Students Involved In Extracurricular Activities In Pearl Will Be Tested For Drugs Beginning In August. Pearl Public School District is the latest in the metro area to adopt a drug-testing policy for students who participate in extracurricular activities. Students in grades seven through 12 who participate in sports, cheerleading, dance or band will be subject to random drug and alcohol screenings, beginning in August, Superintendent Stan Miller said Tuesday. "We feel we need to do everything we can to curtail drug use among our teens," Miller said. "This gives the students another way to say 'No' to drugs." [continues 723 words]
(AP) - South Mississippi officials say a "pre-emptive strike" is needed to stop children from getting hooked on methamphetamines. "Kids in high school are on the edge of trying meth," said Darby Shelton, a school resource officer with the Picayune Police Department. "They're going to have others tell them meth will keep you awake while you study or party, pep you up or help you lose a few pounds. But they won't tell them meth will keep them awake for two weeks straight, make them paranoid schizophrenic and rot their teeth out." [continues 172 words]
Collecting taxes on illegal drugs in Mississippi, as proposed, would send the wrong message to our children ("Budget talks going down to the wire," March 26). I think it cheapens Mississippi, her people, and everything that we have traditionally stood for. We are a proud, hard-working group of people known for getting whatever we have the honest way. As a state, we should not want to be associated with the taxing of illegal drugs in any way. The media boast how taxing has worked in other states, but I was surprised that all the local media outlets failed to mentioned that the taxing of illegal drugs was discontinued in Texas after it foiled the conviction of a drug dealer. In a 1996 case (Mark Stennet vs. State) the Texas Court Of Criminal Appeals ruled 5-4 that prosecuting drug dealers and imposing punitive taxes on their confiscated drugs violates the constitutional ban against double jeopardy. The conviction was overturned. Cornelius Amos Morton [end]
If Programs Are Created, Time In Treatment Program Would Be Alternative To Jail Jackson and Hinds County officials are seeking to save money and alter nonviolent drug and alcohol offenders' lives by creating a drug court in both jurisdictions. "If we can intervene in one person's life, we will make a difference," Hinds County District 1 Justice Court Judge Nicki Boland said. "In almost every misdemeanor, there is an alcohol and drug problem at the base of it. Just paying a fine to Hinds County doesn't do anything to solve the problem." [continues 649 words]
Targeted Offenders Will Undergo Three-Stage Process In Rankin Rankin County Court Judge Thomas Broome had a stream of juveniles appear before him in 2004 on alcohol- and drug-related charges. Too many kids, in his mind. Broome thinks if he can "eliminate the drug habit" in those kids, youth crime will decrease. That's why he plans to start the Rankin County youth drug court in late fall or early December. "Most of these children, when they're sober, can make the right decision," he said. [continues 774 words]
Hooray for the views expressed by James Duncan("Drug abusers are straining Medicaid," Feb. 20). I, too, am employed in the health care field and am appalled at the numbers of Medicaid-covered clients we admit to the hospital who are suffering from conditions directly related to their addiction to illegal drugs or to alcohol. Drug/alcohol addiction should not be a Medicaid-covered disability. I resent the fact that the disabled children and elderly in our society are at risk of losing their assistance because so many of our Medicaid dollars are being spent on "drug addicts." [continues 195 words]
JPD Facility Behind On About 500 Drug Cases; Agency In Need Of Workers High turnover and job vacancies have led to an estimated six-month backlog on drug evidence waiting to be analyzed at the Jackson Police Department Crime Laboratory, the director said. Of the lab's eight staff positions, three employees analyze drugs. A fourth analyst is in training, director Jacquelyn Gardner said. Two more applicants could be hired to fill vacancies. But Gardner is waiting on criminal background checks to be completed. [continues 1002 words]
A 12-year Jackson police officer is accused of selling a prescription drug to an undercover Hinds County Sheriff's Department deputy while off duty on Monday. Jack Usry, 38, of 455 Holly Drive, Apt. K-5, will be placed on administrative leave upon his release from the Hinds County Detention Center on $25,000 bond, said Jackson police spokesman Robert Graham. Usry's sister, Linda Brown of Jackson, also is being held at the detention center on a $25,000 bond on a sale of a controlled substance charge. [continues 311 words]
Walker's Sentencing Is A Lesson There are all kinds of role models for young people. Former Mississippi State University running back Dontae Walker was sentenced this week to 25 years in prison for his convictions on possession of cocaine and felony possession of marijuana by Oktibbeha County Circuit Judge Jim Kitchens. Walker faces three years in prison with a $1,000 fine for the marijuana charge and 22 years behind bars, also with a $1,000 fine, for the cocaine charge. [continues 146 words]
