The case involves a woman, Nina Buckhalter, who suffered a stillbirth back in 2010. Doctors said that the stillbirth likely occurred because of Buckhalter’s drug use, specifically, because of cocaine. A lower court in Lamar County threw out the charge against Buckhalter, saying there was no evidence that the Mississippi legislature intended to criminalize drug use by pregnant women that might harm their children.

However, prosecutors are arguing that the charge of culpable manslaughter against Buckhalter should be reinstated and that the woman should stand trial. The Supreme Court decided to hear the case and will begin oral arguments later this week. [Read more…]

The new mobile surveillance command center was approved by city officials earlier this month. The goal is that it will give police officers a birds-eye view of large outdoor spaces, especially crowded public gathering spots.

The trailer will come equipped with flashing blue lights to alert passersby to the presence of the police and their watchful eyes in the sky. Police Chief Don Gammage has said that the department has reviewed statistics that show that the trailers work to deter crime. When people realize they are being watched, Gammage says, the data shows a steep decline in criminal activity in the immediate vicinity. [Read more…]

Joel Smith, DA for Harrison, Stone and Hancock counties in South Mississippi, said that he grew sick of seeing the same faces in court over and over again. Smith said that while our justice system is built on giving everyone a second chance, he does not believe that people should be given three, four and five opportunities to behave in accordance with the law.

As a result, Smith said that a top priority of his will be using all the legal tools at his disposal to prosecute habitual offenders in his jurisdiction. Just recently this was made a reality when three Harrison County defendants in separate drug cases, each with at least two prior convictions, were sentenced as habitual offenders. [Read more…]

Southaven Police Chief Tom Long says that the department discovered that one of the biggest problems in apartment crime situations was a lack of communication. The trouble was that many of the apartment complexes had no lines of communication with one another. For instance, if an especially bad tenant were removed by police and evicted for some misbehavior, the person would just collect their belongings and move across the street to a new complex. [Read more…]

A recent meeting by the Board of Supervisors ended with a one-year deal that allows Pioneer to track down those people who owe the county money. Pioneer has plenty of experience collecting money, as it is a branch of Sallie Mae, the student loan company, and has also done work collecting for the Department of Education and the IRS. The firm says its recovery rate is about 40 percent, compared to an industry average of only 20 percent. [Read more…]

The case, involving a statement by Jason Lee Keller, was sent back to Harrison County Circuit Court for a rehearing on the issue of admitting the third statement into the record. The Mississippi Supreme Court ordered that the lower court judge determine whether the third statement was coerced by authorities, given that the same judge determined the first two statements were. [Read more…]

Two major users of the software are the police departments in Baltimore and Philadelphia. They use the programs to help reduce the murder rate by predicting which prison parolees are the most likely to commit murder. According to sources familiar with the program, the people identified by the software are then given the strictest supervision once they are released. The point of the program is to rely on the software, rather than a parole officer’s instincts. [Read more…]

The case name is Missouri v. McNeely and began as a traffic stop back in 2010. The officer pulled the man, Tyler McNeely, over early in the morning for a routine speeding violation when the officer began to suspect that McNeely was intoxicated. The officer requested that McNeely perform several field sobriety tests which he failed. McNeely then refused to submit to a blood alcohol test after being asked by the officer. After refusing, McNeely was taken to a clinic where the officer ordered a medical technician to draw his blood without his consent. The test results showed that he was indeed intoxicated. [Read more…]

The grand jury decisions asked that the Crime Lab’s staff appear before it to explain the process involved so that efficiencies could be recommended and delays minimized in the future. Such a meeting will likely take place over the next six months. [Read more…]