logo
Hattiesburg police cracking down on violent crimes by young offenders. What is the plan?

Hattiesburg police cracking down on violent crimes by young offenders. What is the plan?

Yahoo14 hours ago
A recent spate of youth crimes brought local and state law enforcement officers together to put an end to it.
Hattiesburg Police Chief Hardy Sims held a news conference Wednesday, July 9, to address the recent rise in teens committing violent crimes.
"Recent trends in violence in young people are alarming," Sims said. "We must collectively take a stand to foster an environment where peace, respect and understanding prevail over conflict and aggression."
Sims said the trend is not just local — youth crime is on the rise nationwide. Locally, however, Sims wants the Hattiesburg community to know it's being taken seriously and won't be tolerated.
"Over the next few days and weeks, we will actively work to change the behavior of our young adults," Sims said. "They will be held responsible for their actions. Additionally, we will strictly enforce our curfew laws and hold those who violate them accountable."
Sims added that parents also can be charged for allowing their teens to be out past curfew. He said they will be held accountable along with their children.
Curfew for those younger than 18 is 11 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and midnight Fridays and Saturdays.
Over the Fourth of July holiday weekend alone, one 16-year-old was charged with aggravated assault and evidence tampering after an 18-year-old was shot in the leg multiple times on Country Club Road.
Another five teens were charged with commercial burglary in a separate incident on Old Highway 11.
On Monday, police responded to a shooting on Hardy Street, where three teens were arrested. Two of the teens have been charged in the incident — a 15-year-old was charged as an adult with aggravated assault and a 14-year-old was charged with evidence tampering and accessory after the fact.
The victim was able to get away without being injured. The incident remains under investigation. It is unclear whether the third teen will be charged.
Last year, four teens were charged with the murder of 21-year-old Southern Miss football player Marcus "MJ" Daniels. Three of the teens pleaded guilty to the murder. A fourth was convicted at trial on June 19.
"I want to directly address the youth of our community," Sims said. "Your potential is boundless. The choices you make today will shape not only your lives, but the lives of those around you."
Sims said young people must not give in to social pressures to retaliate in responding to situations. He encouraged teens to look for alternatives to resolving conflict instead of resorting to violence.
"Violence is never the answer," he said, directly addressing the city's youth. "Choosing a path of aggression will only lead to consequences that can alter the course of your life forever."
Sims said the Hattiesburg community has plenty of resources to help young people resolve conflict before it escalates, including youth programs, counseling services and mentorship opportunities.
"I implore you to engage with our youth," Sims said, addressing parents and caregivers. "Open lines of communication, foster an environment of trust and be active in their lives. Your guidance and support are invaluable."
While Hattiesburg police want to encourage an environment of support and nurturing for the city's young people, Sims said the department also has the responsibility of enforcing the law.
"Those who choose to engage in violent behavior will face serious consequences," Sims said. "Our officers are committed to keeping our community safe. We will take all necessary measures to prevent violence from becoming a norm among our youth."
Other local and state agencies, including Petal Police Department, Forrest County Sheriff's Office and Mississippi Highway Patrol, are taking similar measures to stem the rise in youth violence across the Pine Belt.
"Enough is enough," Sims said. "Let us work hand in hand to create a brighter future for our cities and counties — one where our youth are empowered to make positive choices and pursue their dreams without the shadow of violence."
Forrest County Sheriff Charlie Sims said youth violence is increasing at the county level as well. The sheriff is not related to Chief Sims.
"Unfortunately, in recent weeks, we've had a threat to (our community) values," the sheriff said. "People have chosen to increase their activity in violent behavior, and that is not what our community is about.
"We cannot let crime dictate how we live, where we go, and how we feel safe in our own homes. We can't stand by and watch families be devastated, lives lost and our neighborhoods overcome with crime. This is just not who we are."
Although there were no youth crimes recorded over the holiday weekend in Forrest County, the sheriff's deputies assisted Hattiesburg in a number of crimes, including another shooting in which multiple people were injured. No one has yet been charged in connection with that shooting.
There are currently 10 juveniles housed in the youth detention center in Forrest County, and another eight charged as adults at the county jail, which Sims said is far too many.
"We're going to take decisive action," Charlie Sims said. "Law enforcement agencies around this area are coming together to increase patrols, share information and to have focused operations on those who are out there committing these violent crimes.
"We're going to identify them and we're going to arrest them."
State and federal agencies are working with local law enforcement to protect people from violent crimes and prosecute those who commit them, Charlie Sims said.
"This is about the safety of our families," Sheriff Sims said. "This is a great community full of promise. We've got strong families, and we're rooted in faith. We're not going to let a small group of individuals who choose violence to destroy what a generation has built up here."
Lici Beveridge is a reporter for the Hattiesburg American and Clarion Ledger. Contact her at lbeveridge@gannett.com. Follow her on X @licibev or Facebook at facebook.com/licibeveridge.
This article originally appeared on Hattiesburg American: Violent teens in Hattiesburg, MS: Crime trend prompts police crackdown
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Horrific Error Kept Her Murderer Free: Getting Justice for Logan Federico
Horrific Error Kept Her Murderer Free: Getting Justice for Logan Federico

