June 2013 – Page 5 – The Mississippi Link

2 held in stabbing death of Brandon soldier

June 11, 2013 Kermit 1

Police say a soldier who had recently returned to Camp Shelby from Afghanistan was killed in a fight during the early morning hours of June 2 outside a Hattiesburg bar.

Lt. Jon Traxler tells The Hattiesburg American 23-year-old Holden Hughes was stabbed in an altercation at about 12:40 a.m., outside Benny’s Boom Boom Room.

Traxler identified the suspects as 23-year-old Aaron Dement and 31-yeaer-old Derrick Valdez, both of Columbia. Both were taken to the Forrest County Jail and charged with homicide. […]

Barreto added to Marshals’ most wanted list

June 11, 2013 Kermit 0

A woman wanted in Mississippi in the death of a 2-year-old girl has been added to the U.S. Marshals Service’s Most Wanted fugitive list.

Janet Killough Barreto is wanted in Union County for failure to appear on charges of manslaughter, three counts of child abuse, six counts of child neglect and tampering with a witness.

Barreto also is wanted by federal authorities for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. […]

Sheriff complains about federal jail oversight

June 11, 2013 Kermit 1

Harrison County Sheriff Melvin Brisolara wants an end to federal oversight of his jail.

The U.S. Justice Department intervened 16 years ago because of complaints about overcrowding and understaffing at the lock-up. Brisolara says those problems have been solved, but says federal officials keep making new demands.

Brisolara complained about the situation to the Harrison County Board of Supervisors in recent days, WLOX-TV reports. […]

Two prison guards arrested on contraband charged

June 10, 2013 Kermit 0

Two correctional officers have been arrested on felony possession charges at Central Mississippi Correctional Facility after contraband items were found during a random check of vehicles on prison grounds.

“Regardless if you are staff or civilians, we will not tolerate drugs or alcohol on the grounds of any Mississippi Department of Corrections’ facility,” Commissioner Christopher Epps said. “Unfortunately, some employees are not abiding by this zero tolerance, and those employees should not reflect on the MDOC staff as a whole. Most of our employees are men and women who steadfastly carry out their duties with the upmost integrity every day and might not ever get the notoriety they deserve.” […]

New trial ordered in murder of man asking for directions

June 10, 2013 Kermit 0

The Mississippi Supreme Court has ordered a new trial for one of several teens convicted in the slaying of a man who was shot after stopping to ask for directions to his grandson’s football game.

Linda and Michael David Porter had gotten lost going to their grandson’s football game in Moss Point in 2008. Authorities say he was shot during a robbery attempt at a gas station.

Tevin James Benjamin, who was 14 at the time of the shooting, was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to life in prison. […]

Wildlife officials say bear sightings up

June 10, 2013 Kermit 0

Wildlife officials say coastal Mississippi is seeing higher than normal black bear activity this year and residents should remove attractants if one’s spotted in a residential area.

The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks says black bears mainly eat foods like berries, acorns, grasses and insects.

They’re also attracted to open garbage containers, pet food, bird feeders, livestock feed or barbeque grills. The agency says in a news release that residents should remove those items if a bear is spotted. […]

MDOT to Begin Widening of I-55 in Hinds County

June 7, 2013 Kermit 0

On Monday, June 3, Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) and the James Construction Group closed the Elton Road overpass on I-55 in Hinds County as part of the widening project on I-55 from Byram to McDowell Road.

The overpass will remain closed until Sept. 15 in order to raise the height of the bridge over I-55. […]

Two arrested at South Miss. prison after pipe bomb found

June 7, 2013 Kermit 0

Two people are facing charges in connection with a pipe bomb found during a routine search of a vehicle at the state prison in Greene County during visitation over the weekend.

“We don’t believe the pipe bomb was intended for the prison, nor do we believe the inmate whom they were planning to visit had knowledge of it,” said Sean K. Smith, director of the Corrections Investigation Division of the Mississippi Department of Corrections. “We are fortunate that we found the device during a routine search of the visitors’ vehicle. They never got past the secure entrance gate off the highway.”

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) agents were notified, arrived and took possession of the device, which was later disposed of without incident. […]

Jean Stapleton, TV’s Edith Bunker, dies at 90

June 7, 2013 Kermit 0

Jean Stapleton’s Edith Bunker was such a dithery charmer that we had to love her. And because she loved her bombastic husband Archie, we made room for him and TV’s daring “All in the Family.”

It took an actress as smart and deft as Stapleton to create the character that Archie called “dingbat,” giving a tender core to a sitcom that tested viewers with its bigoted American family man and blunt take on social issues.

Stapleton, 90, who died Friday, May 31, of natural causes at her New York City home, was the sweet, trusting counterpoint to Carroll O’Connor’s irascible Archie on the 1970s groundbreaking show from producers Norman Lear and Bud Yorkin. […]

Medgar Evers honored at Arlington 50 years after assassination

June 6, 2013 Kermit 1

Slain NAACP field secretary, civil rights leader, World War II veteran, father and husband – Medgar Wiley Evers, was honored Wednesday at Arlington National Cemetery in a wreath-laying ceremony, organized by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP.)

Next week will be the 50th anniversary of the assassin’s bullet that killed patriot and stalwart for civil rights – Medgar Evers, a son of Mississippi. He was respectfully honored Wednesday in a beautiful and well-attended ceremony with distinguished speakers including former President Bill Clinton, Attorney General Eric Holder, NAACP Mississippi State Conference President Derrick Johnson, NAACP President Ben Jealous and NAACP Chairman Emeritus Myrlie Evers-Williams. Roland Martin, of TV One and the Tom Joyner Morning Show, presided as Master of Ceremonies. […]