OXFORD (AP) – Federal prosecutors accuse an Oxford attorney of getting nearly $600,000 in loans by misrepresenting his fees on claims from the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, and failing to repay the money.

A news release Friday said 46-year-old Tyler Smith has pleaded not guilty to one count of wire fraud.

Prosecutors allege that he’d get loans from wealthy people, using as collateral oil spill claims that were nonexistent, unfiled, or already pledged as collateral for other loans.

The indictment lists loans totaling $575,000 from five people identified by initials.

Online court records show Smith is represented by public defenders. They did not immediately respond to an email Sunday night requesting comment.

Conviction would carry up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and restitution.

Daily Journal

CORINTH – Fire officials are still trying to determine what caused a Sunday night fire that killed two people in Rienzi.

State and local fire investigators were on the scene Monday morning searching the home on County Road 400 (Salem Road) to determine the cause and the source of the blaze. Volunteer firefighters received the call around 9:45 p.m. Sunday.

Alcorn Emergency Management Agency director Ricky Gibens said the victims have been identified as Reba Huggins, 65, and Lou Mahler, 84. The couple had lived in the house for about 16 years.

“The house was a total loss,” said Gibens. “We don’t suspect foul play. We expect it to be ruled an accident. We found the point of origin but haven’t determined the source of the fire.”

By Ray Van Dusen

Monroe Journal

SPLUNGE – Monroe County Coroner Alan Gurley and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office are investigating a suspicious death in relation to a body found Saturday morning near the Alabama state line.

The body of Orvis O’Neal Cagle, 68, was found on Sipsey-Detroit Road hunched over in his truck that was found running and in gear. According to Gurley, Cagle’s foot was still on the brake.

Gurley said authorities are withholding all judgment on the case until an autopsy is performed.

By John Davis

Oxford Citizen

An arrest has been made in the death of an Ole Miss student.

Carli Sears, 20, was involved in a vehicle versus pedestrian hit-and-run type accident in Morgantown, West Virginia, early Sunday morning.

Sears, who was a member of Alpha Omicron Pi sorority, was struck by a black pickup truck. At the time, witnesses who saw the accident were unable to identify the tag on the vehicle.

According to police, a man named Alexander Hambrick, 19, was involved in the accident. Information on the arrest was also set to be released by Ole Miss later this afternoon.

It appears that detectives involved in the case were able to track down the truck through damage. In the first report released Sunday, damage to the truck took place on the right fender, along with possible damage to the grill and mirror on the passenger side.

Sears, who was a resident of Charleston, West Virginia, was taken to West Virginia University’s Ruby Memorial Hospital for treatment after being struck. Specific injuries were not provided by the police department.

Sears was a junior who was majoring in hospitality management.

By William Moore

Daily Journal

HOLLY SPRINGS – A shooting on a rural Marshall County road late Friday night left two men dead and officials searching for clues.

Officials said a passer-by called 911 just before midnight Friday and reported two men lying on the side of Moore Road, north of Red Banks. Marshall County Sheriff Kenny Dickerson said deputies found two victims on opposite sides of the road, both with gunshot wounds to the head. Will Phillips, 31, of Holly Springs, was pronounced dead at the scene. Jamon Moton, 34, of Holly Springs, was airlifted to a Memphis hospital in critical condition and died Monday morning.

The state crime lab in Jackson will conduct autopsies on both victims, the sheriff said.

The men were last seen riding in a black 2014 Dodge Charger, which belonged to a female friend of one of the victims. The car was found burned about three miles down the road. It appears an accelerant was poured on the car before it was burned.

While police have no motive or suspect, they are searching for the other occupants of the car.

“We believe one or more other people were in the car with the victims when it occurred,” Dickerson said. “We’re still running down leads and have other state, county and federal agencies working with us to determine who is responsible.”

He said the shooting might be related to another, ongoing investigation.

The Marshall County Sheriff’s Department is offering a significant reward for information that could lead to an arrest in this investigation. If you have any information, call (662) 252-1311.

william.moore@journalinc.com

PACE

By Emily Tubb and Ray Van Dusen

Monroe Journal

QUINCY – A fight between two men Friday escalated and led to the death of Ronnie Max Duke, 43, of Bigbee Cutoff Road in Amory, according to Monroe County Sheriff Cecil Cantrell.

