Local Headlines

MACON, Miss. (WLBT) – A jury sentenced a Mississippi tax return preparer to 16 months in prison for filing false tax returns.

Investigators said Shelleen Ivory-Farmer, the manager of ABS tax Services in Macon, Mississippi, falsified clients’ tax returns by claiming false education credits, itemized deductions, and business and farming losses.

This was done to increase tax refunds paid by the IRS. The total cost in taxes of the fraudulent claims was more than $1.1 million.

Ivory-Farmer, in addition to the 16 months in prison, was also ordered to serve one year of supervised release and to pay $236,887 back to the United States.

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JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – Walking into flooded homes off North Canton Club Circle, the first thing that hits you is the mold smell, that’s already set in.

Residents by the dozens returned to the neighborhood for the first time Wednesday, after the water levels went down.

Most found they had over a couple inches of water inside their homes.

Michael Holder whose home flooded said, “Can’t stay here now because it’s contaminated to me because all the water, feces, germs all that and the power is off which is a good thing because we might have been burnt down.”

Even with insurance, homeowners are still unsure about what’s covered, and whats not.

On River Road, Jeff Sharp is helping rip out the flooring of his mothers home.

“79 we had about 7-8 feet it was up to the roof, bottom of the roof, in ’83 we had about 4 feet. This time five inches maybe,” said Sharp.

And Jeff Sharp considers himself lucky.

His family surviving three floods, now having to remodel their home all over again. This is the first time without flood insurance.

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HORN LAKE, Miss. (WLBT) – The Mississippi State Department of Health is investigating its third case of hepatitis A in the state.

The infection is in a DeSoto County restaurant employee and may have led to possible exposure for customers.

An employee of Papa John’s Pizza located at 906 Goodman Road in Horn Lake has been diagnosed with hepatitis A infection. Customers who ate at the restaurant or received a pizza delivery between January 28 and February 11 may have been exposed.

Those who think they may have been exposed to this case can receive a hepatitis A vaccination free of charge from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday, February 20 and Friday, February 21 at the DeSoto County Health Department. It’s located at 8705 Northwest Drive, Building A, Suite 1 in Southaven.

Vaccination can prevent hepatitis A only if given within 14 days of exposure. Customers who ate at the restaurant or received a pizza delivery between the dates of exposure would have been exposed more than 14 days ago, so they should watch for any possible symptoms of hepatitis A and see their doctor if they become ill. Customers who ate at the restaurant or had pizza delivered from February 6 through February 11 should get a hepatitis A vaccination if they have not been previously vaccinated.

REMINDER: There is an ongoing hepatitis A outbreak in Mississippi and surrounding states affecting those who use drugs, those who are in jail or were recently in jail, those with unstable housing or who are homeless, and men who have sex with men. The MSDH continues to recommend hepatitis A vaccination for those specific groups as well.

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DESOTO COUNTY, Miss. (WLBT) – State Auditor Shad White announced Wednesday that Special Agents from his office have arrested the former police chief of the Town of Walls.

Herb Brewer has been indicted by a grand jury for embezzlement. A demand letter worth $6,943.58, including interest and investigative costs, was issued to Brewer at the time of his arrest.

Brewer is accused of embezzling city funds by selling vehicles seized by the police department and pocketing the proceeds. He allegedly sold a Ford Mustang and a Chevrolet Tahoe to members of his own family. By failing to deliver the proceeds from the sale of the cars to the Town of Walls, he allegedly embezzled $1,850 from taxpayers.

“As long as I hold this position, the Auditor’s office will continue to hold officials accountable when they use their offices to benefit themselves or their family,” said Auditor White. “This sort of illegal self-dealing will not be tolerated.”

Brewer surrendered to Special Agents at the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office. A bond amount was not immediately set.

If convicted, Brewer faces $5,000 in fines and 5 years in prison.

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JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – As the waters begin to recede from the flooded neighborhoods, residents are going in to inspect the damage.

Some were lucky and kept the flood out, others not so much.

Deion Thompson says he plans to help his neighbors who weren’t enrolled in the National Flood Insurance Program.

Anyone with flood insurance would have had to have it 30 days before the flood for it to be activated.

Janice Lewis, who lives off Foxboro Drive, said, “Unfortunately, I didn’t have flood insurance. I hope that I’ll be able to get government assistance, family and friends that can help out.”

Nathaniel Green, a contractor, said, “There’s going to be a lot of people who don’t have insurance who are going to be stuck with a lot of mold potential and a lot of water restoration. If they’re not prepared to financially handle it, it’s going to be rough.”

Residents without flood insurance are hoping for federal assistance, but FEMA has not declared one for Mississippi at this time.

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