Woman arrested, accused of faking slip-and-fall

News Briefs From Across The State

By Monica Land

Suspect gained nearly $4k in fraudulent insurance claim

A Southaven woman has been arrested for fraud and charged as a habitual offender. Authorities have accused her of faking a fall at the Ramada Inn in Horn Lake to collect insurance money.

A news release from the Mississippi attorney general’s office says 36-year-old Tracey Leigh Davidson was indicted as a habitual offender for three prior convictions in Louisiana. If convicted of this charge, it would mean a mandatory maximum sentence of three years.

Davidson was indicted earlier this month on one count of insurance fraud by a DeSoto County grand jury.

The indictment charges her with fraudulently obtaining $3,440 by making a false or fraudulent insurance to Nationwide Insurance Company.

Davidson was being held without bond at the DeSoto County jail.

Vicksburg loses bond rating, can’t borrow

The city of Vicksburg can’t borrow money because it has been without a bond rating for six months.

The Vicksburg Post reports city officials did not announce publicly the bond rating was pulled by Moody’s Investors Services on Feb. 15, but the information surfaced this week in budget hearings as the city seeks to refinance $6 million in loans.

State and local governments borrow money through bonds for public works projects and to refinance loans. A city’s bond rating gives investors an idea of the city’s ability to pay off the bonds. Without a bond rating, governments are unable to borrow money.

In pulling the city’s A-1 rating, Moody’s cited insufficient financial information on the city’s creditworthiness because Vicksburg did not have completed audits for 2008, 2009 and 2010.

Corinth police get stun guns

Corinth police have received 10 stun guns to replace devices that fell into disrepair and were shelved.

The Daily Corinthian reports the devices, which police call electronic control devices, were issued following training sessions for city officers.

Capt. Chuck Hinds said the devices, manufactured by Karbon Arms, have a range of about 20 feet.

Much of the purchase price was covered by a grant from the state Department of Public Safety.

Man pleads guilty in equipment theft scheme

A Louisiana man has pleaded guilty in Mississippi to conspiracy to purchase trucks, tractors, lawnmowers and other equipment stolen from dealers in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi.

Jory Sam Tantillo and Michael Fralick were indicted in February by a federal grand jury in south Mississippi. The indictment said that in 2009 they placed orders for the equipment they wanted and two other men stole it from dealers in Rayville, La.; Centreville, Miss.; and Magnolia, Ark.

Tantillo, of Tickfaw, La., pleaded guilty Thursday in U.S. District Court in Natchez, Miss. Fralick has pleaded not guilty. His trial is set for October.

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