Cantrell said that Stanley Pace, 47, of Pell City, Alabama, and Ronnie Duke were drinking and fighting at a mobile home at 600448 Old Highway 6. The fight progressed outdoors, where Pace chased Duke approximately 100 yards down the street with a replica of a Civil War sword.

Pace allegedly mutilated and killed Duke with more than 20 punctures and cuts and dragged his body down the side of the road and covered it up.

“He went back the next night, got the body and took it to a garbage dump near Old Highway 6. There are no other suspects at this time,” Cantrell said.

Pace has been charged with murder in the case.

According to Monroe County Coroner Alan Gurley, Duke’s body was located at 12:15 p.m. Monday down a steep embankment four miles north of Highway 278. Gurley said Duke sustained the stab wounds early Saturday morning.

Gurley said Duke’s body was transported late Monday to the State Crime Lab in Pearl.

emily.tubb@journalinc.com

ray.vandusen@journalinc.com

Daily Journal reports

Schools are closed in Tishomingo County on Tuesday in response to a county-wide threat.

The district posted a message on its website that all of its schools will be closed Tuesday for safety reasons because of the threat it received. The district is working with local, county, state and federal law enforcement to resolve the situation. It will use its all call system Tuesday night to provide an update on the status of school on Wednesday, according to the message on its website.

Visit DJournal.com for updates as they become available.

By Emily Tubb

Monroe Journal

BARTAHATCHIE – A shooting over the weekend in Bartahatchie sent a Monroe County man to Baptist Memorial Golden Triangle in Columbus.

Monroe County Sheriff Cecil Cantrell said that on Friday night, Dustin Fretwell and his stepfather, David Conners, were drinking when they got into a fight. Conners shot Fretwell in the chest with a .22.

“When we got there, Dustin said he didn’t want to sign any papers against Conners, so there is nothing we can do,” Cantrell said.

Marketing officials at Baptist stated Tuesday morning that Fretwell is not currently a patient at the facility.

PACE

By Emily Tubb

Monroe Journal

AMORY – Monroe County Justice Court Judge Kevin Crook set bond at $750,000 for Stanley Pace on Tuesday afternoon.

Pace, 47, was arrested Monday and charged with the murder of Ronnie Max Duke, 43, of Amory.

“You are innocent until proven guilty, and I must set bond based on the charge and not if I think you did this,” said Crook.

According to Monroe County Sheriff Cecil Cantrell, the two men were inebriated and fighting at a mobile home in the Quincy area the evening of Jan. 15 when Pace allegedly chased Duke down the street and murdered him with a replica Civil War sword. Monroe County Sheriff’s deputies found Duke’s body at a garbage dump site Monday morning.

By Ray Van Dusen

Monroe Journal

Autopsy results for a man found dead in his truck concluded that no trauma was found, according to Monroe County Coroner Alan Gurley.

Gurley and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office have treated the case as a suspicious death. The body of Orvis O’Neal Cagle, 68, was found on Sipsey-Detroit Road hunched over in his truck Saturday morning.

Gurley said the case will remain open until a toxicology report is released.

Oxford Citizen

OXFORD – Oxford residents Al and Becky Moreton were killed in a two-vehicle crash in Simpson County on Monday afternoon.

According to Mississippi Highway Patrol Corporal Eric Henry, they were on Legion Lake Road, attempting to cross U.S. Highway 49, when their Nissan Versa was struck by a southbound Ford Explorer.

Albert Moreton, 81, was driving at the time, and his wife, Rebecca Moreton, 78, was the passenger.

Three people in the Explorer were taken to Baptist Medical Center in Jackson with injuries.

Al Moreton was a retired federal prosecutor in the U.S. District Court of Northern Mississippi, which is headquartered in Oxford.

Becky Moreton was known as a community volunteer and activist, including most recently her service on the Oxford Pathways Commission.

Oxford Mayor George “Pat” Patterson said the Moretons’ deaths are felt throughout Oxford.

“What a loss,” he said. “Al and Becky Moreton were absolute treasures of this community. Their public service, love of people and involvement speaks for itself. Heaven is surely a better place.”

