May 2008

Monthly Archive

May 15, 2008

Sex Offender Arrested For Failure To Register

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From Sheriff Andy Hood:

 

    The Monroe County Sheriff’s Department arrested David Richard Drummond on charges that he Failed to Register as a Sex Offender.  Drummond was extradited by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department from Moody Police Department in Alabama.  Drummond originally registered with Monroe County December 4th, 2006.  He first went noncompliant in March of 2007.  He was located and re-registered on March 27, 2007.  He went noncompliant a second time on September 30,2007.  In March of 2008, St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Department in Louisiana contacted Monroe County and enquired about Mr. Drummond.  St. Landry Parish stated that Mr. Drummond was noncompliant in registering with their department also.  On April 14, 2008, Jefferson County Sheriff Department in Alabama contacted the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department and stated that Mr. Drummond was at their facility trying to register as a sex offender.  Monroe County Sheriff’s Department investigators informed Jefferson County that we had a arrest warrant for Mr.Drummond .  The warrant was sent to them, and Mr. Drummond was arrested in Moody, Alabama.  Mr. Drummond signed a waiver of extradition and he was transported back to Monroe County on May 13, 2008.  Information obtained through the investigation shows that Mr. Drummond was trailing from Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana, displaying no regards for the sex offender law of any of the three states.  He was arrested on Mississippi Code Section 45-33-33, which states that upon a second or subsequent violation of failing to register, the offender shall be arrested for this violation.  Their are currently 39 registered sex offenders in Monroe County.  Of which, Mr. Drummond is the only noncompliant register at this time.
 
David Richard Drummond  49 yoa    850 Markeeta Rd    Leeds,  Alabama       Charged with Failing to Register as a Sex Offender 
 
Bond was set at $3,000 by Judges Robert Fowlkes
 
“We are going to do everything possible to keep the Sex Offenders that live in Monroe County compliant with state law.” 
 
    Mississippi law requires the Sheriff’s Department to obtain the following information from registrants:
            Name
            Address
            Place of Employment
            Crime for which convicted
            Date and place of conviction, adjudication or acquittal by reason of insanity
            Aliases used
            Social Security Number
            Date of Birth
            Age, race, sex, height, weight, hair color and eye color
            Description of the offense for which registration is required
            Identifying factors such as scars, marks or tattoos
            Anticipated Future Residence 
            Offense History
            Fingerprints and photograph, if not already obtained
            A DNA Sample
 
  • Offenders must notify the Mississippi Department of Public Safety  within 10 days before moving to or returning to a county in Mississippi
  • They must register with the local Sheriff’s Department within 10 days of first residing in the county.
  • Once the paper work is completed with the local Sheriff’s Department. the offender has to report in person with the paper work at a  Mississippi driver’s license station and obtain a State of Mississippi Sex Offender ID Card.
  • Offenders must reregister with the MDPS, in person, every 90 days and be issued a new ID Card.
  • The Offender must report any change in address by personally appearing at a MDPS Driver’s License station within 10 days before changing addresses.
  • If moving out of state, offenders must notify the MDPS within 10 days before moving to another state.  Offenders must comply with any registration requirement of the new state. 

 

 

May 14, 2008

Arrest made for felony firearm possession

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From Sheriff Andy Hood
 
    Monroe County Sheriff’s Deputies made a early morning traffic stop on May 12th.  The driver was consistenly giving deputies false information about her identity.  It was later found out that she was really Latoshia Stephenson and was a prior convicted felon.  Deputies found a .22 caliber handgun that was in her possession.  Stephenson was charged with multiple misdemeanor violations and felony possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. She was stopped on Davidson Road at 0126 hrs on May 12.  She had been previously convicted of Credit Card Fraud in Lowndes County and False Pretense in Clay County. 
 
Latoshia Stephenson     31yoa        853 Clay Street         Aberdeen, Ms.         Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon
           
Bond set at $5,000 by Judge Robert Fowlkes.
 

May 13, 2008

Electrical fire damages Hamilton High School

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Electrical fire
damages school

HAMILTON – School officials were awaiting damage estimates after a mid-morning electrical fire Monday at Hamilton High School.
No one was injured in the fire, which started around 10 a.m. and was extinguished less than an hour later by the Hamilton Volunteer Fire Department.
“When we got to school Monday morning, the power was surging in the technology building and the elementary building,” Principal Mark Howell said. “We shut off the power to both buildings and called Monroe County Power. They found some lightning damage to one of the transformers. When we turned it back on, the surge protector caught fire in the technology building. We had a pretty good blaze going there for a few minutes.”
Students were evacuated to the football field when teachers smelled the smoke.
Damage estimates from the fire were not available Monday night.