Fox News

timean hour ago

  • Fox News

Horrific Error Kept Her Murderer Free: Getting Justice for Logan Federico

During the early hours of May 3rd, 22-year-old Logan Federico was asleep at her home in Columbia, South Carolina, when someone broke in and fatally shot her. Her family was outraged to learn this senseless crime was committed by a man who had almost 40 arrests spanning over a decade. Even worse, new information has come to light showing a fingerprint mishap was likely the reason 30-year-old Alexander Dickey was roaming free to kill instead of being behind bars. Fox News reporter Danamarie Nicholl breaks down the failures made within the criminal justice system that allowed Dickey to walk free. She also shares what Logan's father, Stephen Federico, told her about this injustice and how he's advocating for change, so this won't happen again. Follow Emily on Instagram: @realemilycompagno If you have a story or topic we should feature on the FOX True Crime Podcast, send us an email at: truecrimepodcast@ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit

The Disturbing Targeting Of ICE Agents
The Disturbing Targeting Of ICE Agents

Fox News

timean hour ago

  • Fox News

The Disturbing Targeting Of ICE Agents

This week, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced that attacks on federal agents have increased by seven hundred percent. Recently, eleven people were arrested for a planned attack at Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas. To help reduce violent incidents in Los Angeles, President Trump even deployed the National Guard for assistance. Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, Tricia McLaughlin, joins the Rundown to discuss the administration's approach to immigration and its plan to address the concerning trend of attacks on ICE agents. Parents for Safe Online Spaces is an organization dedicated to advocating for stronger protections for youth online. Jennie Deserio, a founding member of Parents SOS, is a passionate advocate for social media reform following the tragic suicide of her 16-year-old son, Mason. Jennie joins the Rundown to share her son's story, explain why she blames harmful online content for his death, and urge Congress to take more effective action to protect children from the dangers of social media platforms. Plus, commentary from FOX News Legal Analyst Gregg Jarrett. Photo Credit: AP Learn more about your ad choices. Visit

Cyanide, an affair, and a jailhouse murder plot: The case against a Colorado dentist accused of poisoning his wife
Cyanide, an affair, and a jailhouse murder plot: The case against a Colorado dentist accused of poisoning his wife

CNN

timean hour ago

  • CNN

Cyanide, an affair, and a jailhouse murder plot: The case against a Colorado dentist accused of poisoning his wife

