News Briefs From Across The State
By Monica Land
Inmate had trouble breathing
An inmate at the Harrison County jail died Monday after he started having difficulty breathing.
Sheriff Melvin Brisolara said Gregory Woodall, 50, began having problems around 7am. Once notified, the medical staff began CPR immediately.
Woodall was taken to Garden Park Medical Center where he was pronounced dead due to natural causes. Woodall was reportedly disabled.
The sheriff said Woodall was arrested on two counts of assault and one count of possession of a controlled substance.
Exactly one week ago, an inmate being held at the Jackson County jail died after being taken to Singing River Hospital. An autopsy revealed Tommy Lee Washington died from a seizure, caused by an underlying medical condition.
Autopsy: Jail inmate died of a seizure
An autopsy shows a Jackson County jail inmate died last Tuesday morning from a seizure, though the official cause of death is listed as natural causes. That's according to Jackson County Coroner Vicki Broadus.
Broadus tells The Sun Herald 39-year-old Tommy Lee Washington suffered from an underlying medical condition.
Sheriff Mike Byrd says Washington was taken from the jail to the Singing River Hospital at about 10:30 p.m. No other details were provided.
Washington was being held in the jail on a 2012 charge of grand larceny.
Jogger dies after being hit by vehicle in Tupelo
Authorities are investigating the death of a jogger hit by a vehicle Thursday morning, Aug. 1, in Tupelo.
Lee County Coroner Caroline Green says the woman, Elizabeth Montgomery, was jogging early in the morning when she was struck by a vehicle about 5:40 a.m. Montgomery was an educator.
Police Capt. Rusty Haynes said John Gillentine is in custody and has been charged with DUI and careless driving. Gillentine, 27, reportedly has a previous DUI charge and he is being held on a $300,000 bond.
Montgomery was taken to the North Mississippi Medical Center where she later died.
Police arrest 5 suspects in fatal home invasion
Senatobia police have arrested five people in connection with a slaying during a home invasion robbery earlier this month.
The Commercial Appeal reports 27-year-old LaShaundra L. McNeal, 20-year-old Kristie Farrow, 18-year-old Devonta Orlando Pipkin, 22-year-old Nicholas Fitzgerald Sledge and 20-year-old Quinn Anthony McNeal all face capital murder charges related to the shooting death of 36-year-old Edgar Gomez.
Gomez was found shot to death on July 8 inside his mobile home in Senatobia. Investigators said he was able to call police from his cellphone, but by the time police arrived he had died from two gunshot wounds and the suspects were gone.
The suspects remain in jail under no bond.
About $50K in cocaine found in I-10 traffic stop
Authorities say a Texas man was found with several pounds of cocaine valued at about $50,000 in a traffic stop in Jackson County, Miss.
The Sun Herald reports deputies assigned to the Jackson County sheriff's criminal interdiction division arrested 49-year-old Juan Serafin Campos, of Houston, on a charge of possession with intent to distribute.
Deputies stopped him on Interstate 10 and said they also seized $3,000 in cash.
Campos was booked at the Jackson County jail and held on a $100,000 bond.
Sheriff Mike Byrd said agents with the Narcotics Task Force of Jackson County are investigating and the probe could lead to federal charges.
