Local Headlines

Powerball and Mega Millions arrive Thursday in Mississippi

By David Kenney | January 29, 2020 at 5:26 PM CST – Updated January 29 at 8:05 PM

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – If you’re feeling lucky, you will have more ways to win in the Mississippi Lottery this week.

Lottery retailers across the state will start selling Powerball and Mega Millions lottery tickets starting Thursday.

You will be able to buy them at most locations where scratch off tickets are already available.

The first drawing for Mega Millions will be this Friday at 10 p.m.

The first Powerball drawing will be Saturday night at 9:59 p.m..

Currently the Powerball jackpot sits at $394 million.

Lottery officials hope nobody wins in tonight’s drawing so people in Mississippi can get a crack at that money.

U.S. Marshals: Miss. man faked suicide to avoid rape charge

By Jacob Gallant | January 29, 2020 at 11:52 AM CST – Updated January 29 at 1:05 PM

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – United States Marshals added a Mississippi man to their most wanted fugitives list.

Jacob Blair Scott, 43, is wanted for child rape. Marshals said he raped his 14-year-old stepdaughter and faked his own death to avoid being arrested.

“Jacob Scott stands accused of unspeakable crimes against a child,” said U.S. Marshals Service Director Donald Washington. “The Marshals will leave no stone unturned until we bring him to justice.”

Scott faces 14 charges. He was out on bond and failed to appear for a court hearing.

Investigators found his abandoned dinghy off the coast of Orange Beach, Alabama, in July 2018. They said they also found a gun and a suicide note.

A week-long search for Scott’s body came up empty. Authorities said he withdrew $45,000 from his bank account before disappearing.

Authorities describe Scott as 5-foot-10, 225 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes. He has tattoos of a machete knife, scorpion, and a compass with feathers.

Marshals said his military background may be the reason he’s been able to live off the grid.

Marshals have reported spottings of Scott in Mississippi, Colorado, Nevada and Louisiana.

There is a $25,000 reward for information leading to his arrest. If you have any information, call 1-877-WANTED-2 or contact the neared U.S. Marshals office.

Former Miss. governor Phil Bryant joins consulting firm

By ShaCamree Gowdy | January 29, 2020 at 12:29 PM CST – Updated January 30 at 6:53 AM

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – Former Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant has officially been relieved of his duties as Governor and is on to his next venture.

Bryant has joined the newly branded Bryant Songy Snell Global Partners, the strategy and business development firm launched last September by his former chief of staff Joey Songy, as founding partner.

He will focus on economic development in the Southeast and international trade markets, and remain active in national and local political arenas.

Bryant joins founding partner Songy, who continues to focus on business development and strategic planning, and new founding partner Katie Bryant Snell, who will provide strategic advice and counsel on development opportunities to a variety of industry clients and advocate for policy initiatives on behalf of public and private entities.

“While serving as governor, nearly all of our objectives centered around education and economic development, and this opportunity will allow me to continue to advocate for education and economic opportunity in the private sector,” said Bryant. “I’m excited to have a firm where these driving forces can be cultivated, with two great partners, for years to come.”

Bryant Songy Snell is a full-service consulting firm offering economic and business development, public relations, strategic planning and government affairs services across Mississippi, the Southeast nation and world.

Songy spent over seven years in the Bryant administration, and brought his numerous years of public and private sector experience to launching the firm. He served as legal counsel for three years in the administration and chief of staff for four years.

Snell previously served as an attorney for the Madison County Board of Supervisors and founded the Katie Bryant Snell law firm. Before starting her own firm, Snell was an attorney for Butler Snow, where she focused her practice on product liability litigation, election and campaign finance, commercial litigation, employment litigation and government litigation.

Push for wine with higher alcohol content in Mississippi grocery stores

By Summer Tadlock | January 28, 2020 at 10:12 PM CST – Updated January 29 at 1:38 PM

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – “We are the last state in the South to not have wine in grocery stores.”

Picture this: you walk into a grocery store to pick up dinner, next stop on the list is to grab a bottle of wine. But what if you could get it all in one place?

Elliott Flaggs is the chair of the Looking for Wine Coalition.

“We are working with legislative leadership, committee chairs, working with committee members but on top of that on social media we have a huge following. Over 6,000 Mississippians who support our issue.”

Now let’s break this down a little more and see what the biggest benefits would be for you at home.

“Accessibility, convenience, and prices!”

Not only that, some say it will also roll in a great economic impact to the Magnolia State.

“It would bring in 18-to-20 million dollars in additional revenue into the state without increasing taxes.”

But small town business owners like David Rushing say there’s more to this than meets the eye.

“One of the biggest things this will bring in is a distribution problem. Right now there are about 600 permittees in Mississippi.”

Rushing says it would be hard for smaller businesses to weather the storm.