Angela Craig was complaining of severe headaches and dizziness. She had been to the hospital three times in 10 days, yet doctors in Colorado couldn't explain what was causing her illness. 'I feel drugged,' she texted her husband, James Craig, during her first hospitalization. She told him the only thing she consumed that morning was her protein shake, according to court records. Three hours into her third hospital visit, the mother of six began seizing and was transferred unresponsive to the hospital's intensive care unit. Three days later, on March 18, 2023, 43-year-old Craig was declared brain dead, court records show. More than two years after her death, her dentist husband is due to stand trial for her murder. Jury selection begins Thursday. A probable cause affidavit containing more than 50 pages of evidence investigators compiled against James Craig includes witness accounts, screenshots of text messages and computer search histories, and the discovery of a secret email account used to order a multitude of poisons and carry out an affair with another woman. Between Angela Craig's death and the start of her husband's trial, the defendant has cycled through a carousel of lawyers – including one who withdrew due to Craig's alleged actions and another accused of setting fire to his own home – and the dentist himself has been accused of plotting a jailhouse murder against the case's lead investigator. Craig has pleaded not guilty to six felony charges, including first-degree murder, solicitation to commit first-degree murder, solicitation to commit tampering with physical evidence, and solicitation to commit perjury. He faces life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted of murder. James Craig's dental partner, Ryan Redfearn, was the first person to sound the alarm to authorities that Angela could have been poisoned, according to the affidavit. While he was en route to the hospital the day of Angela's final hospitalization, a colleague called Redfearn saying an office manager had seen a package of potassium cyanide delivered for Craig to the office days prior, the affidavit says. When he arrived, Redfearn alerted a nurse about the package, telling her there would be no medical reason for a dentist's office to need potassium cyanide. The nurse subsequently contacted law enforcement, according to the document. Craig called his colleague later that night asking if he had spoken with the medical staff. Redfearn said he had and that he knew about the package, the affidavit says. Craig allegedly tried to fabricate a story before eventually admitting to ordering the potassium cyanide, but said his wife had asked him to buy it – purportedly the first of several unsubstantiated claims that she was suffering from suicidal ideations. By that point in the conversation, Redfearn had only one more thing to tell his colleague, the affidavit says: 'Stop talking and get a lawyer.' Michelle Redfearn, Ryan Redfearn's wife, has previously declined CNN's requests for comment, saying the couple expects to be called to testify at trial. Text messages between Craig and his wife during her hospitalizations suggest she may have suspected she was being drugged leading up to her death, according to the affidavit. 'It feels more like I feel when I take heavy meds and everything adjusts and moves slowly,' she texted Craig during her first hospitalization. When she said she felt drugged, her husband replied, 'Given our history, I know that must be triggering.' 'Just for the record, I didn't drug you.' One of Angela Craig's sisters told investigators James Craig had drugged his wife several years prior, so she wouldn't be able to stop him from attempting suicide, the affidavit says. And Craig's wife directly accused him of poisoning her when she was discharged from her second hospital stay, the dental employee who saw the potassium cyanide package told investigators, according to the affidavit. Angela's cause of death was acute cyanide and tetrahydrozoline poisoning, with subacute arsenic poisoning listed as a significant condition, according to the coroner's report. Investigators later discovered an email account that had only been accessed using a computer in an exam room at Craig's dental practice, according to the affidavit. Within the account history, investigators uncovered numerous searches related to poisons, including 'how many grams of pure arsenic will kill a human,' and 'Is Arsenic Detectable in Autopsy?' along with YouTube searches for 'how to make poison,' and 'Top 5 Undetectable Poisons That Show No Signs of Foul Play,' the affidavit says. Investigators found the account had been used to place online orders for some of the poisons from those searches, including arsenic and potassium cyanide, according to the affidavit, which provided a timeline. Receipts showed the arsenic was purchased on February 24 and delivered to the Craig home on March 4, just two days before Angela Craig's first hospitalization. The potassium cyanide was ordered on March 8 and delivered to James Craig's office March 13 – the same date the dental employee saw the open package of potassium cyanide there. Investigators also uncovered 'sexually explicit' email exchanges between Craig and a woman named Karin Cain who traveled from Texas to Colorado to visit Craig while his wife was hospitalized, the affidavit says. In an exclusive interview with ABC News in 2023, Cain said she met Craig at a dental convention that February and he told her he was amid a divorce. 'If I had known what was true, I would not have been with this person,' Cain said. Cain denied investigators' assertions that she was part of Craig's motive to allegedly kill his wife, saying they'd only been together for three weeks at the time. Since his arrest, Craig has cycled through a litany of lawyers in the case, at times causing court delays. He initially hired a team of three attorneys to defend him against the charges. In May 2024, Craig replaced them with well-known Denver attorney Harvey Steinberg. But November 21, 2024, the day jury selection for the rescheduled trial was set to begin, Steinberg abruptly requested to withdraw from the case, citing two rules of professional conduct, according to prosecutors. The first states, 'The client persists in a course of action involving the lawyer's services that the lawyer reasonably believes is criminal or fraudulent,' and the second says, 'The client insists upon taking action that the lawyer considers repugnant or with which the lawyer has a fundamental disagreement.' Steinberg has not responded to requests for comment. Craig's next attorneys, Lisa Moses and Robert Werking, were appointed for him by the court and the trial was rescheduled for July. But one of those lawyers, Werking, soon found himself in legal trouble: On June 14, he was cited for a misdemeanor weapons violation, court records show. Then on June 29, he was arrested for felony fourth-degree arson at his home, according to Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office spokesperson John Bartmann. When deputies responded to the house fire, Werking was sitting on the porch, Bartmann said. Last week, Werking filed a motion to withdraw from Craig's case, which was granted on July 2, prosecutors said. To defend himself against his own alleged crimes, Werking retained Liz Delay and David Beller – two of the attorneys who originally represented Craig. 'Being a defense lawyer necessarily means bearing the burden of living at all times in other people's trauma,' Beller said in a statement to CNN, adding that Werking is seeking mental health treatment. 'I'm asking the public give him and others like him grace, compassion, and withhold judgment, knowing that the constant fight for justice takes out soldiers, but others are always lined up to ensure that constitutional protections are spared for no one.' Werking has not entered pleas. Moses remains as counsel for Craig, and an additional attorney, Ashley Whitham, has also joined his defense team. One day after Steinberg withdrew from the case, prosecutors added a solicitation to commit murder charge and an additional solicitation to commit perjury charge against Craig, alleging he plotted to kill four people from behind bars while awaiting trial. 'The worst, dirtiest detective in the world is on my case. Her name is Bobbi Olson, we have to discredit her,' the defendant wrote in a letter from jail, referring to the lead detective investigating his wife's murder. Prosecutors introduced the letter during a February preliminary hearing on the new charges. Craig tried to convince a fellow inmate, Nathaniel Harris, to kill Olson, along with an officer referred to in court only as Officer Hillstrand, who investigators say they have not been able to identify, and two other inmates housed in the detention facility's medical unit with Craig, prosecutors said. Craig also wrote letters to Harris' ex-wife, Kasiani 'Kasi' Konstantinidis, in an attempt to convince her to 'fabricate evidence,' according to prosecutors. Law enforcement intercepted one of the letters during a cell search and testified during the hearing that Craig offered 'essentially a blank check' for Konstantinidis to fabricate texts, phone records and photographs to back up a fake story about her being friends with Angela Craig. Another investigator testified that they retrieved a second letter to Konstantinidis – unopened – which indicated Craig believed his case hinged on 'being able to find someone to say Angela was suicidal.' Craig allegedly wanted Konstantinidis to sell the story not just to the district attorney's office, but also to his own attorney at the time, Steinberg, who then withdrew from the case.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store