richardson and Kay Andrews of One-B Beauty Supply thank Reserve Officer Guy Taylor for stopping gunman Lennell Hearn outside their store on February 29. Richardson and Andrews joined Chief St. John and the entire force at a reception honoring Taylor, who is recovering from a gunshot wound to the stomach. Taylor’s family members were also present.

See Packet #767 for more photos and story!

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Packet #766 - March 13, 2008

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Pohl Gym Packed for Barack Obama
He uses appearance to reject Hillary Clinton’s vice-president suggestion

“Yes we can!”

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Democratic presidential front-runner Barack Obama works the crowd
after speaking at the Pohl Gym Monday morning.

Barack Obama brought his message of change to Columbus Monday, speaking for an hour and a half to an enthusiastic crowd of supporters at the new Pohl Gym on the MUW campus. Obama used the appearance to reject suggestions by rival Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton that he run as her vice-presidential candidate. It was his first response to the suggestion, and it was being broadcast world-wide as the event ended.

In rejecting Clinton’s vice-president suggestion, Obama noted that when Hillary Clinton’s husband, Bill, was running for president he said that the most important qualification of a vice-president was his readiness to serve as president from the first day. Referring to Hillary Clinton’s claim that she is prepared to be president from day one, Obama said that if she is willing to make him vice-president that she, according to the standard set by her husband, must feel that he is ready to be president on day one too.

Obama’s appearance was arranged by Columbus attorney Wil Colom, a longtime Mississippi Republican activist who met Obama when Obama was still in the Illinois statehouse and who is the only Mississippian on Obama’s finance committee. Local and state political figures seated prominently at the event included former Gov. Ray Mabus, Justice Chuck Easley (he also attended Bill Clinton’s appearance in Tupelo last Saturday), and Reps. Esther Harrison, Tyrone Ellis and Steve Holland. MUW President Claudia Limbert sat with them and was acknowledged but did not speak [This was the first such event I can remember at a university at which the university president did not welcome the crowd and introduce the candidate. Ed.]. Noxubee Democrat leader Ike Brown was in the gym, along with many other well-known local and state figures, including Mayor Robert Smith.

More than 1,500 people were in the gym for the speech. Most were black—perhaps 75%. Obama began speaking about 11:30 a.m. and following an hour-long address he took questions from the audience for 30 minutes. He and his entourage stopped at Little Dooey’s for BBQ on the way out of town, stopping traffic on Hwy 45 North. Lawmen from the Columbus Police Dept., the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office and state agencies lined Hwy 82 West with guns out to safeguard Obama on his trips to and from GTRA.

Seated near the stage as Obama talks are Leroy Brooks, Claudia Limbert, Wil
Colom, Esther Harrison, Chuck Easley, Johnnie Patton (a Democratic National
Committeewoman from Mississippi), Tyrone Ellis (hidden) and Steve Holland.
Ray Mabus stood near Brooks.

Gov. Mabus warmed up the crowd during the long wait for Obama. “It’s not every day that we have a candidate that reaches across racial lines like Barack Obama,” said the former governor, who was Ambassador to Saudi Arabia after leaving the governorship. “We’ve got one more thing to do: make sure all this translates into votes. We’ve got to have somebody who’ll change the way we do business in Washington, the way we’re viewed in the world, someone who’ll take on issues head-on.. We’ve got the most amazing candidate America ever had for President of the United States. All of our lives we’re told what we can’t do and now we’ve got an answer: Yes we can!”

Obama was finally introduced by Jennifer Lehner, who has been active in school issues since moving to Columbus two years ago with her husband, Eddie, who was a member of the team that built the SeverCorr plant. Referring to Obama’s message of self-empowerment, Jennifer Lehner talked about turning a drab CMSD library into a cheerful reading roomand how the community overwhelmingly passed a bond issue to build a new middle school. She talked about bringing art programs to children who had “never held a paintbrush,” and she exclaimed, “Yes we did,” to crowd approval.

Jennifer Lehner introduces Obama.

Lehner went on, “We have to make the first step, we have to get involved. Barack Obama has the leadership qualities to inspire us. He’ll be leading our way to positive change, if we make Barack Obama the next president of our children and your children.”