By Chris Kieffer

Daily Journal

IUKA – Tishomingo County Schools were expected to re-open today, after a countywide security threat caused the district to close Tuesday.

Superintendent Christie Holly said law enforcement extensively swept through all seven of the district’s schools Tuesday to confirm no danger was present.

“We feel like we’re in good shape there,” she said.

The district received a “phone-related” threat late Monday night, Holly said. She did not disclose the nature of the threat, but she said the threat was countywide and referenced all of the district’s schools.

“We were proactive, and all of the agencies started working to get resources in here and get everything covered and make sure everything was on the up and up,” she said. “We had to cancel school to make sure we had done everything we needed to do thoroughly and that we were following all of our protocols.”

Responding agencies included the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, Mississippi Highway Patrol, Tishomingo Police, Belmont Police, Burnsville Police, Iuka Police, Tupelo Police, Tishomingo County Sheriff’s Department, Itawamba County Sheriff’s Department and Mississippi Department of Transportation.

“All of the agencies worked really well together,” said Tishomingo County Sheriff John Dennis Daugherty.

chris.kieffer@journalinc.com

Twitter: @chriskieffer

CHAMBERLIN

By Ray Van Dusen

Monroe Journal

Sixteen members of the Monroe County Volunteer Search and Rescue Team left Wednesday morning for Pinson, Tennessee, to aid in the search for a 2-year-old who was last seen Jan. 14.

“It’s 100 percent volunteer. It’s been on our hearts. We’re all married and have kids. We have highly trained guys and based on our skills, we will do everything we can,” said Matt Hannon, one of the team leaders of the group, Wednesday morning while on the drive to Tennessee.

The Monroe County Search and Rescue team is comprised of members of law enforcement; each of Monroe County’s fire departments, volunteer and city; and county employees. Hannon said those on the trip are all taking vacation time to help in the search effort to find Noah Chamberlin.

In recent days, thousands of volunteers have scoured a wooded area where Chamberlin was last seen to aid in the search of the missing toddler.

“This is very similar to the call we had recently from outside Okolona with the missing child,” Hannon said. “We’ve been to Katrina, the Smithville tornado and several other tornadoes to do the same thing.”

In addition to Hannon, the 16-member group of the bigger search and rescue team on this mission includes T.J. Harmon; Drake West; Phillip Monaghan; Hunter Williams; Evan Adams; Marlin McCullar; Mitch and Nathan Minga; Robert and James Steinke; Tony Garza; Devon George; and Jeremy, Chris and Dennis Lee.

In addition to its highly trained members, the Monroe County Volunteer Search and Rescue Team’s attributes for this search include equipment with nighttime and thermal capabilities, including a drone.

Hannon was unclear of what specific assignment the team will have until arrival or how long it will aid in the search.

“Our primary goal is to clear any search areas that haven’t been checked. We’re a fully sufficient team prepared to stay two or three days if needed. The clock’s ticking, and it could be a recovery mission. We’re interested in doing whatever we need to bring closure or have a good ending,” Hannon said.

By Floyd Ingram

Chickasaw Journal

CHICKASAW COUNTY – The Chickasaw County Sheriff’s Department has executed two search warrants and arrested four people on drug charges following information provided by the public.

Robert Wall, 38, of Okolona, was arrested and charged with possession of methamphetamine on Tuesday after a search of his residence turned up methamphetamine and paraphernalia.

John Blankenship, 35, of Okolona, was arrested on charges of possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver/enhanced in presence of firearms after a search of his home turned up high-grade marijuana, seven grams of methamphetamine, a police scanner, a .40-cal. automatic pistols and semi-automatic AR-15 rifle.

Also arrested at Blankenship’s residence were Amber Pepper, 26, of Houston, and Adrian Gonzales, 31, of Tupelo. Both were also charged with possession of methamphetamine.

Several hundred dollars in cash and assorted drug paraphernalia were also seized in the searches.

“We developed this case from calls from the community,” said Chickasaw County Investigator Michael Fowler. “We obtained search warrants and executed them and found these drugs and weapons. As with all drug arrests, we hope these arrests will lead to more arrests.”