How It Works When suspects are arrested they are given the opportunity to have their cases referred to a drug court. The program is for non-violent and primarily first-time offenders. Defendants plead guilty and enter the program where they can stay for up to five years. As part of the deal, those in the program face regular testing for drug or alcohol use. Those in the program must pay restitution to crime victims. Defendants must perform a maximum 150 hours of community service. [continues 358 words]
I don't have a dog in the fight, but if I had a ballot, my vote for "most courageous move by an educator" would go to a person I've never really met, save for a quick handshake on parent day. Ron Morrison, principal of Madison Middle School, is my early-ballot winner. Morrison's name may not ring a bell with you and, shamefully, it didn't with me either until early December. For purposes of full disclosure, I have to acknowledge that Morrison is in charge of the school where two of my kids attend. [continues 553 words]
Pearl School Board committee member Estelle Watts seems to think that random drug testing will give students an excuse to say "no" to using drugs ("Drug tests eyed for athletes," Jan. 14). But drug testing students who want to participate in after-school activities only gives at-risk students an excuse to say "no" to joining the activities in the first place. School officials should welcome these students into the positive learning environments offered by extracurriculars, especially during the critical hours between the end of the school day and the time their parents come home from work. But this plan simply pushes students toward the streets. Ms. Watts and the rest of the school board should rethink their plan, which surely won't be the quick fix for drug problems they think it'll be. Tom Angell Communications director Students for Sensible Drug Policy Washington [end]
Officers, Agents Took Marijuanalike Plants Used As Deer Feed, Suit Says A Harrison County hunting club owner has filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking compensation for law enforcement officers' destruction of kenaf plants, a look-alike for marijuana that's used as feed to attract deer. Authorities raided the Boargog Hunting Club in September and seized 500 suspicious plants. After the raid, Sheriff George H. Payne Jr. said the plants were thought to be marijuana. Payne later said his deputies were only assisting agents assigned to a federal drug enforcement team. Marian Waltman, the club owner, sued Payne and his department for damages. The plants were on land leased by the club from a timber company. [continues 174 words]
Fear of Being Caught Might Keep Some Off Drugs, Official Says The Pearl School Board is considering a mandatory drug- and alcohol-testing policy for athletes in grades seven to 12. The proposed policy would apply to students involved in such extracurricular activities as band, cheerleading, dance and all other sports. Students will be randomly selected for testing. Estelle Watts, the district's head school nurse and a member of the committee developing the proposal, said the board will make a final decision after receiving input from other school officials and parents. [continues 175 words]
A federal appeals court has ruled legal the search of a truck during which drugs were found by Mississippi Department of Transportation inspectors. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals this week upheld a ruling by a federal judge in Mississippi that MDOT officers had authority to enforce transportation laws when they searched Arnulfo Hernandez Cardenas' truck during a traffic stop in 2003. Cardenas and Luis Rene Bustamante-Mares were arrested after cocaine was found in containers in the truck. [continues 315 words]
From the street, the campus looks ordinary. A main building with several adjacent manufactured structures. The dwellings are situated behind a junkyard on Country Club Drive, and the parking lot is in dire need of repair. Welcome to the Country Oaks Recovery Center, where despite the facilities, extraordinary work gets done. Eric Stringfellow Country Oaks, like many nonprofits, is struggling to survive. The center still needs money to pay its electric bills. Public donations have reduced the amount from $8,000 to about $3,000. [continues 437 words]
HATTIESBURG - Megan Hill said she's heard her school called "Dope Grove." And many of her friends say they know someone who smokes marijuana. "I don't want people to think I do drugs," said Hill, who participates in softball, basketball and volleyball. The Lamar County School Board said it plans to determine who is using drugs with a policy that would apply to students such as Hill who participate in extracurricular activities. The board's attorney, Billy Andrews, is in the process of drafting a drug policy that Superintendent Glenn Swan said could be used early next year. [continues 279 words]
Madison Middle School Parents Sent Letter About Expulsions Madison Middle School's principal took a somewhat unusual step Monday by sending a letter to parents detailing four boys' involvement in alleged drug deals on campus earlier this month. Principal Ron Morrison said it was better for parents to hear about the alleged drug deals from officials than through gossip. Two unidentified boys were expelled for a calendar year - with another semester at the alternative school to follow - for allegedly selling marijuana and the prescription drug Adderall, sometimes prescribed to treat attention-deficit disorder or hyperactivity, Morrison wrote. Two other boys were placed at the alternative school for a year for alleged possession of marijuana. [continues 749 words]