Obama would end war in 2009 Obama said that when he is elected illegal wiretapping and other abuses of the Bush Administration “will all be over.” But, he went on, “You’re here because you want to be for something. You want to feel you can still make big changes. We feel there is a whole lot that needs to be changed. I can’t do it by myself, only if you’re involved. If you’re ready for change, we can tell the fatcats and lobbyists their days are over. They’re not running my campaign.”

Obama went on, “I know there are people here without health insurance, senior citizens who are taking half a prescription because they can’t afford the full dose. I kow that it’s like to see a loved-one suffer because of a broken health-care system.” He said that if he’s elected those families with insurance will have their premiums lowered to $2,500 per year and, for those without insurance, “we’ll ask for a government plan at least as good as I have. If you can’t afford it we’ll subsidize it—not ten or 20 years from now but by the end of my first term.” This was greeted by wild applause.

Obama said that the country has short-term and long-term problems with housing. He said he wants a $10 billion “home-foreclosure prevention fund” to address the short-term problem but that the long-term problem is that the economy “is not fair.” He went on, “When the CEO makes more in ten minutes than the taxpayer in a whole year, and then gets a tax break, something is wrong—and I intend to fix it!” The audience roared approval. “I want to give jobs to companies that invest in Columbus, Mississippi... You’ll pay $1,000 less per family on taxes.” And he said that senior citizens who work won’t have to pay taxes on Social Security, “because you’re already paying enough.”

MSMS students show their support for Obama.

Obama continued, “We’re going to invest in infrastructure in this country. If we’re spending $12 billion in Iraq we can spend some here—like rebuilding the Gulf Coast. There are still folks in this state that haven’t got the government they deserve or need. We’re going to raise the minimum wage every year, to keep pace with inflation. If you work in this country you shouldn’t be poor.”

Obama said that every child in the U.S. should hae the best education from pre-school through college. “The problem is not that we don’t know what to do but that we haven’t put our hearts and souls into making it a reality. They say poor children can’t learn in Appalachia, in the barrio... But every child can learn. We have to make the commitment to education.” He said that education initiatives would include early education “and working with parents to prepare their children for school.” This was met with a smattering of applause. He went on, “We need high standards for all our students. They’re going to be competing against students in China and India. He said he wanted less emphasis on standardized tests and more on “art, music, literature and poetry.”

He continued, “We want to make college affordable for every young person in America.” He proposed a $4,000 “tuition credit” for every college student, but said that the students would have to “provide community service,” and mentioned the Peace Corps as one possibility.

Obama listens to a question from Helen Taylor of Starkville.

“Finally we’re going to take on the energy problem,” said Obama. “Everybody is being killed by gas prices We need to stop talking about World War III in the Middle East... Long-term, we need to change our energy policy so we use less. We need to charge polluters and reinvest the money in solar and wind power We’ve got to find ways to use less gas and oil and have clean energy. We can grow our own fuel using what farms produce in Mississippi [We have only a handful of farmers left in Lowndes County and I didn’t see any of them there. Ed.]. Obama said that he went to Detroit, Mich. and told them, “My job is not to tell you what you want to hear but what yo need to hear: change your ways.”

Obama said that an area “where we need big change” is in military affairs. He said that the commander-in-chief’s responsibility is to keep the country safe. “I won’t hesitate to strike anyone who would do us harm... I’ll treat our troops with honor and respect once they come home—we’re not doing it now. It means using the military wisely. The war in Iraq is unwise. It’s cost us hundreds of billions of dollars—two trillion or more. We could have been using it right here to put people to work, to strengthen homeland security. And the worst part is it hasn’t made us more safe.” He said he would shift the fight from Iraq to Al Quaida in Afghanistan. He said he opposed the war in Iraq in 2002 and will “bring it to an end in 2009. I want to end the politics of fear that made us engage in this disastrous policy. That means engaging in dialog with leaders we don’t like.” He quoted John Kennedy: “Never negotiate out of fear but never fear to negotiate.” He went on, “Strong countries talk to their adversaries.” He said he would “fight AIDS in Africa, end genocide in Darfur, respect civil rights in America, close down Guantanamo and restore the ideals and values of America.”

Pick up a copy of Packet #766 for the rest of this story!

