News Briefs From Across The State
By Monica Land
Motive was robbery, investigators said
A 17-year-old Columbus teen is being held on a $500,000 bond after he allegedly shot a mail carrier in the course of a robbery.
Arthur Lee “Slim” Whitfield appeared in court and was charged with aggravated assault and armed robbery for an alleged attack on Doug
Aldridge
Aldridge was delivering mail at an apartment complex outside Columbus Thursday, March 21, when he was shot under the left armpit.
Whitfield was arrested at the same complex on March 22 and the weapon reportedly used in the shooting was also recovered at that location.
The postal service joined the investigation since Aldridge is a federal employee and a postal inspector said letter carriers rarely carry cash. Whitfield may face additional charges since shooting a postal worker is a federal offense.
Aldridge remains hospitalized and is said to be recovering.
Body of missing man found in Pike County
The remains of a McComb man missing since late February were found near his home on March 21, Pike County sheriff’s officials said.
Investigator Davis Haygood told the Enterprise-Journal that the body of Mark Fortenberry, 52, was found in a wooded area on his McKenzie Road property.
Haygood says it appeared the body had been there for some time.
He would not say whether authorities had determined a cause of death or whether there were signs of foul play.
Coroner Percy Pittman said officials were unable to immediately determine how Fortenberry died.
Vicksburg fire ruled accidental
A fire that destroyed a building March 14 was sparked when the son of the building’s owner fell and dropped a cigarette, fire investigators ruled on March 21.
The Vicksburg Post reports the fire, which destroyed the structure at 1415 Washington St., was ruled accidental.
The building housed El Rio Mexican Restaurant on the first floor and two apartments upstairs.
Woman appeals sentence for fatal accident
A Foxworth woman has appealed a 20-year sentence she was given for a 2006 accident that killed a 5-year-old girl and seriously injured the child’s mother.
The appeal from Aimee Bracy Porter is among dozens the state Court of Appeals will consider during its March-April term. A Decision is expected later this year. The Appeals Court is not hearing oral arguments in the case.
Porter was sentenced in 2008 in Marion County to 15 years for DUI causing death and five years for DUI mayhem.
Prosecutors say 5-year-old Alyssa Riley died in the wreck that occurred about five miles east of Columbia on U.S. Highway 98. Her mother, Carmen Riley, was injured.
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