LUY-Development

Tag: mississippi

  • Jackson State University President Resigns After Arrest

    Jackson State University President Resigns After Arrest

    William Bynum Jr. was among more than a dozen people arrested.

    JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The president of Jackson State University resigned Monday after he was arrested in a prostitution sting in central Mississippi.

    William Bynum Jr., 57, was among more than a dozen people arrested during the weekend, according to a Clinton Police Department news release.

    A separate news release from the Mississippi university system on Monday said Bynum submitted his resignation, and it took effect immediately.

    Bynum is charged with procuring services of a prostitute, false statement of identity and simple possession of marijuana.

    He has been president of Jackson State since 2017 after serving four years as president of Mississippi Valley State University.

    The Associated Press left a message Monday with the communications office at Jackson State. The call was not immediately returned.

  • Mom, 6 Kids Die In Mississippi House Fire; Dad Injured

    Mom, 6 Kids Die In Mississippi House Fire; Dad Injured

    The State Fire Marshal is investigating the cause of the fire.

    CLINTON, Miss. (AP) — A mother and her six children died when a fire destroyed their home early Saturday in central Mississippi, authorities said.

    The father was the lone survivor of the 12:30 a.m. blaze in Clinton, a city of about 26,500 people just outside the capital city of Jackson. He tried unsuccessfully to save family members and suffered smoke inhalation, burns, cuts and bruises, city spokesman Mark Jones told The Associated Press.

    He was taken to a local hospital but “wanted to stay at the scene,” Jones said.

    Jones later released a list of those killed: Brittney Presley, 33, and her children Landon Brookshire, 15; Lane Presley, 13; Lawson Presley, 12; Grayson Presley, 6; Malcom Presley, 4; and Felicity Presley, 1.

    The scene at the house later in the day was one of devastation. The charred remains of the single-story wood frame house partially covered with melted siding could be seen along with the remains of an SUV in the burned-out garage. Clothes, toys and furniture were strewn on the yard in the aftermath of firefighters’ fighting the blaze. Burglar bars could be seen in the windows or, in some cases, on the lawn. It was not immediately known if they had hindered escapes from the fire.

    Nearby, under a tree, someone had left a bouquet of carnations.

    The state Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause of the fire, Jones said. He said the house was built around 1951. He had no information on whether it was equipped with smoke detectors.

  • Fire Destroys Mississippi Motel, Space Heater Blamed

    Fire Destroys Mississippi Motel, Space Heater Blamed

    The fire has been classified as accidental.

    JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A huge fire sparked by a space heater engulfed a motel Friday morning in Mississippi, fire officials said.

    Several tenants of the Hilltop Inn & Suites near Interstate 20 in Jackson were displaced by the fire, which broke out around 6 a.m., news outlets reported. One woman was reported hospitalized with minor injuries.

    Cleotha Sanders, the Jackson Fire Department’s division chief of fire investigations, said 46 rooms were affected by the blaze and that the motel was a total loss.

    It took firefighters about an hour to get the flames under control.

    Investigators said a space heater caused the fire.

    Tenant Veranda Cole told The Clarion-Ledger the space heater was in her room. She believes the heater overheated and caught the curtain on fire.

    “It started in my room,’ said Cole. “I woke up and the wall was on fire near my children’s bed. There was a lot of thick black smoke. I was yelling for my kids because I couldn’t see them.”

    She said her husband and her children got out and started knocking on other room doors to wake people up.

    Sanders said the fire has been classified as accidental.

  • Auditor: More Than $4 Million Stolen From Mississippi Welfare Funds

    Auditor: More Than $4 Million Stolen From Mississippi Welfare Funds

    At least $48,000 of that paid for a luxury drug rehabilitation program for a former pro wrestler

    By JEFF AMY
    Associated Press

    Mississippi’s state auditor said Thursday that investigators believe at least $4 million in federal welfare money was stolen by the former head of the state welfare agency and others in the nation’s poorest state.

    Republican Auditor Shad White said his office is still seeking to determine the extent of the suspected public embezzlement, adding his office is expanding its audit of the Department of Human Services to a wider time frame.

    “This is a sprawling conspiracy,” White said. “We’re going to continue to look to find additional monies that have been lost or stolen.”