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Packet #765 - March 6, 2008

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Reserve Officer Wounded in Shootout With Gunman
Officer Guy Taylor confronts Lennell Hearn after Hearn shoots
wife and former Councilman Kamal Karriem

Chief St. John joins Taylor in shootout

Gunman finally dropped by other lawmen near Wal-Mart

Karriem discusses incident

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Chief St. John, a pistol in his right hand, is pictured near One-B Beauty Supply. Guy Taylor has just been
loaded into an ambulance nearby. The man on the right is John Entrekin, a firefighter from Calera, Ala. who
happened to be at the mall when the shooting started. He stayed till 10:00 p.m. that night helping with the
investigation.

A retired schoolteacher apparently shot two people at the Town Square Shpping Center on 18th Ave. North last Friday afternoon before being confronted by a reserve officer backed up by the chief of police. The gunman managed to get away but was finally dropped by gunfire from a police officer and a deputy a quarter-mile away 20 minutes later.

Reserve Officer Guy Taylor was shot through the stomach in a close-range shootout with 70-year-old Lennell Hearn of Brooksville. Chief Joseph St. John ran out of the nearby Fitness Factor to join the gunfight and Hearn then left the scene in Taylor’s car. Hearn was himself shot 20 minutes later in an exchange of gunfire with CPD Officers Keith Worshaim and Natasha Coleman and LCSO Deputy Marc Miley.

Hearn allegedly shot his wife, Dorothy Hearn, and former Columbus city councilman Rev. Kamal Karriem near the gas pumps at the SOCO fueling island at Town Square Mall. It is widely assumed, though without any evidence, that Hearn thought that his wife and Rev. Karriem were intimately involved. Dorothy Hearn is much younger than her husband and works at the Medicaid office just north of the Fitness Factor. Rev. Karriem’s brother, Kabir Karriem, told the Packet that there is no truth to the rumors of an affair between Kamal Karriem and Mrs. Hearn. He described Hearn as “an old friend of the family.” Yesterday Kamal Karriem also told the Packet that rumors of a relationship are false. Rev. Karriem went on to describe in detail what happened in the incident.

Taylor, Lennell Hearn, Dorothy Hearn and Rev. Karriem are all are recovering from their wounds. All but Taylor were shot more than once. More than a half-dozen bullets hit Taylor but all but one were stopped by his bullet-proof vest. Lennell Hearn was hit in the head by a bulloet but, ironically, was the least seriously wounded of the four. He also received slight wounds to a thigh and to the trapezoid area of his neck. He is now at LCADC with his bond set at $1,025,000.

Lennell Hearn

The public has been given few details about the rampage by the local media but lawmen who know what happened all say that Taylor’s quick response and courage in confronting Hearn and keeping him out of One-B Beauty Supply undoubtedly saved lives. LCSO Chief Deputy Greg Wright praised the work of the Police Dept. as a whole and called Taylor a hero. He said that Taylor “put himself in the line of fire and risked his life to do his job.”

Rev. Kamal Karriem

It appears that Rev. Karriem also helped save himself and Dorothy Hearn by rushing Lennell Hearn after Hearn had shot him twice at the pumps. That action bought Karriem enough time to gain a head start on Hearn on a race across the parking lot.

Unidentified women at the pumps just after Karriem and Dorothy Hearn
were shot. Cars were lined up at the pumps when the shooting started.

Chief St. John returned to work yesterday. He said that the shootout last Friday was the first time in his 24-year career that he had to fire his weapon at someone. St. John would not discuss his own involvement but told the Packet, “I am so proud of my people. And I’m proud of the Sheriff’s Dept. and all of the people from other agencies who came to offer support.” He said that ordinary citizens were of great assistance during the incident. “They tried to help us all they could without putting themselves in harm’s way. The citizens were just outstanding.”

Rev. Karriem’s mother, Helen Karriem, and one of his brothers, Kabir Karriem, visited Taylor in his hospital room last Sunday and thanked him for saving Kamal Karriem’s life.

St. John and all others familiar with what happened say that the situation could have been much worse if Lennell Hearn had managed to follow Karriem into the beauty supply shop.

Chief St. John, Worshaim and Coleman of the Police Dept. were all placed on administrative leave but all are now back on duty. The MBI is handling aspects of the case involving police gunfire. The Police Dept. is investigating the initial shootings of Dorothy Hearn and Rev. Karriem at the pumps.