My concern today is about the excessive number of plea bargains with repeated drug offenders. Today, drug dealers and producers of crack are caught with meth labs in their homes and they are warranted an opportunity to plead to time on paper, when in fact we already know that they have no intention of quitting the business. On the other hand, we have young children who are first-time offenders who are being given 20 years to life in prison with no chance at rehabilitation. Is it truly all about the money? [continues 128 words]
Hinds Officer Faces Charge Of Possession Of Marijuana A Hinds County Detention Center officer has been fired after being charged with possession of marijuana, officials said Tuesday. James Jefferson III, 23, of 1385 Weeks St., was arrested Saturday, said Sheriff Malcolm McMillin in a news release. Jefferson, who had been employed at the detention center since Nov. 2003, was fired the same day of his arrest, McMillin said. "Our narcotics investigators were tipped that this was going on at the jail," McMillin said. "He had it in his car." Jefferson was arrested at the detention center without incident, McMillin said. Hinds County Sheriff's Department spokesman Steve Pickett would not confirm whether Jefferson was selling marijuana at the jail. [continues 89 words]
Only Taxpayers Serving 'Hard Time' Outcry is being heard about 1,200 state inmates being eligible for early release by January, but it's clear the only ones serving "hard time" today are Mississippi taxpayers. In 1995, lawmakers passed the so-called "truth in sentencing" law, which requires inmates to serve 85 percent of their sentences. The intent was a good one: make sentences mean what they say. But Mississippi went too far. The federal law Mississippi's legislation was patterned after targeted only serious offenses; state law was inclusive. The result was inmates sentenced to hard time for offenses large and small, even petty drug sentences, so that prison populations and prison construction exploded. [continues 118 words]
Center Will Be Able To House And Help Abusers Find Jobs So They Can Prepare For A New Life Two kids sat on the floor staring at a spot on the wall. The spot where their television used to be. The TV their daddy sold to support his drug habit. Mound Bayou Mayor Kennedy Johnson saw the kids when their mother asked him to talk to her husband. "You know, that hurt me so bad," Johnson said of seeing the kids. [continues 380 words]
Football Player Learns Life Lessons Northwest Rankin High School running back Jeremy Bibbs learned an important lesson this week when school officials flagged him for being indicted on drug charges. Until Wednesday, when Bibbs was dismissed from the Cougar's football team, life was normal, despite being indicted on felony charges of selling 3.9 grams of crack cocaine. Coach David Coates had seen nothing wrong with Bibbs going on with life as usual, running the football, especially since two days after the indictment the 6-foot-2, 215-pound senior ran for 129 yards on 20 carries in the 37-15 win against defending region champion Oak Grove. Bibbs has racked up 552 yards and four touchdowns this season. But School Superintendent Lynn Weathersby, after interest surged over the indictment, overruled Coach Coates, saying: "Drug-related activity by any person who attends Rankin County schools will not be tolerated." [continues 75 words]
Athlete No Different From Others If a student at your child's school were indicted and charged, and awaiting trial for selling drugs, specifically crack cocaine, would you want that student to be able to go on at school as if life were normal in a high-profile position? Apparently, that's how Rankin County Public Schools operates, with Northwest Rankin High School running back Jeremy Bibbs. Or, is it that he's a star football athlete? Bibbs was indicted Wednesday on charges of selling 3.9 grams of crack cocaine on Aug. 21, 2003. Trial is set for February. If convicted, he faces a maximum $250,000 fine and 16 years in prison for the felony. But Bibbs is still running the football at Northwest's games. Madison-Rankin District Attorney David Clark sees it another way: "It would seem inappropriate for this person to be involved in athletics and held up as a role model." Yes, it would seem inappropriate. Bibbs is innocent until proven guilty, but he shouldn't be on the football field. Participation in athletics is a privilege, not a right. [end]
A Mississippi Department of Corrections probation officer was arrested Friday on federal drug and conspiracy charges, officials said. Kathy L. McDougle, 33, of Ridgeland was indicted by a federal grand jury Wednesday on one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine, three counts of using a communications facility to commit conspiracy and one count of extortion, said Bob Garrity, special agent in charge of FBI operations in Mississippi. The indictment alleges that McDougle, while working as a probation officer, provided information to a member of a local drug trafficking organization, who then passed the information along to a cocaine supplier. [continues 150 words]
