#Rankin County Sheriff Department

[247liveculture]

Mississippi resident files $400M lawsuit against Rankin County Police for jaw-shooting incident and civil rights violations, sparking federal investigation.

[offender42085]

Post 1327

In any endeavor, always look to aim high.....

Colby Tackett, Mississippi inmate 249677, born 2004, incarceration intake April 2024 at age 19, scheduled for release September 2038

DUI resulting in Death

In April 2024. a Mississippi teen was sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to killing a Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) advocate and well respected nurse in a drunk driving incident. On October 7, 2022, the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department responded to Highway 471 in Brandon for a head-on collision in which the victim, Beverly Luckett, 62, did not survive. The other driver, Colby James Tackett, 17, was reportedly intoxicated and swerved his vehicle into the victim’s lane, resulting in Luckett’s death. Tackett, 17, pleaded guilty in the case.

The court imposed the maximum sentence, with ten years suspended, leaving Tackett to serve the remaining term behind bars, followed by supervised probation. The case garnered significant attention as it emerged that Tackett had a prior run-in with the law just days before the fatal collision. Records reveal that he had been arrested for underage drinking less than two weeks before the tragic incident. The fatal crash occurred when Tackett, with a blood alcohol level of .131, veered into Luckett’s lane, resulting in a head-on collision. The legal limit for blood alcohol content in Mississippi is .08.

s4

[progressivepower]

DOJ Will Investigate Sheriff's Office In Torture Of 2 Black Men https://www.huffpost.com/entry/mississippi-department-of-justice-civil-rights-investigation-rankin-county-sheriff_n_66ec9248e4b0e7776c3e65a9?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=tumblr

[beardedmrbean]

The six former Mississippi law enforcement officers who tortured and abused two Black men in a racist attack were sentenced on Wednesday to 15 to 45 years in prisonon state charges. 

The men — former Rankin County Sheriff’s deputies Brett Morris McAlpin, 53; Christian Dedmon, 29; Jeffrey Middleton, 46; Hunter Elward, 31; and Daniel Opdyke, 28' and a former police officer from the city of Richland, Joshua Hartfield, 32 — had pleaded guilty to state charges in August.

McAlpin, Middleton, and Opdyke were sentenced to serve 20 years; Dedmon to 25 years; Elward to 45 years; and Hartfield to 15 years in federal penitentiaries. The sentences will be served concurrently with their federal sentences, and all were ordered to pay $6,431 within two years of release, and permanently surrender their law enforcement certificates.

Prosecutors said the white officers had nicknamed themselves the “Goon Squad” due to their willingness to use excessive force and cover up their brutal attack on Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker in January 2023.

In the attack, the men verbally abused Jenkins and Parker, beat them, assaulted them with stun guns and a sex toy, and one of them shot Jenkins in the mouth in a "mock execution."

The men had also pleaded guilty to federal charges in connection with the assault and were sentenced to federal prison terms of 10 to 40 years. 

The attack

In January 2023, McAlpin received a call from a white person who complained that Jenkins and Parker were residing with a white woman at a house in Braxton, Mississippi.

McAlpin then texted a group — the self-described “The Goon Squad” — that the Justice Department described as being known “for using excessive force and not reporting it.”

The group of men then went to that home without a warrant and assaulted Jenkins and Parker, punched and kicked them, called them racial slurs, forced them to ingest liquids, and assaulted them with a dildo, the Justice Department said.

Dedmon also fired his gun twice in an effort to intimidate the men, the department said.

In a mock execution, Elward removed a bullet from the chamber of his gun and forced the gun into Jenkins’ mouth before pulling the trigger. No bullet was fired the first time, but he pulled the trigger a second time, and it lacerated Jenkins' tongue and broke his jaw.

The officers then planned a cover-up and agreed to plant drugs on Jenkins and Parker, and those false charges stood against the men for months, The Associated Press reported.

Sentencing

In Wednesday’s sentencing, attorneys read statements for the victims. 

“After Hunter Elward shot me, they left me to die bleeding on the floor and they tried to set me up to be imprisoned,” a statement on behalf of Michael Jenkins said. “January 24th, Your Honor, was the worst day of my life. I was brutally beaten and nearly killed by the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department, also known as the Goon Squad. I never would have thought a night of hanging out with friends would nearly cost me my life.”

“They beat, kicked, tased, insulted, waterboarded and humiliated me over and over again,” the statement said. 

