By Floyd Ingram

Chickasaw Journal

HOUSTON – Authorities are once again searching an area north of Houston in the 100 block of Okolona Cutoff but have not revealed what they are looking for.

Chickasaw County Coroner Andy Harmon would not reveal what more than 16 vehicles from five different counties were searching for Tuesday morning.

“We will issue a press release,” said Harmon.

Willie C. “Doc” Harries, 72, was last seen Saturday, Aug. 23, at 5 p.m. in the Wofford Drive area in Houston. Authorities searched more than 1,000 acres across Houston looking for Harries before calling off the search Aug. 29.

It is believed the discovery of human remains dragged up in a local yard Monday night sparked Tuesday’s organized search.

Houston Police Chief Billy Voyles said at the time of Harries disappearance that he was on foot and wearing a multi-colored shirt and blue jeans. He is described as a black male, partially bald, 5-foot, 9-inches tall and weighing 158 pounds with brown eyes.

“We had from 50 to 75 people out searching every day last week,” Voyles said at the time. “We have looked everywhere and been unable to find him.”

Voyles said Center Hill Missionary Baptist Church in North Houston was made the command post for the search and afternoon shift of volunteers went out twice a day in blazing heat to search for Harris in fields, ditches and neighborhoods in Houston.

“We started with the Gladney Subdivision and then moved out to Okolona Cutoff and did a search of his childhood neighborhood in the Second and Third Avenue area,” said Voyles. “We have combed the woods behind Hardee’s and all up and down Jefferson Street.

“A lot of people went a lot of places this past week,” said Voyles. “I want to thank them and the businesses and churches that donated food and water to them during this search.”

Search and rescue crews from Okolona, Woodland, Thorn, Houlka and Pontotoc, Union, Monroe and Clay counties joined in the August search.

Harmon did say at the time of Harries’ disappearance that family members indicated Harries suffered from medical issues that could affect his mental capacity. Harmon said Harries was known to walk neighborhoods in the city and county roads.

Authorities are asking anyone who has information regarding the whereabouts of Harries to please contact Chickasaw 911 Dispatch at (662) 456-9411, immediately.

Chickasaw County 911 issued an all-points-bulletin to county, city and emergency personnel at 11:21 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 24 and established a command center on Okolona Cutoff to direct the search.

The Mississippi Highway Patrol issued a Silver Alert for Harries at 2:33 p.m. Aug. 24.

CALAMESE

Daily Journal

An Endangered/Missing Child Alert has been issued for a Tupelo teenager.

Kamaya Alexia Calamese, 14, was last seen at approximately 9:30 p.m. Sunday in the Lawndale Drive area of Tupelo, according to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation. She is a black female, 5-foot-5, 110 pounds with short black hair and brown eyes.

Calamese was last seen wearing a black sweatshirt with white lettering and light-colored blue jeans.

If anyone has information regarding her whereabouts, contact the Lee County Sheriff’s Department at (662) 869-2911.

Crime Stoppers of Northeast Mississippi needs your help to locate a stolen vehicle.

A white 1997 Chevrolet pickup truck with the license plate LF9 057 was last seen at the Dollar General store located at 1706 South Gloster St. in Tupelo. The vehicle was taken from this location while the owner was inside the store. It was last scene with an unknown black male driving it from the lot.

If you have any information on this crime, please contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-733-TIPS (8477).

STEWART

Daily Journal

TUPELO – An 18-year-old has been arrested in connection with a series of break-ins at Tupelo Middle School.

“The school has been the victim of several break-ins recently, looks like about four times,” said Tupelo Police Lt. Jerry Davis. “We’ve been trying to catch whoever was responsible, and the patrol division captured a suspect (Monday) night.”

Officers responded to an alarm at the school and noticed a male suspect walking in the area. When police attempted to talk to the man, he ran, leading officers on a brief chase.

Katavious Stewart, 18, of 320 Monument Street, Tupelo, was booked into the Lee County-Tupelo Adult Jail, charged with burglary of a commercial building, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.

Authorities say Stewart has been implicated in the string of burglaries over the last several weeks. The investigation in ongoing, and more arrests are expected.

Monroe Journal

AMORY – The Monroe County Sheriff’s Department arrested Glen Allen Sanders, Jr. ,34, of Amory, on Wednesday.

Sanders is charged with failure to register as a sex offender and living within 3,000 feet of a child care facility.