    Those indicted and arrested are the department’s former director, John Davis; the ex-wrestler, Brett DiBiase; former Department of Human Services employee Latimer Smith; Nancy New, who is owner and director of the Mississippi Community Education Center and New Learning Resources; her son Zach New, who is assistant executive director of the education center; and Anne McGrew, an accountant for the education center.

    It’s unclear if any of the people have lawyers representing them. All were released Wednesday from jail without being required to post bail.

    Federal welfare money was once spent mostly on cash assistance to poor families, but after changes in the 1990’s the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families money is handed out to states in block grants, and states can use the money on other activities meant to help people. The liberal-leaning Center for Budget and Policy Priorities found that Mississippi spent about $120 million in state and federal money on the assistance program in 2017, with only $9 million going to cash assistance.

    At least $48,000 of that paid for a luxury drug rehabilitation program for a former pro wrestler, according to indictments issued Wednesday, which said a politically connected nonprofit administrator and her son took more than $4 million __ including more than $2 million invested in two Florida medical companies.

    DiBiase, 36, is the son of former pro wrestler Ted DiBiase, who was known as the “Million Dollar Man.” Indictments allege that Davis conspired with Nancy New to send $48,000 in block grant money to pay f or Brett DiBiase’ s drug rehabilitation in Malibu, California, in early 2019. To cover the trail, payments were made to a company owned by Brett DiBiase to supposedly pay him for teaching classes about drug abuse, with Davis and Smith falsifying invoices and other records, prosecutors say.

    The News are associated with a series of nonprofits and schools. Mississippi Community Education Center, operating as Families First for Mississippi, got more than $44 million in government grants from mid-2014 to mid-2018, according to nonprofit tax filings. Amounts spiked to $12.9 million and $26.7 million in the last two years, as Davis outsourced a large portion of Mississippi’s Temporary Assistance to Needy Families spending to the group.

    The money was intended to provide youth development, parenting education, workforce readiness, literacy promotion, addiction education and obesity education. Then-Gov. Phil Bryant appeared at the ribbon-cutting of the Jackson office in 2016 with Davis and New. Republican Bryant also praised the group in his last State of the State address in 2019, calling it “a model of success for thousands of Mississippians and one that is being emulated all across America.”

    But the News are alleged to have transferred $2.15 million from the center’s accounts to make investments in medical companies Prevacus and PresolMD during 2019. Indictments allege they transferred more than $2 million from the center’s bank accounts to accounts of a for-profit company they control.

    Davis stepped down in July and Bryant replaced him on an interim basis with Christopher Freeze, the former leader of the FBI’s Mississippi office.

    In most recent large public corruption cases in Mississippi, criminal charges have come in federal court, but these charges came in state court.

    U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst, whose office covers the southern half of the state, said his office had been kept in the dark until Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens met with him Tuesday, just before indictments were issued.

    “While we commend the reported actions, neither the FBI nor the United States Attorney’s Office was contacted by the state auditor or the Hinds County district attorney about this investigation, although millions of federal dollars are alleged to have been stolen,” Hurst said in a statement.

    Owens and White said state court indictments were a faster path to stopping ongoing embezzlement.

    “We did not want any more money to flow to individuals who were fraudulently obtaining that money,” White said.

  • Feds Investigate Wilkinson County Correctional Facility And Three Other Mississippi Prisons After String Of Deaths

    Feds Investigate Wilkinson County Correctional Facility And Three Other Mississippi Prisons After String Of Deaths

    Justice Department opens a civil rights investigation into the Mississippi prison system after a 15 inmate deaths in the last four months.

    WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal prosecutors are looking into the conditions at four state prisons following the deaths of at least 15 inmates since December. The investigation is examining whether state corrections officials are adequately protecting prisoners from physical harm and will also look into whether there are adequate healthcare and suicide prevention services.

    The investigation, by the Justice Department’s civil rights division, will specifically focus on conditions at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman, Southern Mississippi Correctional Institute, Central Mississippi Correctional Facility and the Wilkinson County Correctional Facility, the Justice Department said.

    The use of such investigations examining the patterns and practices of law enforcement agencies has been curtailed under the Trump administration compared with their use during the Obama administration.