“I can no longer do what I love to do and that’s sing. I play the drums for my church. And because I was shot in the face, it affected my vision so I can no longer play. ... I wake it up at night covered in sweat because of the nightmares of my attack. Loud noises police lights, sirens, all give me extreme fear and anxiety. I am broken inside and I don’t ever think I’ll be the person I was,” the statement continued.

A statement on behalf of Eddie Parker said the actions of that night of terror “has left a scar on me that will last forever.”

“I never knew the ones that were sworn to protect and serve would be the ones I need protection from,” the statement said. “I am in constant fear someone will break into my home and terrorize me again … the humiliation and embarrassment from the sexual assault is too great to me to talk about.”

“My life was not perfect. But it was mine. I doubt if I’ll ever experience it again ... They should be given what they gave me and Michael Jenkins — which was no mercy and I pray for the maximum sentence,” his statement concluded.

[reasoningdaily]

RANKIN COUNTY, Miss. -- Former Rankin County, Mississippi, sheriff's deputies Hunter Elward and Jeffrey Middleton were sentenced in federal court on Tuesday after pleading guilty, along with five additional former law enforcement officers, to a total of 16 charges related to the January 2023 torture of two Black men.

Elward, who pleaded guilty to the most serious charge in the indictment -- discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence -- was sentenced to 241 months, or about 20 years, according to the Department of Justice.

"I hate myself for it," Elward said during the sentencing hearing, according to Jackson ABC affiliate WAPT. "I accept my responsibility."

Middleton was sentenced to 17.5 years or 210 months in prison for his role in the incident, according to the Department of Justice. The remaining four officers who pleaded guilty in this case will be sentenced during hearings on Wednesday and Thursday.

Michael Jenkins, who was shot in the mouth by Elward during the incident, spoke to WAPT on Tuesday afternoon after Elward stood up and apologized to him in court.

"I'm glad he looked at me. I'm glad he see me," Jenkins said, adding that while he "feels sorry" for Elward's family, the former officer got "what he deserved."

Eddie Parker, the second victim in the case, told Elward in court on Tuesday that he forgave him for his actions, according to WAPT, and said that he is "satisfied" with the sentence.

Asked about his decision to forgive Elward, Parker said, "For what is given and what is done, I forgive that part, but other than that, he still did what he did and he has to be punished."

"I always stand up for justice and for what's right," he added.

Asked if he also forgives Elward, Jenkins told WAPT, "I don't know. No, no, because if he wouldn't have got caught he'd still be doing the same thing."

Former Rankin County sheriff's deputies Elward, Middleton, Christian Dedmon, Brett McAlpin and Daniel Opdyke, along with Joshua Hartfield, a former Richland police officer, pleaded guilty to 16 federal charges related to the torture and physical abuse of three Rankin County men in two unrelated incidents, according to a statement released by U.S. Department of Justice on Aug. 3, 2023.

The charges include civil rights conspiracy, deprivation of rights under color of law, discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence, conspiracy to obstruct justice and obstruction of justice. The former officers agreed to sentences ranging from five to 30 years as recommended by prosecutors, but the judge is not bound by the agreement, according to The Associated Press.

According to the charging documents, the incident on Jan. 24, 2023, took place when a white neighbor claimed in a complaint to McAlpin, the chief RCSO investigator, that she observed "suspicious activity" from Black men staying at a nearby property.

McAlpin asked Dedmon, who was an RCSO investigator at the time, to look into the incident, and Dedmon proceeded to reach out to a group of shift officers who called themselves "The Goon Squad" because of their "willingness to use excessive force and not report it," according to the documents.

During the incident, the officers beat Jenkins and Parker, sexually assaulted them with a sex toy and shocked them with Tasers for roughly 90 minutes while handcuffed, according to court documents obtained by ABC News. Jenkins was also shot in the mouth by Elward, per the DOJ.

And while Jenkins was bleeding on the floor, instead of providing medical aid, the officers "devised a false cover story to cover up their misconduct" and proceeded to "plant" and "tamper with evidence" to corroborate their story, the DOJ said.

"The defendants in this case tortured and inflicted unspeakable harm on their victims, egregiously violated the civil rights of citizens who they were supposed to protect, and shamefully betrayed the oath they swore as law enforcement officers," DOJ Sec. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement on Aug. 3, 2023. "The Justice Department will hold accountable officers who abuse the public trust that is essential to public safety."

