Kermit – Page 40 – The Mississippi Link

Homicide suspected in mayoral candidate's death

Authorities said a mayoral candidate in the Mississippi Delta has been found dead and the case is being investigated as a homicide.

Coahoma County Coroner Scotty Meredith said the body of 34-year-old Marco McMillian was found on the Mississippi River levee Wednesday about 10 a.m.

McMillian was running for mayor of Clarksdale, a Blues music hub and home to actor Morgan Freeman.

Meredith said the body was found between Sherard and Rena Lara. He said it was sent to Jackson for an autopsy and declined to provide further details. […]

13-year-old killed in farming accident

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A 13-year-old boy was killed in a farming accident in Lauderdale County while trying to help his grandfather, WTOK reported.

Authorities said on Feb. 19, Ben Hammond was helping his grandfather attach a front-loader to a tractor when the equipment fell on him. Emergency responders and Lauderdale County sheriff’s officials arrived, but Hammond was pronounced dead at the scene by county coroner Ward Calhoun.

The sherriff’s department called the incident a “terrible” situation and said there was no suspicion of foul play. […]

Ex-boyfriend: Mindy McCready left rehab too soon

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Mindy McCready threatened to kill herself after losing custody of her sons earlier this month, yet she was allowed to leave a court-ordered drug rehabilitation program days before she apparently killed herself, her ex-boyfriend said.

Billy McKnight, who was in a long, rocky relationship with McCready and who is the father of her oldest child, Zander, said the 37-year-old mother of two stayed in the in-patient substance abuse treatment center for about 18 hours before being allowed to walk free.

Authorities say McCready died in an apparent suicide Sunday, Feb. 17, at her home in Heber Springs, a vacation community north of Little Rock. Sheriff Marty Moss said McCready was found dead on the front porch where her boyfriend, musician David Wilson, died last month of a gunshot wound to the head. Investigators are investigating his death as a suicide, but haven’t yet determined his cause of death. […]

Bond $1 million for man who shot wife while she was driving

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An Alabama man is being held on a $1 million bond after allegedly shooting his wife to death as she drove down the highway in Mississippi last Thursday.

Twenty-five-year-old Anthony Pace appeared before a Wayne County, Miss. judge Saturday on charges he killed his wife, 22-year-old Amber Andrews. Pace was arrested at his mother’s house in Choctaw County, Alabama.

Authorities said on Feb. 21, Andrews was driving alone on U.S. 84 outside Waynesboro, Miss. around 3 p.m. when she was shot at least once. Andrews ran off the road and crashed her vehicle. […]

Ex-Meridian softball coach indicted on sex crimes

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A former Meridian high school softball coach has been indicted on eight charges alleging inappropriate contact with students under the age of 18.

The indictment filed Feb. 11 in Lauderdale County Circuit Court, charges former Clarkdale High School coach Ricky Roberson with three counts of exploiting a child and five touching a child lustfully. […]

Former USM professor dead at 69

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– In the past two weeks, the University of Southern Mississippi (USM) has suffered great losses. The tornado that ripped through the front of the campus on Feb. 10 uprooted trees, destroyed buildings and altered many lives.

“But our beloved University has incurred an equally devastating loss with the passing of Dr. Gene Wiggins,” said Van Arnold, of USM Office of Communications.

Wiggins, who was director of the USM’s School of Communication for 20 years, died Thursday, Feb. 21, at his home in Hattiesburg.

Wiggins was 69. […]

New sentencing trial: man on death row since 1992

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A new sentencing trial begins this week for a man who has been on death row for more than two decades.

Fifty-two-year-old Jeffrey Keller Davis was convicted in May 1992 of capital murder for shooting and stabbing Linda Hillman.

The state Supreme Court overturned his death sentence in May, finding that a poor job by his trial attorney may have cost him a chance at life in prison. […]

Vicksburg mayor facing federal bribery charge

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Vicksburg Mayor Paul Winfield was granted bond Thursday after being arraigned on a federal bribery charge that says he was caught in an FBI investigation while seeking a $10,000 bribe for a city contract.

The 39-year-old Democrat wore an orange jail jumpsuit and shackles during his arraignment in U.S. District Court in Jackson. Magistrate Judge Keith Ball ordered Winfield to be released on a $10,000 unsecured bond.

Winfield answered the judge’s questions in a strong, clear voice during the brief hearing but did not address the allegations against him. He did not enter a plea. […]

Lou Myers, Mr. Gaines on 'A Different World,' dies

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Actor Lou Myers, best known for his role as ornery restaurant owner Mr. Gaines on the television series “A Different World,” has died.

Tonia McDonald of Myers’ nonprofit, Global Business Incubation Inc., said Myers died Tuesday night, Feb. 19, at Charleston Area Medical Center in West Virginia. She said he was 76. McDonald said Wednesday that Myers had been in and out of the hospital since before Christmas and collapsed recently. An autopsy was planned.

A native of Chesapeake, W.Va., Myers had returned to the state and lived in the Charleston area. […]

Chickasaw County man charged in stabbing death of wife

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A Chickasaw County man is scheduled to appear in court Monday morning after allegedly stabbing his wife early Sunday, authorities said.

Will Porter was arrested at an unspecified location Sunday after county officials arrived at the home he shared with his wife, 23-year-old Amanda Porter, on Highway 8, just east of Houston.

When authorities responded to what they initially believed to be a domestic situation, around 5:30 a.m., they found Amanda’s body in the residence. Chickasaw County Coroner Andy Harmon said she had been stabbed to death. […]