Reserve Officer Guy Taylor, in a
photograph taken last year.

The incident began just after 5:00 p.m. at the SOCO pumps on the south side of the Town Square parking lot. Kamal Karriem said that he went to the SOCO island to fill up his car when Dorothy Hearn was leaving her nearby office she saw Karriem’s car when she was at the 18th Ave. stoplight and drove over to talk to him. Karriem’s car was in line at the pumps and her car was off to one side. She remained sitting behind the wheel.

Karriem said that Lennell Hearn came walking up behind them and he greeted him with, “Brother Hearn, how are you doing?” Hearn told his wife to pull her car over by Hearn’s van. Karriem said that he saw the handle of a pistol protruding from Hearn’s pants but that it didn’t trouble him greatly because he knew that Hearn had worked as a security guard. But he was not comfortable with what was happening and he told Hearn, “Whatever the matter is, this is not the way to handle it.” Hearn responded by telling him to come to the van, that he wanted to talk to Karriem too. Karriem moved his vehicle to the left side of Hearn’s van. Karriem said that he and Hearn walked around to the right side of Hearn’s van. Dorothy Hearn was parked on that side and she was still behind the wheel.

A paramedic tends to Dorothy Hearn in an ambulance near the gas
pumps minutes after she was shot. Guy Taylor was already in another
ambulance and Kamal Karriem was in the One-B Beauty Supply Store.

Karriem said that Hearn now pulled his weapon and told them both to get into his van. Karriem now knew they were facing serious trouble. He had known both Lennell and Dorothy Hearn for many years and realized that Lennell Hearn was acting erratically.

Karriem refused to get into the van. He told the Packet, “I said, ‘I’m not going—do whatever you gotta do.’ He shot me first, in the stomach,” from a distance of eight to ten feet. Dorothy Hearn was now out of her car, pleading with her husband to stop. Karriem told the Packet, “I fell to the ground clenching my abdomen. Then he shot her. Then he ran back and shot me in the back. I got up and charged him. I was trying to grab the gun and he stumbled and I ran. I zig-zagged through the pumps trying to make my way to the stores. I was saying, ‘Get down! He’s got a gun! Somebody call 911!’”

Karriem said that Hearn shot Dorothy Hearn once more before chasing him north across the parking lot toward the strip mall. He said that one bullet missed but another one struck him on the back of the left arm as he ran. He guesses that Hearn was about 20 yards away when he fired at him. When Karriem looked back Hearn was reloading. Karriem ran into B-One Beauty Supply. “I went to the stock room to assess my wounds,” he said. He said that he thought he waited in the stock room for 25 minutes before police and paramedics arrived. He said he had been there for ten minutes when he heard someone shout, “He’s shooting again!” [I think that time telescoped on him. I was on the scene within about five minutes and emergency personnel were already going in and out of the beauty supply store. Ed.].

Deputies Marc Miley (pointing), Billy Wood, Ryan Rickert and Todd
Mistrot wait for new information behind the UPS Store on Lincoln Road.
A few minutes later the suspect was reported moving behind Wal-Mart.
Miley and CPD Lt. Keith Worshaim ran him down north of Wal-Mart and
returned fire, dropping him.

Karriem said that if Hearn had come into the store he would have had to find him and that if he had been found he would have fought back.

Karriem left the store on a hospital gurney. He never lost consciousness, even at the hospital. He underwent surgery that night after Taylor and Dorothy Hearn were first operated on. Dorothy Hearn was shot twice in the chest and spent three days in ICU. (See more in Packet #765 for Karriem’s comments on his relationship with the Hearn.)

Emergency personnel and police first knew of trouble when a 911 call came in at 5:07 p.m. An E-911 dispatcher advised police of a “disturbance at the gas pumps on 18th Ave.” and Taylor radioed back that he was responding. One minute later Taylor was turning into the parking lot from 18th Ave. North at 5:08 p.m. Seconds later (but 5:08 on the E-911 log) the E-911 dispatcher reported that someone had been shot at Fred’s in the mall. This report was not true but it was fortuitous. Taylor steered north across the parking lot and when he arrived in front of Fred’s saw Hearn walking with a gun toward the stores to the east of Fred’s and drove east in front of the strip of stores. One-B Beauty Supply is just east of Fred’s and the Fitness Factor is east of the beauty supply store (a narrow vacant storefront sits between them). Chief St. John was on a treadmill in the Fitness Factor wearing a pair of headphones.