    By MICHAEL BALSAMO and EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS
    Associated Press
  • Auditor Arrests Former Director of Mississippi DHS and Co-Conspirators in Largest Public Embezzlement Case in State History

    Auditor Arrests Former Director of Mississippi DHS and Co-Conspirators in Largest Public Embezzlement Case in State History

    Defendants Accused of Obtaining Millions in Funds Intended for Poor

    JACKSON, Miss. – Special agents from the office of State Auditor Shad White have arrested John Davis, the former Director of the Mississippi Department of Human Services (DHS); former DHS employee Latimer Smith; Dr. Nancy New, owner and Director of the Mississippi Community Education Center (MCEC) and New Learning, Inc.; Zach New, Assistant Executive Director of MCEC; Anne McGrew, accountant for MCEC; and Brett DiBiase in connection with a multimillion-dollar embezzlement scheme. The indictments include a range of violations involving fraud and embezzlement.

    Auditors concluded, after an eight-month investigation, that the accused conspired to illegally obtain millions in public funds from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program administered by DHS. Defendants used a variety of business entities and schemes to defraud the taxpayers.

    “The funds that were illegally obtained in this case were intended to help the poorest among us. The funds were instead taken by a group of influential people for their own benefit, and the scheme is massive. It ends today,” said Auditor White.

    Davis and Smith stand accused of fraudulently manufacturing documents to enrich Brett DiBiase using TANF money. Davis and Smith created invoices to pay DiBiase TANF funds for teaching classes about drug abuse, but DiBiase was in a luxury rehabilitation facility for his own drug use in California at the time and did not perform the services. Davis and Smith created documents and arranged payment knowing DiBiase was not performing the work he was hired to perform.

    Nancy New and her son, Zach New, stand accused of using the News’ non-profit, MCEC, to pay for DiBiase’s drug treatment using TANF funds. At Davis’ direction, MCEC used TANF money received from DHS to pay for DiBiase’s opioid treatment at the Rise in Malibu facility. The documentation submitted by the News claimed this was to pay DiBiase for conducting training classes that never, in fact, took place.

    The News also stand accused of transferring millions in TANF funds to their private businesses. They then converted funds to their personal use and concealed the conversion through various fund transfers, fraudulent documents, at least one forged signature, and deceptive accounting measures.

    Finally, Davis and the News are accused of creating a fraud scheme to take TANF funds to pay for personal investments in medical device companies (Prevacus, Inc., and PreSolMD, LLC) in Florida.

    “I don’t care how politically connected a person may be. You do not have the right to treat taxpayer money as your own or to lie to the taxpayers about what you’re doing with that money. Others doing this kind of thing are on notice: this will not be tolerated now,” said White.

    All accused were indicted by a grand jury assembled by Jody Owens, District Attorney of Hinds County. District Attorney Owens and assistant district attorneys will prosecute the case.

    “The Hinds County District Attorney’s Office looks forward to working with the State Auditor Shad White and his dedicated team to end public corruption in Mississippi,” said Owens. “The misuse of government funds designed for families in need will not be tolerated by our office and those who break the law will be prosecuted to the fullest extent possible.”

    “We have worked tirelessly in the Auditor’s office to uncover this sprawling conspiracy, so I want to thank the investigators, auditors, and analysts who all assisted,” added White.

    The total amount of money lost to these schemes has not yet been determined, but the loss already exceeds any embezzlement scheme in the records of the Auditor’s office. Records are kept for all cases from the last twenty years.

    Because of the large amount of money involved, and until the full extent of the loss to the taxpayers is determined, this is considered an ongoing investigation by the Auditor’s office. There will be no additional comments at this time.

    If convicted on all counts, the accused face hundreds of years in prison. Persons arrested by the Mississippi Office of the State Auditor are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

    Additional suspected fraud involving this case or any other can be reported to the Auditor’s office online any time by clicking the red button at www.osa.ms.gov or via telephone during normal business hours at 1-(800)-321-1275.

  • Mississippi Health Officials Investigate Possible Hepatitis A Exposure in Laurel Restaurant Employee

    Mississippi Health Officials Investigate Possible Hepatitis A Exposure in Laurel Restaurant Employee

    Jackson Miss – The Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) is investigating a case of hepatitis A in a Jones County restaurant employee which may have led to possible exposure for customers.

    An employee of the Huddle House, 1304 Chantilly Street in Laurel, has been diagnosed with hepatitis A infection. While infectious, the employee worked at the restaurant on January 26th through January 29th. Customers who ate at the restaurant during that time may have been exposed to hepatitis A and should get a hepatitis A vaccination if they have not been previously vaccinated.

