Marion County Circuit Court Judge Prentiss Harrell
By Josh Mitchell/Informer Publisher
Three defendants pleaded guilty to felony charges in Marion County Circuit Court this morning.
Gilbert Robert Johnson, 60, of Columbia, pleaded guilty to the sale of hydrocodone, and the Honorable Judge Prentiss Harrell sentenced him to one year of house arrest and four years of post-release supervision. The indictment states that Johnson sold 10 tablets of hydrocodone and Lortab to a confidential informant with the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics in November 2008.
In another case, Casey Jones, 18, of Foxworth, pleaded guilty to grand larceny, and Judge Harrell sentenced him to five years’ probation, and ordered that he pay $6,350 in restitution, a $1,000 fine and $1,000 to the Public Defenders Fund. Jones, who said he only completed the ninth grade because he has substance abuse problems, must also go through the Drug Court program, obtain his GED and get a job. Harrell spared Jones of having a felony on his record.
“You’re way too young to get in this type of ridiculous trouble,” Harrell told Jones. If Jones fails to complete the probationary terms, he could be sent to prison for 10 years.
According to the indictment, Jones broke into a home at 46 Ranch Road in Foxworth on Aug. 21, 2009.
Anthony Ray Spence, 23, of Tylertown, pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance, and Judge Harrell sentenced him to five years’ probation, ordered that he complete the Drug Court program, pay a $1,000 fine and $1,000 to the Public Defenders Fund. Harrell noted that Spence had no prior criminal history and can still have a good future. Harrell also spared Spence a felony record. If Spence fails to complete the terms of his probation, he could be sent to prison for eight years.
Does anyone remember when you broke the law you WENT TO PRISON? Three criminals who “knowingly” committed a felony all get to stay home under this judge.AMAZING!
Indeed. If I ever break the law I hope I get Judge Harrell.
I miss the good old days when you could be spared a felony record only if you did not commit a felony.
I can’t believe the hydrocodone pusher probably got less punishment than someone who is caught with some weed. Weed is an herb that is used legally for pain relief in some states.
Isn’t selling a prescription drug a federal offense?
I believe one receives a harsher sentence for marijuana due to the fact that MOST people which smoke it do not rape, rob, and pillage the village to get enough money for a dime bag!
I mean, really, if they did break in another person’s home, the only things they would clean out in home would be the fridge and food pantry…lol!!
The problem is we can’t afford to house the criminals in prison now.Prisons have become a overwhelming debt that we each have to pay for. It needs to go back to when the prison helped sustain itself. The prisoners grew their own food and was not a burden on taxpayers. Let’s go back to prison being punishment and not a summer camp. No tv, air conditioning or canteen for them to buy their snacks. Make them work. If they don’t work they don’t eat. Prison is punishment for breaking the law. Let’s remember that!!!!
thats why they should farm to feed themselves, and raise cattle to eat. If they had to work while incarcerated they would have a different outlook.
We need more Judges like The Honorable R. I. Prichard.
THAT’S RIGHT !!! I’M TIRED OF SEEING OUR DRUG GUYS BUSTING THEIR TAILS ONLY TO HAVE HARRELL LET THE DEALERS GO WITH LITTLE MORE THAN A SLAP ON THE WRIST !!! IT’S LIKE THEY RISK THEIR LIVES FOR NOTHING.
Whur the whuppin’ post when you need one?
Yes these are small punishments for the crimes these people commited however we cant afford the MDOC anymore 1,000’s of criminals are gonna be let loose, personally i would rather the man saling pills running around rather than the man who raped a little girl. Under Prichard the system will be broke in less than a year go under him you go to jail for life but im sure even in this day in time he is cutting down on the time he is giving folks
Now maybe we can see that its not a problem with the local law enforcement. It seems to me that they are doing their jobs as far as investigating(burglaries and drugs) and arresting.Its the elected officials above them that sentence them to just go back home and maybe they will behave themselves…NOT!!! “JUST SAYING” said it well…its prison, not a vacation…make them work,if you don’t work then you don’t eat, that will help the taxpayers massively. If there is actually some REAL punishment then maybe when they get out they wouldn’t want to come back.
Only tangentially related to the Maye case, but here’s one more data point supporting the notion that there’s an unfortunate “cowboy” menatality that pervades drug cops in South Central Mississippi. Got this email this morning. The sender wishes to remain anonymous for the time being.