If Hinds County Supervisor Ronnie Chappell has his way, the governor's office will oversee the destruction of every "crack house" in Hinds County. Frustrated by the crime he sees reported in the media, Chappell says he will ask fellow supervisors today to support a resolution calling on Gov. Haley Barbour to work with the county administrator "and any representative of any city or town in Hinds County that wishes to participate" to develop and execute a plan to rid the county of so-called crack houses. [continues 229 words]
An attorney representing two men who claim they were beaten by a Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics agent and a police officer after being stopped and questioned about drugs, says both his clients and witnesses said the alleged abuse was unprovoked. Attorney Robert Smith on Wednesday said Cornelius Manuel and Marcus Herrington, both in their early 20s, were stopped last week as they innocently walked down a Jackson street. Smith said his clients told the officers they didn't have any drugs, and the officers handcuffed the two men, beat them and physically pried Herrington's mouth open. [continues 211 words]
Grant To Fund Databases At State Pharmacies To Prevent Doctor-Shopping, Officials Say The Mississippi Board of Pharmacy will receive a $349,915 grant on Monday to help implement a prescription drug monitoring program , officials said. Each pharmacy in Mississippi will have access to a computer database, allowing pharmacists to track prescriptions and make sure people aren't getting multiple prescriptions filled at different pharmacies. Leland McDivitt, executive director of the state pharmacy board, said "doctor-shopping," or getting prescription drugs from several sources, has become a problem in the state. [continues 268 words]
Team Effort For too long the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics was viewed as a lone-ranger agency. Drug enforcement should be a unified, federal, state and local effort. Drugs drive crime in Mississippi, so drug enforcement is a key part of public safety. The news this week that drug arrests from the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics are up 39 percent deserves note by the public. For the first half of 2004, MBN officials report 1,435 drug arrests. For the same period last year, there were 1,034 arrests. [continues 178 words]
Increase attributed to MBN restructuring, improved agency interaction Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics drug arrests for the first half of the year are up 39 percent over the same period last year, state officials said Thursday. It is the largest increase in three years. Public Safety Commissioner Rusty Fortenberry and Bureau of Narcotics Director George Phillip attribute part of the increase to restructuring MBN under the Department of Public Safety. Better interaction with local law enforcement agencies also was cited as a reason for the increase in drug crime arrests. [continues 309 words]
Regarding your thoughtful June 25 editorial ("Prisons: Fiscal prudence includes policies"), if harsh penalties served to deter illicit drug use, the elusive goal of a "drug-free" America would have been achieved decades ago. Instead of adding to what is already the highest incarceration rate in the world, we should be funding cost-effective drug treatment. Drug prohibition finances organized crime at home and terrorism abroad, which is then used to justify increased drug war spending. It's time to end this madness and instead treat all substance abuse, legal or otherwise, as the public health problem it is. Mandatory minimum prison sentences, civil asset forfeiture, random drug testing and racial profiling are not necessarily the most cost-effective means of discouraging unhealthy choices. Robert Sharpe Policy analyst Common Sense for Drug Policy Washington, D.C. [end]
Assessments Added To Various Fines In Miss. Increase $20 In July Beginning July 1, special assessments tacked onto fines for several violations, including speeding, DUI and littering, will increase by $20. The added fees will be split between the state's drug court program and the crisis-intervention mental health fund. Assessments are used to help fund many state programs, ranging from $1 for a capital defense counsel special fund to a $1.50 state court education fund and up to $22 for a driver training penalty fund. The assessment also will be tacked onto game and fish law violations and other misdemeanors. [continues 605 words]
SafeCity Initiative And Citizens Together Can Address Solutions SafeCity Initiative (safecityinitiative.com) exists to "bring assistance and accountability to the criminal justice system." The organization will, on an ongoing basis, identify specific challenges that face our criminal justice system and then implement initiatives that address the solutions. The first of these initiativesincludes the creation of a Centralized Criminal Justice Management System (CJMS), the reduction of the prosecutorial backlog that exists throughout Mississippi in the various district attorneys' offices, the reduction of the case load backlog in our court system and finally, an intelligent look at alternative sentencing plans. [continues 408 words]