 

May 9, 2008

Appointments For The City Of Aberdeen

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From Thursday, May 8’s Board Meeting

Roll Call Votes:

  • City Clerk Jackie Benson

Sykes Yes

Garth No

Ewing Yes

Nichols Yes 

Allen Yes

 

  • City Attorney Tim Erving

Sykes No

Garth No

Ewing Yes

Nichols Yes

Allen Yes

 

  • Public Defender Tom Brahan

Sykes No

Garth No

Ewing Yes

Nichols Yes

Allen Yes

 

  • City Judge Adrian Haynes

Sykes Yes

Garth Yes

Ewing Yes

Nichols No

Allen No

 

  • Vice Mayor Garth

Sykes Yes

Garth Yes

Ewing No

Nichols No

Allen No

  • Vice Mayor Sykes

Sykes Yes
Garth Yes 
Ewing Yes
Nichols Yes
Allen No

 

 

 

May 9, 2008

Special election to be called in Aberdeen’s Ward 2

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ABERDEEN — After hearing two days of testimony, Judge Henry Lackey ruled that a special election will be called for in Ward 2. The court will be petition Gov. Haley Barbour for the special election, which was decided in a tribunal of lackey and Aberdeen Election Commissioners Betty Jackson and Barbara Vassar.
“I realize after hearing the testimonies that we need to educate our youngsters that voting is not a right, it’s a freedom,” Lackey stated. “Proof shows that absentee ballots were cast by people that weren’t qualified and three of those voters voted again on election day and some of the voters voted in the wrong ward. This was not a question of fraud, but whether or not the true will of the people was expressed. Myself and the election commissioners were not convinced that the will of the people was determined.”
In the case of Cloyd Garth vs. Wilchie Clay and The Aberdeen Democratic Executive Committee, Garth, through his attorney, Gary Goodwin, had asked the court to rule that he be declared the outright winner of the Ward 2 Alderman race. Garth defeated Clay by one vote before the ADEC found three voters that had voted twice in Ward 2.
“We think that the thing for the court to do is to let this election stand with Mr. Garth as the winner,” Goodwin said. “People get the kind of government they want. My client has done nothing wrong and he should be the winner f this election.”
Lackey also ruled that the city’s charter states that Garth will remain active alderman until the results of the special election are determined.
Jim Waide and Kirk Tharp, attorneys for Clay and the ADEC, respectively, attempted to prove that not only illegal votes had been cast, but fraudulent ones, as well.
“We ask that the courts throw out all of the absentee votes and declare the poll winner, Wilchie Clay,” Waide said. “We feel that there were many illegal absentee votes cast and we feel that Mr. Garth directly influenced the three voters who voted twice.”
Garth, who testified under oath, declared his innocence through out the hearing.
“Although this is not the outcome that we wanted to see, it will at least allow for another election instead of declaring my opponent the winner,’ Garth said as he exited the courtroom Thursday.
 

May 8, 2008

Voter Hearing Update 12 P.M. 5/08/08

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In the morning session of Garth vs. Wilchie Clay and the Aberdeen Democratic Executive Committee, testimony was heard from more individuals that voted absentee, as subpoenaed by attorneys for the defenese, Jim Waide and Kirk Tharp.

Ward 2 Alderman Cloyd Garth also took the stand Thursday morning. Garth stated that he gave no instructions to his drivers regarding absentee voters. He also acknowledged that Tony Walker did use his van for hauling voters. He denied any knowledge of wrong doings or payofffs.

In testimony yesterday, city clerk Jackie Bensons stated that Garth, “told me to back my bags — that I was out of here.”

Garth stated this morning that it was within his right as alderman to so do. His attorney, Gary Goodwin, also accused Benson and the committee of holding clandestine meetings.

Garth also stated that he does not provide his campaign workers with any guides concerning how they are to conduct themselves regarding voters on his behalf.

Testimony was also heard from Walker. He stated that he personally asked Garth for the use of his van and that “it was not his responsibility to tell people how to vote an absentee ballot.”

Afternoon session begins at 1:15 p.m.

