News Briefs From Across The State
By Monica Land
70-year-old victim was from Tennessee
The pedestrian killed by an alleged hit-and-run driver in Biloxi over the weekend has been identified as 70-year-old David Honarka, of Greenback, Tenn.
The Sun Herald reported that Harrison County Coroner Gary Hargrove released his name Monday after locating his relatives.
Hargrove says Honarka would often visit Biloxi casinos while his wife was visiting with relatives.
Honarka had rented a room on U.S. Highway 90 and was struck by a vehicle about 2:30 a.m. Saturday.
Police say 32-year-old Shumarcus Taiwain Henderson Sr., of Gulfport, is held on a charge of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death. His wife, 29-year-old Angela Marie Henderson, is held on a charge of accessory after the fact.
Former Miss. attorney faces $914K in liabilities
The U.S. government is seeking $914,162 in restitution unpaid by a former Mississippi attorney convicted in a tax and mail fraud case in 2009.
The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reports that prosecutors filed a payment affidavit this week in U.S. District Court in Oxford. U.S. District Judge Sharion Aycock has scheduled an April 2 hearing in Aberdeen for William “Bill” Catledge to explain why the money hasn’t been paid.
Catledge pleaded guilty in June of 2009 to three counts of lying about his income to the Internal Revenue Service and to endorsing, depositing and using a claim advance mailed for an individual client. He was sentenced to two concurrent 35-month prison terms.
Catledge also was ordered to pay restitution of $731,732, which will go to the IRS for back taxes, and $93,039 to Chubb Insurance Co. of Dallas and $89,000 for M&F Bank of Tupelo.
Payment of the money was part of the terms of his sentence, as was his participation in a prison drug rehabilitation program.
Catledge permanently surrendered his law license in 2009.
Union officer to plead guilty
Federal court records
say a labor union officer in Mississippi plans to plead guilty in an embezzlement case.
Records filed in U.S. District Court in south Mississippi say Paulette McClure possessed and cashed forged checks from the United Government Security Officers of America union, which represents security guards at Entergy’s Grand Gulf Nuclear Power plant.
The court records say she possessed 33 forged checks. Records also say she cashed some of the checks for a total of about $8,100 between September 2009 and March 2010.
She was an officer for the union office in Claiborne County.
A change of plea hearing is scheduled for March 19.
Democrats disqualify 3 mayoral candidates
Three people disqualified as candidates in the Democratic primary for Vicksburg mayor said they will appeal.
The Vicksburg Post reports that the appeals from David Day, Linda Fondren and Lester R. Smith were scheduled to be heard Thursday, March 14 by the Vicksburg Municipal Democrat Executive Committee.
Committee officials said they refused to certify Fondren based on residency requirements, Smith because of a felony conviction and Day because of a lack of participation in previous Democratic primaries.
The action was taken Monday, March 11.
The decision, if it stands, would leave four Democrats on the ballot: incumbent and embattled Mayor Paul Winfield, former Warren County supervisor John Ferguson, state Rep. George Flaggs and former alderwoman Gertrude Young.
The party primary is May 7 with a runoff on May 21 if needed. The general election is June 4.
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