Entergy tracks 5,000 cases of stolen electricity

Submitted by Kym Clark on Friday, June 14th, 4:41 pm

Entergy spokesperson Mara Hartmann said the latest numbers show electricity theft is more common than many people think.

(WMC-TV) - Most people pay for the electric meters that bring electricity into their homes, but there are a lot of people who steal for the same privilege.

Apparently, police find stolen meters during drug busts often. Entergy spokesperson Mara Hartmann said the latest numbers show electricity theft is more common than many people think.

"We had about 5,000 cases of stolen electricity. That might be meter tampering. That might be electrical theft of some sort, meter theft and so forth," said Hartmann.

Those thousands of cases are only from one county. Hartmann said electric theft impacts not only your bill but other services, as well.

"Entergy pays a franchise fee to every municipality that we're in, in the state of Mississippi, and that money goes to bridges and roads and parks and so forth. And it's based on the amount of electricity sold," said Hartmann.

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MS woman missing since mid-May

Submitted by WMCTV Web Staff

Wednesday, June 12th, 2013, 4:01pm

Amory, MS- (WMC-TV) - Authorities continue to look for a woman who has not been seen since the middle of May.

Investigators said Jordan Ashley Butler, 23, was last seen on Poplar Street in Amory.

Butler, who is described as about 5'5", and weighs 105-110 pounds, has blonde, shoulder length hair and blue eyes.

She does not have a vehicle, and is believed to have last been seen with a group of people in a white 4-door car.

According to WTVA, Butler's family said she normally keeps in contact with them, but they have not been able to make contact with her for several weeks and are concerned for her welfare.

If you have any information on her whereabouts, call the Amory Police Department at 662-256-2676.

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Lifeblood celebrates golden year with lofty goal: 1,963 pints

Submitted by Joe Birch, Anchor

Tuesday, June 11th, 2013, 9:33am

Lifeblood celebrates golden year with lofty goal: 1,963 pints

Joe Birch is an anchor for Action News 5. This is a special interest article he wrote for WMC-TV's Your Neighborhood.

Summer beckons. School’s out.

The fun factor rises as we plan to enjoy our favorite outdoor activities. But all the action sometimes leads to accidents as I found out the hard way last July 17.

This electronic town crier broke his neck in two places in a freak Union Avenue car wreck. While I didn’t need a blood transfusion after an unfortunate collision, I easily could have found myself facing that scenario. We just never know the day or the hour when we’ll count on the forward thinking people who take time out to donate blood on a regular basis.

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Mid-South coroner resigns following false invoicing allegations

Submitted by Michael Clark on Monday, June 10th, 11:14 pm

Former Union County coroner Mark Golding resigned.

Union County, MS- (WMC-TV) - An auditor continues an investigation into a Mid-South coroner for submitting false invoices for death investigations that come out of the taxpayer's pockets. Officials swore in a new coroner Monday after the former Union County coroner, Mark Golding, resigned.

In Union County, taxpayers pay the coroner $900 a month and $125 dollars for each death they work.

Mississippi auditor Stacey Pickering is looking to see if Golding submitted false invoices to the county, according to District Attorney Ben Creekmore.

"Whether those are sufficient or reliable, or whether he actually did the work or not," said Creekmore.

Creekmore expects the auditor's results within a couple of weeks and then plans to turn the case over to a grand jury for a possible charge.

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FBI finds no misconduct by Walls police

Submitted by WMCTV Web Staff

Friday, June 7th, 2013, 8:05pm

The FBI said they found no misconduct done by the Walls, Mississippi Police Department in a case involving a missing man.

Memphian James Irby has been missing for more than a month.

He went missing after he was stopped by Walls Police. They reported the smell of marijuana, and then Irby ran away into the woods.

Crews were at the scene where Irby disappeared Thursday, but they found no signs of Irby.

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One killed in shootout with law enforcement officers

Submitted by WMCTV Web Staff

Tuesday, June 4th, 2013, 6:26pm

Lancaster Drive was blocked at Lexington Drive and Wellington Drive for several hours following the shooting.

OLIVE BRANCH, MS- (WMC-TV) - One person was killed in a shootout with police as a federal search warrant was executed in Olive Branch Tuesday morning.

According to the DeSoto County Sheriff's Office, Byron Kelley, also known as "Big B", shot at officers, who then returned fire, killing him.

Lancaster Drive was blocked at Lexington Drive and Wellington Drive for several hours following the shooting.

"You draw down on a cop, if they shoot you, you got it coming," said neighbor Curtis Carpenter. "All you gotta do is give up quietly and go. Pull a gun on a cop, they deserve to get shot the way I see it."

U.S. Attorney Ed Stanton released a statement saying Kelley was under indictment for conspiracy to possess and distribute Oxycodone and Hydrocodone.

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Miss. woman suspected of killing child added to '15 Most Wanted'

Submitted by Michael Clark on Monday, June 3rd, 5:38 pm

Union County, MS- (WMC-TV) - The U.S. Marshals Service added a north Mississippi woman suspected of killing her child to the 15 Most Wanted Fugitive list.

Janet Barreto is wanted after she failed to appear in Union County in May 2009 for charges of manslaughter of a child, child abuse, child neglect, and witness tampering.

The reward for information leading to her capture stands at $25,000.

A news release states that from 2005 to 2006 Barreto and her husband Ramon are suspected of traveling to Guatemala to purchase children from an adoption agency.

Once back in the United States, investigators allege the children were physically abused, malnourished, and forced to sleep in deplorable conditions.

"Nobody deserves that especially coming from another country to be brought here to be treated that was terrible," said Union County Sheriff Jimmy Edwards recalling the conditions.

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