Bond has not been set. Sanders is currently being housed at Monroe County Detention Center.

BRADDOCK

SPRATLIN

By Ray Van Dusen

Monroe Journal

Two people were arrested on a methamphetamine charge.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Department Narcotics Unit arrested Angela Dean Spratlin, 29, and John Marcus Braddock, 41, both of Columbus, on Saturday. Both subjects are charged with possession of ICE (crystal meth).

The arrest happened at a hotel in Amory, where deputies were attempting to serve a warrant out of Lowndes County on the two subjects on multiple drug charges.

Spratlin was arrested July 1 for possession of methamphetamine with intent after Monroe County deputies initiated a traffic stop on Highway 45 South and Stovall Road.

Braddock was arrested last October for multiple drug charges in Georgia.

Both subjects are currently being housed at Monroe County Detention Center. Bond is expected to be set later today.

By William Moore

Daily Journal

TUPELO – The city of Tupelo disagrees with a request that a former Tupelo Municipal Court bailiff be awarded about $150,000 for five years front pay.

In a counter motion filed Monday, the city argues that Latisha Mitchell should be awarded no more than two years pay and at a much lower salary scale.

Last month, a federal jury awarded Mitchell $35,000 in lost wages and $30,000 for mental anxiety after finding the city of Tupelo guilty of retaliating after Mitchell filed a discrimination complaint.

In a subsequent motion, Mitchell’s attorney Jim Waide asked for five years front pay based on the difference between the $43,128 she was making as a bailiff and the $13,000 she currently makes as a teacher assistant.

The city’s counter motion noted that Mitchell has not qualified with a sidearm since 2009 and is not qualified to be a bailiff. They add that any damages should be based on the light duty desk clerk position Mitchell was qualified to do with her injuries. That job pays $27,766 annually.

The motion further says that Mitchell should only be entitled to two years of front pay, at the most. Using the amended figures, the city argues that Mitchell should get no more than $30,128 in front pay.

Among the arguments, the city cites Cliff Hardy, a former Tupelo Police officer who sued for wrongful termination. He was awarded just one year of front pay.

Mitchell was serving as a bailiff in Tupelo Municipal Court. She was injured on the job when she rescued a prisoner who attempted suicide in a holding cell. In the process of cutting down the 250-pound man, she injured her back, neck and shoulder.

She claimed the city did not do enough to alter her duties to deal with her injuries. She also claims the city retaliated after she filed a discrimination charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

There is no set date for the court to respond to Mitchell’s motion.

william.moore@journalinc.com

By Ray Van Dusen

Monroe Journal

AMORY – The Amory Police Department has charged a woman with manslaughter following a domestic disturbance Tuesday night that left her husband dead.

According to Monroe County Coroner Alan Gurley, Anthony E. Morgan, 21, of Amory was pronounced dead at 9:07 p.m. Tuesday after he was transported to Gilmore Memorial Regional Medical Center.

Morgan’s wife, 20-year-old Brianna Beeks of Amory, is currently in custody at the Monroe County Detention Center awaiting her initial appearance in Monroe County Justice Court.

The incident took place at 8:06 p.m. at Moore Manor Apartments on 111th Street.

An autopsy is scheduled for Friday at the State Medical Examiner’s Office in Jackson.

The case is still under investigation by the Amory Police Department.

CALAMESE

Daily Journal

TUPELO – Officials have canceled a statewide alert for a missing Tupelo teenager.

Officials with the Tupelo Police Department are not releasing any details, other than to say that Kamaya Alexia Calamese, 14, of Tupelo, has been found and is safe.

The 5-foot-5 tall female was last seen around 9:30 p.m. Sunday in the Lawndale Drive area of Tupelo.

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation issued an Endangered/Missing Child Alert for Calamese Tuesday around 11 a.m.

HARRIES

By Floyd Ingram

Chickasaw Journal

HOUSTON – The remains of a man missing in since Aug. 23 are believed to have been found by authorities combing a heavily overgrown area just north of Houston on Wednesday morning.

Willie C. “Doc” Harries, 72, was last seen Saturday, Aug. 23, at 5 p.m. in the Wofford Drive area in Houston, and the discovery of a human bones dragged up by dogs Monday on Okolona Cutoff sparked a targeted search this week.

“The clothing and the remains match and are consistent with the clothing and description we have of Mr. Harries at the time he disappeared,” said Chickasaw County Coroner Andy Harmon. “We do believe this is Mr. Harries. To confirm this we are sending evidence to the Mississippi State Crime Lab for DNA testing.”