A check of the pistol recovered in the Blankenship search is believed to have been stolen from the Memphis Police Department, and authorities are checking to see how it came to Okolona and if other charges can be brought.

Daily Journal

BOONEVILLE – A two-car, head-on collision on Highway 371 left three dead on Wednesday.

Mississippi Highway Patrol spokesman Ray Hall said the wreck occurred near Marietta around 5 p.m. Wednesday. It appeared that Jo Deana Smith, 49, of Booneville, and her mother Betty Smith, 74, also of Booneville, were traveling south on Highway 371 when their car was struck head-on by a northbound car driven by Jordan Jones, 26, of Baldwyn.

Jo Deana Smith and Betty Smith both died at the scene from injuries suffered in the crash. Jones was ejected from his vehicle and transported to North Mississippi Medical Center, where he later died from his injuries.

Due to physical evidence recovered at the scene, troopers are investigating whether drugs might have contributed to Jones crossing the center line causing the head-on collision.

By William Moore

Daily Journal

TUPELO – Police in Tupelo and Lee County were kept busy Tuesday responding to a rash of overnight car burglaries.

A dozen reports were filed Tuesday with the Tupelo Police Department or the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. The six Tupelo incidents were in East Tupelo or just off Lumpkin Drive. The Lee County cases were clustered in the Mooreville and Auburn areas.

“Since last October, we have seen a pretty steady problem with car burglaries,” said Lt. Jerry Davis, chief detective for TPD. “Most of the cases usually involve someone leaving their car unlocked, or leaving something of value in plain sight, and they break the window and take it.

“All they need is a small rock to break the glass.”

In this week’s cases, seven were unlocked and three vehicles had windows broken. While there were some wallets and purses taken, the bulk of the stolen items were firearms. The reported thefts include four rifles and four pistols.

“We didn’t have any reports of folks trying to steal radios out of the vehicles,” said Lee County Sheriff Jim Johnson. “They were taking loose things – like guns and purses – whatever they could get quick and get away.”

Thieves even stole a car on County Road 1682 near Lake Piomingo when the owner left the keys in an unlocked Nissan Maxima.

Authorities said these thefts are a crime of opportunity. Folks will go to a neighborhood at night or in the early morning hours and look for unlocked cars or items of value in plain sight.

“It doesn’t take a lot of time for them to check the cars at 10 or 12 houses,” Davis said. “Prevention is the best way to fight this.

“Always lock your cars and never leave anything of value out in the open. Either take it in or lock it in the trunk.”

Anyone with information on the burglaries is asked to call the police department at (662) 841-6491, the sheriff’s office at (662) 841-9040 or Crime Stoppers of North Mississippi at 1-800-773-TIPS (8477).

william.moore@journalinc.com

BOOKER

Daily Journal

OXFORD – Police responding to a disturbance at an apartment complex charged a 35-year-old man with aggravated assault.

Oxford Police were called to the Anderson Estates Apartments on Anderson Road Sunday, Jan. 17. Officers found a victim had been assaulted and arrested Eddie Booker Jr., of Oxford. He was charged with aggravated domestic violence and transported to jail.

During his arraignment, bond was set at $5,000.

WAGGONER

By Patsy R. Brumfield

Special to the Daily Journal

JACKSON – Carthage businessman Sam Waggoner, 61, is set for sentencing Monday for his part in a bribery scandal surrounding the Mississippi Department of Corrections.

Madison businessman Irb Benjamin, 69, and Waggoner were indicted in August 2015 in an alleged bribery-kickback scheme, which took down MDOC chief Christopher B. Epps and Rankin County businessman Cecil McCrory, a former legislator. Benjamin, a former state senator from Northeast Mississippi, has pleaded not guilty and faces trial in April.

Waggoner admitted Aug. 19 to bribing Epps for MDOC’s contract with Waggoner’s employer, Global Tel-Link, which provided telephone services to inmates at MDOC facilities.

In U.S. District Court documents in Jackson, Waggoner admitted GTL paid him 5 percent of revenue generated by the inmate telephone contract with the state. As part of his one-count plea deal, he also agreed to forfeit $200,000, which the government said came from Epps’ bribery.