First of all, thank you for the work you are doing concerning Cory Maye. You are bringing much-needed attention to this travesty.
I am a registered pharmacist in Covington County, MS, which adjoins Jefferson Davis County. On July 1st of last year, new legislation went into effect in Mississippi requiring all solid-dose pseudoephedrine products to be moved behind the pharmacy counter. This did not include the liquid dosage forms. (These were later added to the list.)
Long story short: On July 2nd, one day after this new law went into effect, an off-duty member of the Drug Task Force came in to my store and raised hell about the Sudafed Liqui-Gels on the shelves. He removed them, and dumped them on the pharmacy counter. He then told my pharmacy technician that we were in violation of the law, and that he was a DEA agent. We reread the regulations, concluded he was wrong, and put the products back on the shelf.
Mr. off-duty cop then came back into the store, saw what we had done, and threw a fit. At this point, as pharmacy manager, I decided to get involved. We gowent and forth. I showed him a copy of the regulations, at which point he threatened to “turn in” the store manager to the State Attorney General for her “attitude”. Fed up, I replied, “Get the hell out of my store before I call somebody.”
He told me I’d be going to jail. He briefly left, then returned with a uniformed cop. They handcuffed me, roughed me up, shoved me through the store, and took me to jail. I informed him from the beginning that the law requierd me to close the pharmacy. He responded with, “Shut up, boy.” The pharmacy was left open with only a technician present, a felony in Mississippi.
I was not read any Miranda rights, never saw a badge until the 2nd cop appeared, had numerous bruises on my left arm, both wrists, and my right shoulder was displaced (I managed to correct this while lying on the concrete bunk in the jail).
I spent 3.5 hours in jail before my father bailed me out, and I came back to work.
I have had 2 speeding tickets in my 39 years on planet Earth. Nothing else, until now. I am a family man with 2 daughters. I’m a practicing Southern Baptist and a die-hard Republican, (until now). I do wear my hair long and play drums (which equates to Satanism here in good old Mississippi), and I did marry one of those New Orleans girls (also not looked upon favorably).
My employer dissuaded me from speaking to the media or filing charges. The charges against me (public profanity and disturbing the peace) were dropped after the sheriff personally visited my father 3 times asking that everything be forgotten. In December, I decided to risk losing my job and secured legal counsel. My lawyer has filed a federal civil rights case against Covington County, the officer, and the unnamed cop that assisted. My employer knows nothing about this suit, and I still fear I will lose my job because they don’t want the publicity.
I am sending this to you because I applaud your stand against the police-state this country is becoming, and I wanted to lend a bit of background on the Pearl River Drug Task Force.
Thank you for the great job you’re doing. I’m getting the word out down here.
Think these guys aren’t capable of kicking down a door without announcing first?
I copied and pasted this, this is how other parts of The United States are looking at our great Narcotics/ Police forces they do as they want when they want.
THE PEARL RIVER BASIN NARCOTICS TASK FORCE DOES NOT OPERATE IN COVINGTON COUNTY NOR HAS IT EVER. SOUNDS LIKE SOMEONE TRYING TO START SOMETHING WITH A PACK OF LIES TO ME.
“I am a registered pharmacist in Covington County, MS, which adjoins Jefferson Davis County.” Jefferson Davis county being the words i see as the point in this sentence do they operate there and also it states the person was off duty do not any pearl river basin narcotics officers live in either one of these counties? B y the way this is not a story about me this is a story i found miltiple times on the internet i mean i do not believe everything i see but its stated multiple times even in news stories, google it, just typ in Pearl River Basin Narcotics
This shows us that the judical system is a joke, These criminals broke into houses and all they get is probation. They are free to continue the same behavior. The citizens are always going to be fearful of their homes being broke into. But, when one of these fellows are shot breaking in homes, the one who is protecting his home will go to jail for a lifetime, whats fair with this
If this story about the pharmacy is true, what does it have to do with the current Task Force. Apparently those men (that were part of the task force YEARS ago) didn’t do their jobs correctly and therefore have long been replaced. I don’t think you should bring up the faults of a past group of men and blame them on the current force. These men are doing an excellent job of taking drugs off our streets and putting dealers behind bars! Just watch the jail docket and you will see. It’s not their fault your DA’s office doesn’t work as hard to keep them there. There are still good cops, agents, and deputies in our county.