Harmon said at this point there is nothing that leads him to believe Harries disappearance is crime related.

Harmon said at the time of Harries disappearance that family members indicated he suffered from medical issues that could affect his mental capacity. Harmon also said Harries was known to walk neighborhoods in the city and county roads.

Harmon said the remains were found in a very secluded area overgrown with bodock and thorn bushes.

Authorities are believed to have walked within feet of the spot on their initial search in August.

The hunt for Harries has been intense with authorities from more than a dozen agencies searching more than 1,000 acres across Houston for a week when he initially went missing in August. The search rekindled Monday when a dog brought a skull onto the front porch of a house in the 100 block of Okolona Cutoff.

“I want to thank the people from all over the community for helping us search and their patience with this situation,” said Harmon. “We hope this find will allow the family some closure in this situation.”

Houston Police Chief Billy Voyles said at the time of Harries disappearance, that he was on foot and wearing a multi-colored shirt and blue jeans. He is described as a black male, partially bald, 5-foot, 9-inches tall and weighing 158 pounds with brown eyes.

Authorities said there are currently four missing person cases open in Chickasaw County, with Harries’ being the most recent. Harmon said the condition of this body is consistent with the time of Harries disappearance.

Voyles said Center Hill Missionary Baptist Church in North Houston was made the command post for the search when Harries initially disappeared and shifts of volunteers went out twice a day in blazing heat to search for him in fields, ditches and neighborhoods in Houston.

Search and rescue crews from Okolona, Woodland, Thorn, Houlka and Pontotoc, Union, Monroe and Clay counties joined in the August search.

Harmon said state and local agencies and numerous area volunteer firefighters helped in this most recent search.

Chickasaw County 911 issued an all-points-bulletin to county, city and emergency personnel at 11:21 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 24 with a 25-man search party fanning out over the area almost immediately.

The Mississippi Highway Patrol issued a Silver Alert for Harries at 2:33 p.m. Aug. 24.

Daily Journal

TUPELO – Tupelo’s Lawndale Elementary was placed on lockdown for about 10 minutes on Thursday afternoon as the Tupelo Police Department pursued a suspect nearby.

The lockdown began around 11:50 a.m., according to a notice sent to parents. Students and staff were secured in their classrooms. Within 10 minutes, the individual was taken into custody by the police department and the lockdown was lifted.

Classes have resumed normal schedules.

Daily Journal

Just before 4 p.m. Saltillo, Birmingham Ridge and Guntown fire units were called to Saltillo’s BancorpSouth on Highway 145.

Fire officials said the outdoor electric meter box apparently caught fire.

More will be posted as it is available.

By William Moore

Daily Journal

TUPELO – A pair of military surplus flight helmets, presented to the Tupelo Police Department two years ago, still are missing.

The department is one of more than 180 law enforcement agencies across the country that have lost, misplaced or just cannot account for weapons and equipment obtained through the Law Enforcement Support Office 1033 Program.

The helmets, intended for use on a police helicopter, and a 12-gauge shotgun could not be found during an inventory last year.

“Right after I took office, they asked us to do an inventory,” said Tupelo Police Chief Bart Aguirre. “We found the shotgun about six months ago and reported that. The helmets we never could find and reported them as lost.”

Aguirre said the helmets were obtained about two years ago by then-Police Chief Tony Carleton to be used on the department’s helicopter. The helicopter has since been deemed too expensive for the city to operate. The Tupelo City Council declared the aircraft surplus Tuesday night, allowing it to be sold or transferred back to the government.

The shotgun and the helmets are not the only things the city has acquired as surplus from the military.

“We actually have a load of weapons we got from surplus,” said Aguirre. “We will be turning those in shortly. Right now, we are using those weapons until we can replace them in our inventory with new purchases when the new budget goes into effect.”

The missing helmets seem minor compared with the missing inventory of some other state law enforcement agencies. According to the Meridian Star, the Meridian Police Department has misplaced four M-14s, the U.S. military’s primary battle rifle from 1959 through 1970.

The Columbus Police Department is missing three M-14s and the Philadelphia Police Department is missing two of the rifles, according to a report by the Mississippi Department of Finance and Administration. The report also says single rifles have been misplaced by Jackson Police Department, Mississippi Department of Public Safety and Calhoun City Police Department.

