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2 months ago | 
sunherald.com | Jerry Mitchell |Brian Howey |Nate Rosenfield
In a series of interviews from prison, a former Mississippi sheriff's deputy described for the first time how he and others in his department regularly entered homes without warrants, beat people to get information and illegally seized evidence that helped convict people of drug crimes.
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2 months ago | 
nytimes.com | Jerry Mitchell |Brian Howey |Nate Rosenfield
In a series of interviews from prison, a former Mississippi sheriff's deputy described for the first time how he and others in his department regularly entered homes without warrants, beat people to get information and illegally seized evidence that helped convict people of drug crimes.
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Nov 26, 2024 | 
alternet.org | Jerry Mitchell
The Pearl Police Department fired patrol officer Taylor Loftin for reportedly stealing $32,000 from a dying woman’s house. It’s the second officer dismissed for alleged criminal conduct in less than a year. On the morning of Nov. 18, Jason Kelly’s mother, Jackie, collapsed unexpectedly, and his father called 911. Ambulance workers arrived. So did four or five Pearl police officers, including Loftin, Kelly said. His 80-year-old mother never recovered and may have died of a blood clot, he said.
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Sep 19, 2024 | 
nytimes.com | Jerry Mitchell |Brian Howey |Nate Rosenfield
The Justice Department announced Thursday that it had expanded its investigation into the suburban Mississippi sheriff's department where a self-described "Goon Squad" of deputies has been accused of torturing people for nearly two decades. Investigators will seek to determine if the Rankin County Sheriff's Department engaged in a pattern of unconstitutional policing through widespread violence, illegal searches and arrests or other discriminatory practices.
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Sep 19, 2024 | 
yahoo.com | Jerry Mitchell |Brian Howey |Nate Rosenfield
Jerry Mitchell, Brian Howey and Nate RosenfieldSeptember 19, 2024 at 3:18 PM·3 min readThe Justice Department announced Thursday that it had expanded its investigation into the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department where a self-described “Goon Squad” of deputies has been accused of torturing people for nearly two decades.
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Sep 18, 2024 | 
leader-call.com | Jerry Mitchell
Former “Undisputed” host Shannon Sharpe remains undefeated in his defense of critical remarks toward fellow Pro Football Hall of Famer Brett Favre. On Monday, the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a request by Favre to resurrect a defamation lawsuit against Sharpe, who said on his Sept. 14, 2023, show that the former Southern Miss and Green Bay Packers quarterback stole funds from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families government program meant for those living in poverty.
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Aug 7, 2024 | 
sunherald.com | Chelsea Long |Mukta Joshi |Jerry Mitchell |Ilyssa Daly
Former Noxubee County Deputy Vance Phillips heads to the federal courthouse in Jackson, where he was sentenced before Chief U.S. District Judge Daniel P. Jordan III. Mississippi Today A former Noxubee County deputy will spend one day in prison after a federal judge said Tuesday that the jailed woman he had sex with for years "wasn't really a victim."District Judge Daniel P.
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May 28, 2024 | 
nytimes.com | Nate Rosenfield |Brian Howey |Jerry Mitchell
Between vacation photos and cookout invitations posted on their private text thread, a group of Mississippi sheriff's deputies who called themselves the Goon Squad traded pictures of rotting corpses and joked about rape and shocking people with Tasers. They did it all in front of their supervisor, who often joined in the banter.
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May 3, 2024 | 
sunherald.com | Jerry Mitchell
At her husband's funeral in 1963, Myrlie Evers heard NAACP Executive Director Roy Wilkins declare, "Medgar Evers believed in his country. It remains to be seen if his country believes in him."Later today, his country will declare its belief in him when the family of the slain Mississippi NAACP leader receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor. But Medgar Evers was more than a civilian.
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Apr 18, 2024 | 
sunherald.com | Jerry Mitchell
Legislation being debated in a conference committee would restrict how "Goon Squad" victims and others can get relief if they have been wrongfully convicted. House Bill 1253 would impose a one-year limitation on newly discovered evidence. The bill passed the House. The Senate passed an amended version. The House invited conference. Conferees are Kevin Horan, Lance Varner and Celeste in the House and Joey Fillingane, Daniel Sparks and Derrick Simmons in the Senate.