 

May 8, 2008

Court Update Wednesday, May 7

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Testimony begins in election hearing JEFF CLARK Monroe Journal ABERDEEN — Testimony got under way Wednesday in the case of Cloyd Garth versus Wilchie Clay and the Aberdeen Democratic Executive Committee (ADEC). Judge Henry Lackey presided over the hearing. Garth filed a petition for judicial review of election contest last week after his opponent, Wilchie Clay, was declared winner of the Ward 2 Alderman election. A $300 bond needed for the petition was secured by Garth and Ward 1 Alderman Alonzo Sykes.

In the April 22 Ward 2 runoff, Garth defeated Clay by a total of one vote. After an inquiry was held by the ADEC, three voters were found to have cast votes twice, both in absentee form and at the polls.
“We believe with overwhelming evidence that Mr. Garth influenced those votes and that the three voters cast fraudulently cast absentee votes,” Jim Waide, Clay’s attorney, said. “These people voted twice and they were Garth voters. The Aberdeen Democratic Executive Committee did a thorough investigation into this matter.”
Kirk Tharp, ADEC attorney concurred with Waide. “I felt the committee, my client, did the right thing by throwing these votes out,” he said.
According to Garth’s attorney Gary Goodwin, the poll workers and the ADEC should be held responsible for the discrepancies,
“We feel that the poll workers failed to do their jobs,” Goodwin said. “We have three votes that should be counted. There was no fraud on behalf of my client.”
Goddwin’s first witness of the day was ADEC Chairman Coy Flynn. Flynn stated that he felt that the committee acted properly and responsibly in reaching their decision and that he had received a number of complaints about the primary election held April 1. According to Flynn, then-mayor Cecil Belle was one of the complainants.
During his testimony, Flynn said the committee investigated the runoff because of the number of absentee votes cast in the ward.
“Wilchie Clay won the poll vote 234 to 209,” Flynn said. “However, Garth had 55 absentee votes to Clay’s 29. This gave Garth a one vote advantage. There was no motive by the committee to favor one candidate over another. We only wanted to fully represent the will of the people.”
Goodwin next called city clerk Jackie Benson to the stand. According to Benson’s testimony, the ADEC was one day late in officially certifying Clay as the winner.
Benson was also questioned on the validity of the absentee ballots cast by Clayton Gates, Ryan Love and Robert Wilson. Benson said Gates checked he would be out of town on election day, Love didn’t check anything and Wislon checked that he was permanently or temporarily disabled on his absentee application.
During Gates testimony, he stated he is a resident of 503 Burnett St. in Ward 2. He also said that he was driven to vote absentee by Theresa Straughter and that he voted absentee because he was planning to be on a vacation in Florida during the runoff. He also said numerous times that he thought he was voting in the “election” when he voted absentee on Saturday, April 12 and he was voting in the “runoff” the second time he voted. When asked if he talked to Garth, he stated, “Only when I’m in trouble. He also testified that had voted for Wilchie Clay.
According to Ryan Love’s testimony, he is a voter of Ward 1 and he should have never been allowed to vote in Ward 2. Love is listed on the Ward 2 voter roll at 605 Burnett St. He stated under oath that he lives at 605 Bennett St.
Love also stated many times that he voted absentee on Saturday, April 12 and then three days later on April 15 at the Ward 2 precinct. Although the election was held on April 22, Love was adamant about the date he allegedly voted.
The last person to testify Wenesday was Wilson. Wilson said that he “lived in the ward were Wilchie Clay had been his long term alderman” and that he “didn’t remember voting at the polls on April 22.”

 

 

May 5, 2008

White arrested on molestation charges

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From Sheriff Andy Hood:
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Department has arrested 31yoa Joey White from Calvary Church Rd in Amory.   White is accused of Molesting a 16yoa female March 22nd at a residence on Hwy 25 just outside of Amory.  Bond was set by Judge Robert Fowlkes in the amount of $25,000. 
 
Joey White        50051 Calvary Church Rd        Amory, Ms.         31yoa        Charge: 1 count of Molestation          Bond set at : $25,000
 

May 5, 2008

30 to be subpoenaed

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After a continuance was given by Judge Henry Lackey today, subpoenas were issued for 30 people. They will appear in court on Wednesday.

More Info:

Jim Waide is representing Wilchie Clay

Kirk Tharp is representing the Aberdeen Democratic Executive Committee

Gary Goodwin is representing Cloyd Garth

See tomorrow’s Daily Journal for more information.