News Briefs From Across The State
By Monica Land
Two pit bulls attacked Great Dane
Plantersville police said three dogs were killed – one by mistake -Tuesday afternoon after two pit bulls attacked a Great Dane inside a residence. Police Chief Maury Schuh said the incident occurred on State Park Road and was reported by a 16-year-old girl.
Schuh said a male and a female pit bull that were usually kept in a backyard were placed in a garage because of rainy weather. Somehow, the pit bulls entered the home through a connecting door and attacked a Great Dane that was inside the residence.
Schuh said when he arrived on the scene, the pit bulls were ripping the flesh off the Great Dane.
“I tried shooting them [pit bulls] with a .45 caliber pistol,” Schuh told WTVA. “Even though there were multiple hits it didn’t stop them. I had to retrieve a 12-gauge shotgun and finished the animals off with a 12- gauge.”
The Great Dane was accidentally shot during the gunfire, but Schuh said it wouldn’t have survived the wounds it sustained.
Schuh plans to go before the board of alderman to discuss the dangerous dog ordinance.
Early morning traffic accident leaves one dead
A traffic accident early Wednesday morning has claimed the life of a Hattiesburg man.
The incident happened at around 5:30 a.m. on Highway 49 North near Rawls Springs Road. The driver of an 18-wheeler from the Merchants Company was going south on 49 when it apparently crashed into the back of another 18-wheeler.
The driver of the Merchants truck, 36-year-old Dwayne John, was killed in the collision. John’s body was taken to Jackson for an autopsy.
Traffic in the southbound lane was backed up for more than five hours while the scene was cleared. The cause of the collision is under investigation.
Judge: Murder suspect won’t face death penalty
Judge Richard McKenzie has ruled that Christopher Lee Baxter suffers from an intellectual disability, also referred to as mental retardation, and will not face the death penalty in the upcoming capital murder trial for the death of George County Sheriff Garry Welford.
McKenzie issued his ruling Monday in Lucedale.
The Mississippi Press reports Baxter was evaluated by two doctors in March and April and they determined his IQ was 56 and 75 in their respective tests. An IQ of 75 is recognized as the limit for mental retardation, making Baxter ineligible for the death penalty under Mississippi law.
Baxter and Brandy Nicole Williams are charged with capital murder in the July 10, 2010, killing of Welford.
Baxter’s trial is scheduled to start May 7 in Natchez.
City donates aging fire truck
Olive Branch has declared a 1977 fire truck as surplus and have authorized sale to Marshall County for $1.
The Commercial Appeal reports that the fire truck will go to the Mt. Pleasant Volunteer Fire Department in Marshall County.
Mayor Sam Rikard says Olive Branch bought the truck seven to eight years ago as a reserve vehicle.
Rikard says the city’s recent purchases of fire vehicles has rendered the older vehicle unnecessary.
The city’s most recent vehicle acquisition was a truck from the takeover of the Summershill fire district.
Gym renamed for longtime coach
The Attala County School Board has renamed the McAdams High School gymnasium for longtime basketball coach Wilson Jackson.
Schools superintendent Bryan Weaver tells the Star Herald that Jackson Gymnasium also will honor Wilson’s son, the late Chad Jackson, who also coached at McAdams.
Weaver says the school board acted at the request of the McAdams and Sallis communities.
Weaver says a dedication of the gym will be held later.
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