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[Balko] Cross-Examining Forensics

The Supreme Court says that forensics analysts can be cross-examined ... for now.

Warrs Say ‘Not Guilty'

Former Republican Gulfport Mayor Brent Warr and his wife Laura both pleaded not guilty yesterday to four new charges of misleading loan officers on two mortgage loans in 2003, before Warr became mayor in 2005. The new indictments follow a 16-count indictment that federal authorities launched against the Warrs for Katrina fraud, including misrepresenting occupancy and losses to FEMA, to which the Warrs also pleaded not guilty in January.

Jackson Crime Stats for August 3-9

Jackson saw a significant reduction in major crimes last week, according to a weekly report (PDF) released at today's Jackson Police Department command staff meeting. Jackson police reported 200 crimes from August 3 through August 9, a 25 percent reduction from the previous week. All four precincts reported decreases in both violent and property crime, with Northeast Jackson's Precinct 4 reporting the fewest crimes and the greatest percentage decrease from the previous week.

Andre de Gruy

Attorney Andre de Gruy knows that the American justice system isn't perfect. Sometimes circumstances combine to convict people who didn't commit the crimes they're accused of. As director of Mississippi's Office of Capital Defense Counsel, de Gruy and his staff of lawyers represent people whom Mississippi has convicted of the most heinous crimes, mostly murders and rapes.

MBN Seeing Spike in Meth Labs

Drug dealers and producers are getting smarter, says the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics. The agency is seeing a rise lately in methamphetamine labs and in the numbers of cocaine investigations, reports WLBT.

Myrlie Evers-Williams

Today, the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tenn., named Myrlie Evers-Williams, 76, as a 2009 National Freedom Award winner. Widow of slain civil rights leader Medgar Evers, Evers-Williams became chairwoman of the NAACP in 1995, serving for three years.

[Balko] The Coroners Revolt

Mississippi coroners attempt to defy a ban on disgraced medical examiner Steven Hayne.

Jim Ingram

Mississippians owe much of the freedoms that we now enjoy, not to a governor or a legislative body, but to a legendary FBI agent named Jim Ingram. Sadly, he passed away Sunday after a long illness.

Tougaloo Prez Says Museum Funding Up to Barbour

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Bobby DeLaughter

Former Hinds County Circuit Court Judge Bobby DeLaughter, 55, resigned his job and pled guilty to misleading authorities yesterday. The former judge had five counts against him, all representing various forms of corruption, but he pled guilty to the one count arguably carrying the lightest sentence, that of obstruction of justice. His plea means he'll be spending a little over a year--18 months--in a federal prison, and he will lose his law license.

U.S. Supreme Court Asked To Hear Seale Case

A federal appeals court has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review the case of James Ford Seale, who was convicted in 2007 for kidnapping and conspiracy for his role in a 1964 civil-rights murder. In a request issued today, a majority of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals asked the high court to decide whether the statute of limitations had expired when prosecutors tried Seale on charges of kidnapping two African-American teenagers, Henry Dee and Charles Moore.

Technology Upgrades Slated For JPD

The council voted Monday to approve a federal COPS grant request that could award $750,000 to the city of Jackson for hardware sand software upgrades, including 50 precision computer mounts and modems, which will be used to install mobile computers in city patrol cars. The computers are a more rugged version of an office laptop fit for the rigors of police duty—and well capable of alerting the officer of your unpaid municipal traffic citations.

Jimmie Travis

During the violent, bloody days of the civil rights movement in Mississippi, Freedom Rider Jimmie Travis nearly lost his life. In February 1963, Travis, then 20, was driving a car outside Greenwood with Bob Moses, leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, and Randolph Blackwell, voter registration director of the Voter Education Project.

Jackson Crime Stats for July 20-26

Jackson police reported 252 major crimes last week, an increase of 5 percent over the previous week, according to statistics (PDF) released at a Jackson Police Department meeting this morning. Property crime totals increased from 204 to 227, an 11 percent jump, while violent crime decreased from 36 to 25, a 30 percent drop.

DeLaughter to Plead Guilty to Misleading Feds

Suspended Hinds County Circuit Court Judge Bobby DeLaughter is expected to plead guilty tomorrow in U.S. District Court in Aberdeen. The plea will likely spell an end to a five-count indictment against the judge, as DeLaughter accepts a guilty plea to lying to federal authorities over corruption charges.

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