Some Newton County residents are concerned those arrested by local law enforcement are not being given a proper punishment. In a Board of Supervisors meeting March 21, Amy and Joe Hennington, residents of Little Rock, spoke to the board about their concerns.
“From Conehatta to Little Rock, we’re seeing a group of people getting charges for trespassing, possible felony charges, and they’re coming right back,” Amy Hennington told the board.
“A lot of people are afraid right now.”
The Henningtons said they have seen residents in their area arrested multiple times, only to find they’ve been released on bond just days later. They asked the board to explain why someone would be allowed bond with “a record five pages long.”
“Why are these people not being locked away,” Joe Hennington asked.
Justice Court Judge Scott Round, who attended the board meeting for a separate issue, said answering the Hennington’s question was difficult. Mississippi law, he said, leaves setting bond, and the amount, to individual judges.
“The law is it’s the judge’s decision what bond will be,” he said.
For cases he hears in Justice Court, Round said he does not allow suspects to bond out if they are already out on bond for another crime.
“If you have bonded out of jail, and you get recharged, that’s an automatic bond denial,” he said. “That’s what I do.”
County Attorney Jason Mangum explained the law states a suspect must have a bond hearing within 48 hours of being arrested. At that hearing, the suspect will enter a plea of guilty, not guilty or no contest, and the judge will set a bond amount or order the suspect held without bail.
Newton County has four different court systems with multiple judges, Mangum explained. There are municipal courts, justice courts, chancery courts and circuit courts, each seeing different crimes and with each judge weighing the cases they hear to decide on a bond amount.
Without knowing specific cases, he said, it would be almost impossible to answer the Hennington’s questions.
Board President Charles Godwin said the Hennington’s concerns were well founded as he has seen similar occurrences throughout the county.
However, he said, the Board of Supervisors is a political entity and has no authority in criminal matters.
“We aren’t law enforcement,” he said. “We are elected officials. We can’t tell the sheriff what to do.”
Mangum encouraged the Henningtons to meet with him outside the public meeting, where they would be able to discuss the specific cases happening in their neighborhood.
Although the board couldn’t answer their questions during the meeting, he said the Henningtons, and all concerned residents, should understand the county shares their concerns about repeat offenders.