The program has been providing military surplus to law enforcement agencies at no cost for almost 25 years.

william.moore@journalinc.com

The 1967 Bell OH-58 police helicopter previously used by the Tupelo Police Department will be delivered to the state and likely will find a new home with the Columbus Police Department. (Courtesy)

By Robbie Ward

Daily Journal

TUPELO – An experienced, 47-year-old police helicopter relieved from duty may reunite with a former city police chief.

The City Council unanimously approved Tupelo Police Department Chief Bart Aguirre’s recommendation to deliver the 1967 Bell OH-58 to the state of Mississippi’s Office of Surplus Property, a part of the state Department of Finance and Administration.

However, the chopper likely will find a new home with the Columbus Police Department, led by Tony Carleton, Tupelo’s police chief for more than three years until accepting his current job.

Annual maintenance and limited use for the high-dollar aircraft no longer justified full-time status. Police officials have said costs for fuel, storage, insurance and other requirements cost Tupelo taxpayers roughly $50,000 a year.

Fiscal Year 2014 budgeted expenses show $20,000 set aside for maintenance and $3,600 for professional pilot fees.

“In the 20 years I’ve been here I can’t remember using it more than five times,” said Allan Gilbert, assistant Tupelo police chief.

Anticipating the change, no funding for the vehicle exists in the current budget.

The helicopter has served Tupelo five years longer than Gilbert.

The single-engine, four-passenger vehicle is valued at $200,000, city insurance records show.

Gilbert told the City Council this week the aircraft won’t limit local law enforcement from any type of aerial surveillance. He said an arrangement exists between local police and the National Guard unit based in the city to assist with air support.

If the helicopter relocates to Columbus, keeping it at the Columbus Air Force base could reduce fees currently paid by Tupelo police, which pays rent to the Tupelo Regional Airport.

Tupelo police could still use the Bell OH-58 even when its no longer city property.

“We want to have an agreement so they will allow us to use it,” Gilbert said.

robbie.ward@journalinc.com

HOWELL

William Moore

Daily Journal

JACKSON – The Mississippi Supreme Court has upheld a lower court’s decision to deny a new trial to death row inmate Marlon Howell, who was convicted in the 2001 slaying of a Daily Journal carrier.

Howell, now 34, was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death for killing David Pernell during a robbery. Pernell was a retired postman who delivered the Daily Journal. He was killed after being flagged down on a city street in New Albany.

In 2008, Howell argued that he was entitled to a new trial for a number of reasons, including recanted testimony by a witness and lack of representation during a police lineup. Howell also introduced new evidence and a witness who provided him an alibi the morning of the killing.

The state Supreme Court granted an evidentiary hearing in April 2013 in Union County Circuit Court. Judge Samac Richardson, whom the high court appointed to preside over the hearing, found no merit to Howell’s arguments.

Thursday, the Supreme Court issued its opinion, written by Associate Justice Josiah Coleman with seven other justices concurring. Justice David Chandler did not participate.

Coleman said the testimony of Charles Rice was credible. The shooting occurred in front of Rice’s house.

Since Howell was not being charged with capital murder at the time, he “was not entitled to counsel at the pre-indictment lineup,” Coleman wrote.

After the evidentiary hearing criteria was set by the Supreme Court, Howell produced former Blue Mountain resident Lasonja Gamble. She and her mother submitted affidavits saying she picked up Howell in New Albany and drove him to her home in Blue Mountain in the early morning hours before Pernell was killed.

The trial judge denied Howell’s motion to include the new evidence in the hearing last April. Howell could introduce the new witness and alibi in a future request for a new trial.

william.moore@journalinc.com

BOND

By William Moore

Daily Journal

BOONEVILLE – A routine traffic stop led to a brief chase and multiple charges for a Belmont man.

Prentiss County Sheriff’s deputies attempted to stop Eric Shane Bond, 32, on Wednesday night. He did not stop for the officers, instead leading them to a residence just off County Road 5481. Earlier that same night, Bond had been involved in a disturbance at that residence.

Upon searching his vehicle, officers discovered three loaded firearms. Bond was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. In addition, he was charged with DUI-refused test, driving with a suspended license, failure to stop for blue lights and careless driving.

Bond on the misdemeanor charges was set at $2,500 and he is still waiting for an initial appearance on the felony charges.

At the time of the arrest, Bond was under the supervision of the Department of Corrections. MDOC has placed a hold on him for probation violations.

Daily Journal

A Mantachie man has died after crashing his motorcycle late Thursday night.