Judge Henry T. Wingate is set to sentence Waggoner at a 10 a.m. hearing Monday.

For his guilty plea, Waggoner faces up to 10 years in prison, three years supervised release and a $250,000 fine. He is represented by attorney Nick Bain of Corinth.

Benjamin, a longtime capitol lobbyist, faces three counts of wire fraud and bribery.

His indictment accuses him of illegally rewarding Epps for MDOC contracts to Benjamin’s company, Mississippi Correctional Management, to provide alcohol and drug treatment services to inmates at MDOC work centers in Alcorn and Simpson counties.

MCM was paid about $774,000 from those contracts, court documents state.

The indictment claims Benjamin paid Epps to help get MCM consulting contracts in Alcorn, Washington and Chickasaw counties’ regional corrections facilities. It also accuses him of kickbacks to Epps from consulting fees Benjamin got from Carter Gobal Lee Facility Management’s contract for maintenance services to MDOC facilities.

Before the charges, Benjamin also was warden at the privately operated Alcorn County jail. He represented Alcorn and Tishomingo counties as a senator in the 1980s and early 1990s.

If convicted, Benjamin faces up to 30 years in prison, a $250,000 fine on each count and forfeitures from his alleged financial gains in those deals.

Benjamin is represented by Jackson attorney Joseph M. Hollomon.

Epps and McCrory pleaded guilty in 2015 to a bribery scheme that allegedly provided Epps with luxury vehicles, an upscale home in a gated community outside Jackson and a beachside condominium on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Epps and McCrory are scheduled for sentencing before Wingate next week, but proceedings may be delayed after they asked for more time to respond to a pre-sentence report recommending punishments. They face lengthy prison terms and fines, authorities say.

CURTIS

By Patsy R. Brumfield

Special to the Daily Journal

OXFORD – Elvis tribute artist Paul Kevin Curtis wants more than satisfaction – he wants justice and financial damages for his wrongful arrest and jailing in 2013.

Curtis, of Corinth, initially was accused in a bizarre case involving ricin-dusted letters sent to public officials, including President Obama and U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker of Tupelo.

Ultimately, federal officials turned their sights on Tupelo karate instructor James Everett Dutschke, claiming he framed Curtis and deflected investigators toward the entertainer out of a personal vendetta. Dutschke was indicted, convicted and sentenced to prison.

Curtis’ attorneys, Christi Rena McCoy and Hal Neilson of Oxford, insist Curtis’ arrest, jailing and ultimate release ruined his musical career, and caused him physical, mental, emotional and financial damages for which he deserves financial compensation. They also want Curtis’ case officially closed.

Curtis is suing the U.S. Government, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Homeland Security and former U.S. Prosecutor John Marshall Alexander, who was criminal chief for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Oxford when Curtis was accused of the crime. There may be other defendants as the case progresses, his attorneys say in a legal document filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court of Northern Mississippi.

Defendants have not yet responded to the civil allegations.

Curtis’ complaint is the second he’s filed in North Mississippi for damages. His first, filed in April 2015, was dismissed because various defendants could not be served with notices about its filing.

BATISTE

By William Moore

Daily Journal

JACKSON – A former Mississippi State University student convicted of capital murder in 2008 will be able to ask for a new trial, the state’s highest court ruled Thursday.

Bobby Batiste appealed his conviction to the Mississippi Supreme Court, citing 16 alleged irregularities during his 2009 trial in Oktibbeha County Circuit Court. One of the allegations was that bailiffs’ comments to jurors could have swayed them.

In a sworn affidavit, a juror said a bailiff told her the reason the jury was all white was because “black people will not consider the death penalty.” A second juror said they heard the same comment, but could not recall who said it.

The Supreme Court agreed that the comments could have affected the impartiality of the jury. The high court did not order a new trial, but gave Batiste permission to file a petition for post conviction relief in Oktibbeha County Circuit Court.

Batiste was convicted of the murder and robbery of his roommate Andreas Galanis in a trial in late October 2009 and was sentenced to death. He appealed, but the Mississippi Supreme Court upheld the conviction and sentence in the spring of 2013.

william.moore@journalinc.com