Pick up a copy of Packet #765 for the rest of this story!

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Packet #764 - February 28, 2008

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Woman Hit by Car and Killed on Wolfe Rd.

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David Langlinais argues with volunteer firemen about riding to
the hospital in the ambulance after Pamela McLain was struck
by a car on Wolfe Road last Friday night. Langlinais is holding
McLain's shoes and is making an obscene gesture with his right
hand.

A 40-year-old Lowndes County woman died last Friday night after being struck by a car as she walked on Wolfe Road near the Broken Spoke. Pamela Sue McLain, who lived on Cal-Kolola Road, was struck around 7:30 p.m. about 100 yards north of the Broken Spoke. She died at BMH-GT a short time later.

McLain had reportedly been to the Broken Spoke prior to the accident with her live-in boyfriend, David Langlinais. She left the club and walked north on Wolfe Road and Langlinais followed her in his vehicle. According to witnesses at the scene, Langlinais stopped his vehicle on the west shoulder of the road, facing south, and got out to talk to McLain. At the same time a young woman with two teenage daughters was approaching the scene in her vehicle from the noth and another vehicle, driven by Lexie Speed, who lives on Cal-Steens Road, was approaching from the south. The southbound driver reportedly saw McLain step into her lane from beside Langlinais's vehicle and flashed her headlights at her to warn McLain of her approach. Instead of returning to the west shoulder to clear the lane, McLain stepped to the east, into the northbound land and into the path of Speed's Mitsubishi.

The impact jerked McLain from her shoes and flung her some distance. The impact damaged the front of the Mitsubishi and McLain's head smashed the windshield. Her injuries were severe.

After the accident, Speed was supported at the scene by her husband, Gary Speed, who was a passenger in her vehicle. The woman who was traveling south stopped at the Broken Spoke and was too upset to drive home and a friend was called to drive her home.

Langlinais, 53, and a registered sex offender, argued with emergency personnel at the scene about going to the hospial in the ambulance. He survived a seri-ous accident last June when he flipped his car on Cal-Steens Road and was partially ejected.

In 1981, Lexie Speed's nine-year-old daughter, Dawn Wright, was killed when she crossed Cal-Steens Road to get the family mail and was struck by a pickup truck.

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Deputy Chris Smith (left) and Lt. John Pevey of the LCSO/CPD Drug Unit with bags of marijuana found in a Denali Tuesday afternoon on the Bypass near the Military Road exit.

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Deputies Seize 7 lbs. of Pot on Bypass

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Glenn Lowell of Green-
wood began suffering
chest pains after his
arrest. He spent one
night at BMH-GT and is
now at LCADC.

A routine traffic stop on the Hwy 82 Bypass Tuesday afternoon resulted in the seizure of seven pounds of marijuana and several dozen Ecstasy pills found in a GMC Denali en route from Atlanta, Ga. to Greenwood. Two Greenwood men and an Atlanta man were arrested at the scene and have been charged with felony possession of marijuana and a controlled substance (Ecstasy) with intent to distribute.

CPD Officer Ron Richardson escorts Stevenson Coleman of Green-
wood to a squad car on the Hwy 82 Bypass Tuesday afternoon.

Deputy Chris Smith stopped a westbound GMC Denali just east of the Military Road exit for an apparent improper tag. Right after Smith pulled the Denali over Highway Patrol Trooper Brad Edmondson came upon the scene from the east and stopped to see if Smith might need some assistance. They found that the driver, Lowell Glenn of Greenwood, 52, did not have a valid driver's license and was wanted on an arrest warrant in Leflore County.

Trooper Brad Edmondson escorts Michael Garrett to a patrol car.

Smith and Edmondson looked with greater interest into the vehicle and saw some marijuana residue. A search quickly turned up a cloth satchel in the back seat stuffed with plastic bags full of marijuana. The satchel also contained several dozen Ecstasy pills.

Glenn complained of chest pains and was taken by ambulance to BMH-GT (he was released to the LCSO yesterday and was booked into LCADC). The two passengers in the vehicle, Stevenson Coleman, 28, of Greenwood and Michae