According to the Mississippi Highway Patrol, Christopher D. McCollum, 46, was traveling north on Highway 25 in Itawamba County when he apparently lost control of his 2007 Yamaha motorcycle, left the roadway and struck a tree. The accident happened near the Monroe County line.

Troopers were notified of the crash at 10:45 p.m., but it is unclear what time it occurred. McCollum from on the scene from injuries suffered in the wreck.

MHP continues to investigate the incident.

CRAWFORD

By Jack Elliott Jr.

Associated Press

JACKSON – The attorney general’s office is asking the Mississippi Supreme Court to throw out a death row inmate’s appeal of his 1994 rape conviction.

Charles Ray Crawford, 48, is on death row for the 1992 slaying of Kristy Ray in the Chalybeate community in Tippah County.

In his appeal, Crawford says he received ineffective counsel to defend himself against the rape charges, which were used by prosecutors to seek the death penalty. Few details of the rape conviction are discussed in earlier briefs in the death penalty case.

The attorney general argues in documents filed Monday that Crawford got a fair trial and that if there was any error, it was Crawford’s for waiting 20 years to file an appeal.

“The delay in Crawford appealing this particular conviction rests solely at the feet of he and his various attorneys,” Special Assistant Attorney General Stephanie B. Wood said. “There is no case law which establishes that this case should be reversed and remanded solely based on the delay. No reversible errors were committed during the trial.”

Crawford argues that the 1994 rape conviction should be tossed out because he received poor legal representation at his trial. The result of the appeal could mean the difference between life and death for Crawford.

Crawford was arrested in 1992 and accused of rape and aggravated assault. While free on bond, he was arrested on murder charges in the death of a young woman. He was convicted of rape in 1993 and sentenced to 66 years in prison. He was then found guilty of murder in 1994 and sentenced to death. Prosecutors had argued for the death penalty, saying it was justified because Crawford’s past as a rapist constituted an aggravated factor and called for the harshest of punishments.

Glenn Swartzfager, Crawford’s lawyer, has argued there were numerous errors in Crawford’s rape trial including poor performance by the defense, prosecutorial misconduct, and questionable rulings and jury instructions from the trial judge.

“A more error-ridden case may never have come before this court,” Swartzfager wrote in the brief to the Supreme Court.

“Mr. Crawford is not asserting the right to a perfect trial, though the trial he received was far from perfect, but he is asserting his right to a trial which had some chance of providing the reliability demanded by the United States and Mississippi constitutions,” Swartzfager wrote.

By Errol Castens

Daily Journal

OXFORD – Two Lafayette County residents are dead after an apparent murder-suicide Monday morning.

The violence began on St. Andrews Circle, an upscale neighborhood in Oxford. A homeowner called emergency responders after hearing a disturbance outside.

Officers arrived shortly and found the body of Sharon Pegues Orange, who was employed at the home. According to Lafayette County Coroner Rocky Kennedy, she died in her vehicle of several gunshot wounds. No weapon was found in the area, but spent cartridge casings were reportedly recovered.

Near the same time, Lafayette County Sheriff’s Department officers responded to a call about a possible suicide on County Road 105, which connects Highway 6 and Old Sardis Road several miles west of Oxford. There they found the body of Michael Orange.

“He had a single gunshot wound to the head,” Kennedy said. Sheriff’s Investigator Alan Wilburn added that a small-caliber handgun was found on the site.

East said in a statement that “Once both separate scenes were determined safe and the surrounding area was secured, the Oxford Police Department and Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office initiated a joint investigation.”

In a later interview, East added that the deceased had apparently been married but that it was not immediately clear whether they were still married before their deaths.

East said more detailed information is expected to be released today.

The bodies were scheduled for autopsy today at the Mississippi Crime lab, and Kennedy said preliminary results are expected late today or Wednesday morning.

The handgun also will be tested by Mississippi Crime Lab personnel for ballistics.

errol.castens@journalinc.com

WARREN

Monroe Journal

A Georgia man has been charged with grand larceny.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office arrested Steven Dale Warren, 34, of Lyons, Georgia, on Tuesday. Warren is accused of stealing approximately $1,500 worth of coins from a Smithville residence in August.

Warren was taken into custody by the Lyons County Sheriff’s Department in Georgia and transported back to Monroe County Detention Center. Bond has not been set at this time, and he is currently being housed at Monroe County Sheriff’s Department.