Fiscal Prudence Includes Policies The layoff of up to 100 Department of Corrections employees is only a small step toward fiscal prudence that could be taken to bring the state's corrections budget under control Corrections Commissioner Chris Epps said Wednesday that 90 employees, from guards to teachers, are being laid off, with 10 more expected by month's end and maybe more later. That's to save about $3.52 million annually, after MDOC had its budget cut by nearly $20 million by the 2004 Legislature. But layoffs really aren't the answer, especially when simple policy decisions could save much more money. Mississippi needs to use more alternatives to incarceration. [continues 267 words]
The seizure of $27,000 by the Lincoln County Sheriff's Department during a traffic stop in March has raised questions about the scope of the state's asset forfeiture laws. The money, which has since been returned to the owners, was seized during a routine stop on Interstate 55 when a deputy found it in a plastic bag in the vehicle's trunk. A thorough search of the vehicle after the discovery failed to find any controlled substances or illegal contraband, but deputies took the money under the state's money-laundering statute. [continues 515 words]
Expect immediate response from Jackson police, mayor says Drug hot line The 24-hour hot line for residents to report suspicious drug activity is 960-0025. Callers may remain anonymous and should include details about the suspected location and activities witnessed. An officer will respond to the call. Jackson residents will have a hot line to report illicit drug activity near their homes and businesses, officials announced Tuesday. Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. said by using a 24-hour drug hot line, residents can expect to see an immediate response from Jackson police. The hot line at 960-0025 begins today. [continues 300 words]
House Corrections Chairman Bennett Malone, D-Carthage, and Senate Corrections Chairman Robert "Bunky" Huggins, R-Greenwood, say they will review some of the state's sentencing laws this summer - and one they will scrutinize is the so-called "Truth in Sentencing" law. The state "without increasing taxes, can no longer afford to incarcerate nonviolent offenders for the amount of time they are receiving," Malone told The Associated Press. Bravo! A lawmaker has finally come forward to admit that it's not "soft on crime" to be smart with punishment. The 1995 law requires prisoners to serve at least 85 percent of their sentences before being eligible for parole. The federal rule upon which it was modeled applied only to serious offenses, but Mississippi applied it to all crimes. As a result, the inmate population swelled from 12,474 in 1995 to more than 20,000 this year. And costs are skyrocketing. Up to half of those incarcerated could be better dealt with through alternate sentencing, including drug courts, which can divert people from becoming career criminals. Malone and Huggins should be encouraged to ensure that punishment is swift, sure, and cost efficient! [end]
Easing Truth-In-Sentencing Law Mulled As Stopgap A new report says 8.9 percent of Mississippi's total prison population is serving a life sentence, and experts say the figure is likely to increase. Nationally, the number of prisoners serving life sentences has increased 83 percent in the past 10 years as tough-on-crime initiatives have led to harsher penalties, according to the study released this week by The Sentencing Project, a Washington-based group that promotes alternatives to prison. [continues 284 words]
David Clark, 23, Of Jackson Graduated Tuesday Night. His graduation wasn't from college, like hundreds of Mississippi students will do within the next two weeks. Clark graduated from the Hinds County Drug Court Diversion Program in a ceremony at the Hinds County Courthouse in Jackson. "I now know there's life out there after drugs and alcohol," said Clark, one of four students who completed the two-year program. The Legislature on Tuesday added its endorsement of the program by approving funding for drug courts statewide. Ten other Circuit and Youth court districts use the program, and five others are trying to develop drug courts. [continues 361 words]
The Jackson Police Department and the Hinds County District Attorney's office will share forfeiture funds under an agreement the Jackson City Council unanimously approved Tuesday. The police department will receive 80 percent of the money from crimes such as drug busts, Police Chief Robert Moore said. The district attorney's office will get 20 percent. The department received $45,000 in forfeitures last year, said city spokesman Chris Mims. The money is being used for training officers and purchasing equipment, Moore said. [continues 53 words]
A teacher might be used to finding rocks or frogs in little boys' pockets, but a kindergartner with marijuana in his pocket shocked everybody. The 6-year-old from Raines Elementary School was on a field trip at the Jackson zoo on Friday when he showed the marijuana to several other students, who told the teacher, Jackson Police Department spokesman Robert Graham said. "It was not like he had a big bag of weed in his pocket ... He had some seeds and little stems ... not even enough to roll a joint," said Graham. No charges were filed against the child, whose name was not released. Police took him back to school and notified his parents. Graham said the boy "knew what he had." [continues 321 words]