    Those who think they may have been exposed to this case can receive a hepatitis A vaccination free of charge from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday, February 6th and Friday, February 7th at the Jones County Health Department, 5168 Old Highway 11 in Ellisville.

    “It is unlikely that hepatitis A was transmitted to any customers from this particular case, but as a precaution, we do recommend the hep A vaccine for anyone who ate at the Huddle House from January 26 through January 29 if they have not already been vaccinated,” said MSDH State Epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers. “The management and staff of this restaurant are fully cooperating with our investigation in order to prevent illnesses as a result of this exposure.”

    Hepatitis A is a contagious liver disease that causes fever, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes), abdominal pain and dark colored urine. Hepatitis A usually spreads when a person unknowingly ingests the virus from objects, food or drinks contaminated by small, undetected amounts of stool (feces) from an infected person. If you think you have symptoms of hepatitis A, you should contact your healthcare provider.

    Everyone can prevent the spread of hepatitis A by carefully washing hands with soap and water, including under the fingernails, after using the bathroom or changing diapers, and before preparing or eating food.

    As a reminder, there is an ongoing hepatitis A outbreak in Mississippi and surrounding states affecting those who use drugs, those who are in jail or were recently in jail, those with unstable housing or who are homeless, and men who have sex with men. The MSDH continues to recommend hepatitis A vaccination for those specific groups as well.

  • Boil Water Notice Issued For Fayette, Lorman And Jefferson County

    Boil Water Notice Issued For Fayette, Lorman And Jefferson County

    Order Impacts Nearly 7,000 People in Jefferson County

    The Mississippi Department Of Public Health has issued a Boil Water Notice for customers of:

    • City Of Fayette Water System (approx. 2,301 customers)
    • Lorman Water Association (approx. 2,000 customers)
    • McNair-Stampley Water Association #1 (approx. 1,286 customers)
    • McNair-Stampley Water Association #2 (approx. 739 customers)
    • McNair-Stampley Water Association #3 (approx. 628 customers)

    DO NOT:

    • Do not drink tap water while the water system is under a boil water advisory.
    • Do not drink from water fountains in parks, public or private buildings that receive water from the affected system.
    • Do not use ice unless it has been made with boiled water. Freezing will not necessarily kill harmful bacteria.
    • Do not use tap water to make drinks, juices, or fountain soft drinks.

    DO:

    • Wash your dishes in boiled water, or use paper plates for the next few days.
    • Wash your fruits and vegetables with boiled or bottled water since they may have been exposed to affected water from grocery store sprayers.
    • Wash your hands and bathe as usual. Bathing is safe as long as no water is swallowed.
    • Brush your teeth with boiled or bottled water.
    • Cook with tap water if the food will be boiled for at least one minute.

    AND REMEMBER:

    • Properly chlorinated water in swimming pools is safe.
    • Fish in aquariums are not affected.

    Bringing water to a rolling boil for one minute will inactivate all major types of harmful bacteria.

    When your boil-water notice is lifted:

    • Flush faucets for a total of 10 minutes to introduce system water throughout house plumbing.
      Example:

      • 1 faucet — run for 10 minutes
      • 2 faucets — run both for 5 minutes
      • 3 faucets — run each for 3-4 minutes

      Flush any faucet a minimum of 2 minutes to ensure clearing of the line serving the faucet.

    • Discard any drinks, ice, food, etc, made during the boil water notice.
    • Rewash any food or drink contact items (knives, forks, plates, etc.) with “cleared” system water.
    • Check water filters (in faucets, refrigerators and elsewhere) and replace if necessary.
    • Do not use water from your hot water heater for drinking until several exchanges of the tank have occurred.
    • Run dishwasher through a cycle or two before washing dishes.

     

  • Mississippi Fire Marshal Offers $5,000 Reward For Info On Fires

    Mississippi Fire Marshal Offers $5,000 Reward For Info On Fires

    Eight suspicious fires have been reported over the last year in the Northwest part of Lauderdale County

    MERIDIAN, Miss. (AP) — The State Fire Marshal’s office is offering a $5,000 reward for information on a rash of fires in rural Lauderdale County.

    Sheriff Billy Sollie told The Meridian Star that eight suspicious fires have been reported over the last year in the Northwest part of the county. The buildings were abandoned when the fires occurred, and no injuries were reported, he said.

