constructive possession found when defendant sitting on couch containing drugs and a firearm
Facts In 2007, Lieutenant Chad Dorn of the Picayune Police Department received instructions to be on the lookout for a stolen, green Ford Explorer. Dorn located what he believed to be the stolen vehicle at 615 North Buren Avenue in Picayune, Mississippi. Dorn knocked on the door and Kenneth Knight answered. After requesting the driver […]
Informant tip does not provide enough information for a traffic stop in this case
Facts An unnamed informant called Claiborne County Sheriff’s Department Officer Willie Edwards on his personal cell and said that Wendell Barnes was in Port Gibson driving a red Cadillac with Texas plates. Edwards and Officer James Jefferson knew Barnes had three arrest warrants but only Edwards would recognize Barnes. Soon, they happened upon a vehicle that […]
Form Search warrant for DNA that had errors was deemed admissible
Facts In 2009, just after closing, two armed black males, with their faces masked, approached an employee taking out the trash at a Sonic Drive In in Poplarville, Mississippi. They directed all employees into the cooler and then stole the cash drawer and a green Bank Plus deposit bag full of cash. Approximately an hour before […]
Confession not suppressed when subject stated they drank 12 beers that evening
Facts In 2008, William and Gail Kelly were walking for exercise along a road in Harrison County, Mississippi. When they saw headlights approaching, they moved onto a private road to put a lane of traffic between themselves and the oncoming vehicle. Nevertheless, the vehicle, driven by Shirley Taylor, sped up and struck William Kelly, who […]
Attempting to stop vehicle based on previous encounters was reckless disregard in this case
Facts On June 11, 2006, Jackson Police Officer Adrian May spotted Carol Dearman driving a Jeep near the corner of Terry Road and Evergreen Avenue. Dearman was not driving recklessly. But, based on previous encounters with Dearman, May knew Dearman to be a drug-user and a prostitute. May also knew Dearman did not have a […]
Religious talk by officer did not render confession involuntary
Facts In 2006, Horn Lake seventh-grader L.Q. ate lunch with an older family friend, Alexandria Christie. She gave Christie a handwritten note that said her father, Timmy Harden, had raped her. Christie reported the information to L.Q.’s mother, Towanda Conley. The same day, Conley, L.Q., Christie, and Harden gave statements at the police station. During Harden’s tape-recorded […]