Watchdog Agency Says Drug Charges, Misconduct Complaint Should Be Resolved A judicial watchdog agency has proposed an interim suspension for Lawrence County Justice Court Judge Bobby Fortenberry until drug charges against him are settled. Fortenberry, 46, of Newhebron, had 2.5 grams of crystal meth in his possession when he was arrested March 26 on Mississippi 550 in Brookhaven, according to Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics Capt. Mike Aldridge. Fortenberry is charged with possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and conspiracy to sell methamphetamine, authorities said. [continues 165 words]
Legislation that would make it easier for law enforcement officers to nail major drug kingpins with tax evasion charges is on its way to the governor. House Bill 611, dubbed the "Al Capone bill," would allow the creation of a task force consisting of narcotics, attorney general, public safety and tax commission officials to go after drug dealers. Currently, tax records are protected under state law, meaning the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, for instance, can't easily access the records of a suspected drug dealer. [continues 348 words]
Drug users have been arrested. Now what? This letter is in response to the article ("Drug users target of initiative," Feb 25). I am an Administration of Justice major at Mississippi College and currently studying the correctional system. One of the things my extraordinary professor has instilled in our minds is this: The correctional system is profusely overcrowded. My question is: Where are we going to put these 165 or so people who were arrested? We do not have the facilities to house all of the drug users of the world. This so called "Operation Clean Sweep" has a good initial plan, but how do officials plan to follow through with it? [continues 141 words]
The Legislature is trying to "fix" former half-baked actions regarding drug courts and mental health crisis centers, and even further producing half a loaf. Remember the drug courts proposal? Drug courts are a cost-effective way to deal with those whose addictions drive them to steal or to commit other nonviolent crimes. Rather than tossing them in prison, as now, ensuring a life of crime, they can be offered treatment, to deter them from crime. And it's cheap. We spend about $26,000 per year to house prisoners, compared to $2,000 for treatment. The 2003 Legislature thought this was such a great idea that it approved a statewide system. But it didn't fund it. [continues 147 words]
Allowing officers to conduct searches without warrants is an attack on the constitution, leaves the door open to abuse and must be reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court, say two Mississippi defense attorneys. But a law school professor - a former prosecutor - says the 11-4 decision by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is based on common sense and the high court has already affirmed a similar argument. The 5th Circuit ruled last week that officers don't need a warrant to conduct a swift search of private property to ensure their safety. The ruling affects Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas. [continues 888 words]
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has come up with a real bone-headed ruling in allowing police to search suspects' homes without either a search or arrest warrant. The warrantless search, which expands a 1994 standard to allow law enforcement to make a so-called protective sweep for their own safety, goes too far in allowing the state to infringe on private property and citizens' privacy rights. In this case, police were allowed into the home of a suspect by someone other than the suspect and they proceeded to look in closets and under beds under the guise of protecting themselves. From what? Someone who is not there? With no ability to use any weapon they might find? [continues 106 words]
Lawrence County Justice Court Judge Bobby Fortenberry, a 16-year veteran of the bench, was arrested on felony drug charges Friday after a four-year investigation, law enforcement officials said. Fortenberry, 46, of Newhebron had 2.5 grams of crystal methamphetamine in his possession when he was arrested on Mississippi 550 in Brookhaven, said Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics Capt. Mike Aldridge. Fortenberry is charged with possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and conspiracy to sell methamphetamine, Lawrence County Sheriff Joel Thames said. [continues 299 words]
Canton Police Transaction Probed State auditors investigating allegations of missing guns, drugs and money from the Canton Police Department are now focusing on how a vehicle seized in a drug raid wound up in the possession of a former Canton officer. The state auditor's office impounded the vehicle Thursday, Capt. Eddie Belvedressi said. Jesse Bingham, director of investigations for the state auditor's office, would not comment, but Canton Police Chief Vicki McNeill said there is a receipt for the sale. [continues 304 words]
We recently stirred up a hornets' nest by deciding to charge certain residents $25 a week to stay in our shelter. Our reasons are valid. A surprising number of our long-term residents have income, with many earning several hundred dollars per week. Why would a person with income stay at a homeless mission? Some may not make enough to afford rent. Others are trying to get back on their feet. Most in these groups aren't complaining about our policy. But a number of income-earning residents choose to spend all their money on drugs and alcohol. [continues 102 words]