    The latest fire was Monday night and destroyed the old Martin school and store near Collinsville Martin Road and Newton Martin Road. Sollie said investigators are looking for someone who was in the area from dusk to 7 p.m. on Monday, shortly before the fire was reported.

    Volunteers firefighters from Bailey, Collinsville, Suqualena, Dufee and Beulah Hubbard fire departments helped in putting out the fire. Water tanks were brought in from the Sam Dale and Toomsuba stations.

    Martin Volunteer Fire Chief Jeremy Pogue said the department responded to another fire a few months ago at another abandoned building.

    Sollie said anyone with information about the fires should call East Mississippi Crimestoppers at 1-855-485-TIPS or the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Department at 601-482-9806.

  • US Marshals Arrest Mississippi Fugitive Who Faked His Own Death

    US Marshals Arrest Mississippi Fugitive Who Faked His Own Death

    The suspect is awaiting extradition to Mississippi

    ANTLERS, Okla. (AP) — Less than 24 hours after he was added to the U.S. Marshal’s most wanted list, a Mississippi man who faked his death to avoid going to prison for child sex crimes was in custody, authorities said.

    The U.S. Marshal’s Office, in a news release Thursday, said Jacob Blair Scott, 43, was arrested around midnight Wednesday. Authorities said he was located at an RV park in Antlers, Oklahoma.

    “Within hours of our announcement and our plea to the public for information, a tipster called the Pushamataha Sheriff’s Office in Oklahoma and said a man fitting the description of Jacob Scott was staying in an RV park,” said Inspector Jeremy Stilwell, the lead investigator on the case for the U.S. Marshals. “After sheriff’s deputies looked up Scott’s information, they saw he was wanted by the Marshals and immediately relayed the tip to us. We then worked with the local authorities to develop a plan for his arrest.”

    Scott is currently being held at the Pittsburg County jail in Oklahoma awaiting extradition to Mississippi where he faces a 14-count indictment charging him with sexual battery, touching a child for lustful purposes and exploitation of a child.

    “They (authorities) let me know early, early that they caught him,” the mother of the child victim told the Sun Herald Thursday. “They said he was living in a camper. We are happy. We are very happy and my daughter just cried. She feels safe now.”

    Scott had not been seen since the end of July, just days before he was set to plead guilty in Mississippi to the charges.

    U.S. Marshals with the Eastern District of Oklahoma and Pushamataha Sheriff’s deputies descended upon the RV park early Wednesday and located the camper Scott was allegedly living in. After several call outs, Scott exited, but refused to acknowledge he was the fugitive. He finally admitted to his identity after authorities verified his tattoos. He was then taken into custody.

    “This all-out media blitz led to a critical citizen tip that ultimately resulted in the fastest apprehension of a fugitive in the 37-year history of the 15 Most Wanted program,” said U.S. Marshals Assistant Director for Investigative Operations Jeff Tyler.

    Alabama authorities said early-on they felt Scott had faked his own death when they found his abandoned dinghy about a mile offshore in Orange Beach on July 30, 2018. In it, they found what appeared to be a suicide note, a handgun tied to a rope and a very small amount of blood. His pickup truck was in a nearby parking lot. A weeklong search of the Gulf of Mexico failed to produce Scott’s body, authorities said.

    After further investigation, authorities learned Scott had withdrawn $45,000 from his retirement account shortly before his disappearance.

    The child’s mother said she and her daughter suspected Scott faked his own death because he had told them he would never go to prison for his crimes.

    “We knew the whole time that he was alive and everybody tried to say he was dead and we kept telling them he was alive,” the mother said. “All of this pretty much ruined our whole life. It has caused so much stress and heartache.”

    Authorities said the investigation is ongoing to determine if anyone aided Scott in his attempt to fake his own death and avoid capture.

    “We are going to follow every trail we can,” Jackson County Sheriff Mike Ezell said Thursday. “If there are some other people involved and we can make a case, we are going to pursue it.”

    Scott is an Army veteran who received the Purple Heart as a result of injuries he suffered during his deployment in Iraq. He had entered into a plea deal with Jackson County prosecutors when he convinced Judge Kathy King Jackson to push his plea date back to give him time to have surgery. His family said he never had the surgery.

    Scott’s arrest came after the announcement of a $25,000 reward for information leading to his arrest was featured Wednesday on Investigation Discovery’s “In-Pursuit with John Walsh.”