News Briefs From Across The State
Police chief also sued
A female Belzoni police officer who said she was sexually harassed by a fellow officer was awarded $150,000 by a Humphreys County jury. Officer Shirley Johnson filed a sexual harassment civil lawsuit against Officer David James, Police Chief Mickey Foxworth and the City of Belzoni.
Johnson said she filed the suit against the police chief because he reportedly did nothing to stop the harassment.
WABG said because of the lawsuit, the Belzoni Police Department has hired a consultant that will train officers on various codes of conduct.
Belzoni’s mayor, Wardell Walton, said the Board of Aldermen reserves the right to discipline the police chief, and they have plans to appeal the monetary award.
Escaped prisoner found dead in water
The handcuffed body of a man who ran from authorities was found in Oktibbeha Lake earlier this month. Eighteen-year old Derrian Monte Bragg, of Philadelphia, was being questioned in a grand larceny case when authorities said he ran into the woods on May 21.
Two fishermen were on the lake several days later and found Bragg’s body in a section of marshy water about two to four feet deep.
Lauderdale County Coroner Clayton Cobler said Bragg’s hands were still in handcuffs when his body was pulled from the water.
An autopsy revealed that Bragg drowned.
Housing authority under investigation
Federal agents removed about 30 boxes of documents and other materials from the offices of the South Delta Regional Housing Authority. According to WABG, agents had a search warrant for certain materials in the office, but would not elaborate on the investigation.
The executive director of South Delta, A.J. Jefferson, told WABG a complaint has been filed alleging the use of HUD funds for other programs and that she allegedly used agency funds to make improvements on her home.
No criminal charges against Jefferson have been filed.
WABG said this investigation is the latest in a long line of controversies for South Delta including ongoing disputes with tenants over rent increases and other issues, and the destruction of a Greenville landmark, the Finley House.
Agents from the FBI and the department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) are conducting the investigation.
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