News Briefs From Across The State
By Monica Land
Victim was 23-years-old
Bond has been set at $200,000 for a 17-year-old Starkville teen charged with murder in a fatal shooting at a nightclub on Feb. 14.
The teenager made an initial
court appearance Friday. He remains in the Lowndes County jail.
The shooting occurred just minutes after midnight at the Crossroads lounge on Mississippi Highway 182 at the Lowndes-Oktibbeha County line. Authorities said the incident occurred during a Valentine’s Day party. Other details were not released.
Oktibbeha County Coroner Michael Hunt says 23-year-old Trumaine Q. Macon of Starkville was shot and was pronounced dead at OCH Regional Medical Center.
Lowndes County Chief Deputy Marc Miley said the shooting remains under investigation.
Woman to plead guilty to grant fraud
Federal court records say a Bay St. Louis woman is set to plead guilty to a charge of making a false statement for a homeowners-assistance grant to elevate her home.
A federal indictment returned Oct. 16 alleges Rhonda Lynn Verduzco falsely represented an elevation certificate had been issued to qualify her for a grant.
She had had previously pleaded not guilty but is now scheduled for a change of plea hearing in U.S. District Court in Gulfport.
Verduzco had applied for an elevation grant offered by the Mississippi Development Authority with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development money.
The grant offered eligible homeowners up to $30,000 to elevate their homes to meet federal requirements put in place after Hurricane Katrina.
Man pleads guilty in crack cocaine case
A man has pleaded guilty to one count in a crack cocaine distribution case in Jackson.
Authorities say Julian Michael Thompson, known by the nickname “Lil Pimp,” was charged with possessing with intent to distribute more than 28 grams of crack cocaine on two occasions in 2010.
He pleaded guilty to count one in U.S. District Court in Jackson Wednesday. His sentencing is set for April 24 before U.S. District Judge Henry T. Wingate.
Man killed in one vehicle accident
Rankin County Coroner Jimmy Roberts confirms one person has died after an SUV crashed into a drainage ditch on Pinewood Drive late Saturday afternoon.
A Richland police spokeswoman says the GMC Jimmy Charles Hays, 73, was driving crashed about 4:15 p.m.
Investigators are not sure why the Pearl man’s vehicle left the roadway and the accident remains under investigation.
Hays was pronounced dead at the scene.
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