“Add 200 grocery stores, you are increasing distribution but not increasing the population. I have wines here that you would never be able to purchase in a grocery store. What it all comes down to is service, making sure people want to shop at Joe T’s.”

The deadline to introduce bills is Monday, February 24th.

From coolers to tires, flooding leaves behind piles of trash along local waterways

By Roslyn Anderson | January 28, 2020 at 7:54 PM CST – Updated January 28 at 7:54 PM

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – Recent floods in the metro have left behind more than erosion problems.

Trash piles up at some locations because of the rising water.

Along Frontage Road on Gallatin Street, there is a trash problem that can’t be swept away.

A debris field is left behind from recent flooding at Lynch Creek.

“I want somebody to get out here and do something about this,” said William Banks.

He is disgusted by the huge amount of trash along Lynch Creek.

There are all types of plastic, from water bottles and containers to coolers and tires.

Trash even reaches several feet high where the flood waters rose.

“When the city streets of Jackson overflow, it flows into this creek and it brings all the trash down with it and it goes into the Pearl River which dumps into the Gulf of Mexico and that’s very sad,” said Banks.

The creek is also eroding his property.

He owns the Linde Road Mobile Home and RV Park. The earth has washed away around this trailer. A sewer line has been broken.

“I own a business that this creek runs down the back of it. I see it every time,” said Banks. “I’ve had a sewage leak going on for over 10 years.”

The 54-year-old said the city is addressing the sewer line break, but the debris along the creek needs to be cleaned up and stopped permanently.

“Put your garbage in the right area, not in a ditch,” urged the business owner. “We’ve got to leave it better than we found it. If not then we’re just going backwards.”

Jackson City Engineer Dr. Charles Williams said Solid Waste is planning to clean up some areas where litter accumulated around some of the creeks.

They are not aware of any blockages within the flow line.

State inmate collapses, dies while talking to relative on phone at Kemper-Neshoba Regional Facility

By WLBT Digital | January 28, 2020 at 6:06 PM CST – Updated January 29 at 9:13 AM

DEKALB, Miss. (WLBT) – A state inmate collapsed and died at the Kemper-Neshoba Regional Correctional Facility in DeKalb.

Limarion Reaves, 28, was talking to a relative on a facility phone when he became sick shortly before 1 p.m. Tuesday.

CPR and AED shocks were administered by medical staff until an ambulance arrived, according to Warden Johnny Crockett.

The cause and manner of death are pending an autopsy.

Reaves, MDOC #223305, was sentenced to three years in prison on May 16, 2019, for aggravated assault in Leflore County.

Three females arrested for armed carjacking and robbery of teen in Byram

By ShaCamree Gowdy | January 28, 2020 at 11:46 AM CST – Updated January 28 at 11:55 AM

BYRAM, Miss. (WLBT) – Byram police have arrested three females they say is responsible for an armed carjacking and robbery in the city.

The teenage victim reported the incident on January 14, saying he had been robbed of his car and personal effects by three females near the Walmart parking lot.

Authorities determined during the investigation that the young victim had prearranged to meet the suspects near the entrance to the Spring Lake Apartments on Siwell Road.

During the meet-up, one female displayed a handgun and forced the victim from his vehicle, taking his personal effects and cash.

The armed suspect jumped into another awaiting vehicle with two other suspects and left the scene. Another suspect, already in the victim’s vehicle, drove it away from the scene.

Cashira Thornburg, 19, of Jackson, 18-year-old Jakavian Holden of Byram and an additional juvenile female have since been arrested. A fourth juvenile suspect from Jackson has also been identified and charges are pending.

“These arrests are the result of hard work by our detectives. This was an isolated incident where the victim was an acquaintance of the suspects,” said Byram police. “Our community remains safe due to all of the hard work officers and detectives on this case.”

The suspects are currently facing charges that include armed robbery and armed carjacking. Police say additional charges may be applied.

Murder suspect arrested in December 2019 Ridgewood Rd. shooting

By ShaCamree Gowdy | January 28, 2020 at 10:08 AM CST – Updated January 29 at 11:08 PM

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – Jackson police have arrested a man and charged him with capitol murder in the December 2019 shooting at an apartment complex in the 5800 block of Ridgewood Road.

Twenty-five-year-old Christopher Middlebrook was apprehended Tuesday afternoon.

Officers later learned that an unknown man entered the apartment and confronted Grant about an earlier incident. Grant tried to run away and the suspect followed, when gunshots rang out.

Inmate back in custody after escaping work detail

News

By ShaCamree Gowdy | January 28, 2020 at 8:34 AM CST – Updated January 28 at 4:24 PM

COPIAH COUNTY, Miss. (WLBT) – An inmate is back in custody after escaping from Copiah County Detention Center on Tuesday.

Sheriff’s deputies said Charles Williams walked away from his work detail Tuesday morning.

Williams has since been returned back into custody.

Latest Mississippi news, sports, business and entertainment at 3:20 a.m. CST

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