The officers admitted that on Jan. 24, 2023, they entered a home where Jenkins and Parker were staying in Braxton, Rankin County, Mississippi, where they handcuffed and arrested the two men "without probable cause to believe they had committed any crime, called them racial slurs, and warned them to stay out of Rankin County," the DOJ said in a statement on Aug. 3, 2023, announcing the guilty pleas.

According to the federal charging documents obtained by ABC News, sentencing maximums range from three years in prison for lesser offenses to life in prison for the most serious offense of discharging of a firearm during a crime of violence.

The two victims -- Jenkins and Parker -- spoke out during a press conference Monday morning about the enduring trauma of the experience as their attorneys called on the judge to give the former officers the "maximum sentence."

"I'd like to thank everybody for supporting us and believing in us," said Jenkins, who was shot in the mouth during the incident. "It's been very hard for me this past year. I'm just looking forward to justice tomorrow. I hope they do right. Hope for the best and prepare for the worst."

Parker, who is set to testify during the sentencing hearings this week, per his attorney, said that it's been a "hard year," and he's glad that the day of sentencing, which was delayed twice before, has finally come.

"Everything needs to be done right because everything was done wrong," Parker said. "What's done already, man, can't be erased; it can't be taken back. I relive this every day."

Malik Shabazz, the lead attorney for Jenkins and Parker, said that his clients have "been through a lot of trauma" and called on U.S. District Judge Tom Lee to give each of the former officers the "maximum sentence."

"The day of justice has finally come," he said. "That's an important day, not only in Mississippi, but this is an important day for accountability for police brutality, all throughout America. Police officers are watching this sentencing ... they're watching to see whether law enforcement in Mississippi and law enforcement in America will be held sufficiently accountable for their acts of torture and brutality," he added.

The officers have not responded to ABC News' requests for comment.

Dedmon, Elward and Opdyke also pleaded guilty to three additional federal felony offenses related to a separate incident that took place on Dec. 4, 2022, per the DOJ.

The U.S. The Department of Justice launched an investigation into the incident in Feb. 2023, along with the FBI, amid outrage from the community and as attorneys for Jenkins and Parker filed a notice of claim for a $400 million federal lawsuit. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation also investigated the case that led to state charges against the officers.

"It's in court, and we're fighting," Shabazz told ABC News on Monday when asked about the status of the lawsuit.

[ausetkmt]

PBS NewsHour: Mississippi sheriff fires deputies accused of sexually assaulting Black men and shooting one in mouth

The Justice Department opened a civil rights investigation into the Rankin County Sheriff's Department after the episode.

There is no body camera footage of the episode. Records obtained by The AP show that Tasers used by the deputies were turned on, turned off or used dozens of times during a roughly 65-minute period before Jenkins was shot.

Jenkins and Parker have also filed a federal civil rights lawsuit and are seeking $400 million in damages.

[dnaamericaapp]

Mississippi Sheriff's Deputies Fired After Black Men Allege Torture And Attempted Sexual Assault In $400 Million Lawsuit

A Mississippi sheriff’s department said Tuesday it had fired multiple deputies after two Black men accused them in a federal lawsuit of beating, torturing and sexually violating them.

The two men, Michael Jenkins, 32 (above in photo), and Eddie Parker, 35, filed the $400 million federal lawsuit against the Rankin County Sheriff's Department this month. The lawsuit describes the deputies’ alleged actions as “one of the worst and most bizarre incidents of police misconduct in United States history.”

“We understand that the alleged actions of the deputies have eroded the public’s trust in our department,” added Bailey, who is named in the lawsuit. “Rest assured that we will work diligently to restore that trust.”

Jenkins and Parker, who lived together at the time of the alleged assault, claimed in the federal lawsuit that deputies entered their home without cause or warning. The deputies beat, waterboarded, stunned, sexually violated and attacked them with racial slurs, the men say in the lawsuit.

The lawsuit alleges that the officers lobbed race-based insults at the men and angrily accused them of dating white women. They allegedly handcuffed and beat the men before they shot them with Tasers 20 to 30 times “in a sadistic contest with each other as to which Taser would be most effective when fired against these two victims,” according to court documents.

The officers then put the two men on their backs and poured water on their faces in an effort to waterboard them, the lawsuit claims, before they sexually assaulted them with a sex toy.

The FBI, the Justice Department and the U.S. attorney’s office for Southern Mississippi have opened a federal civil rights investigation. -(source: nbc news)

DNA America

“it’s what we know, not what you want us to believe.”

#dna #dnaamerica #news #politics

[r7-b7]

Washington State resident here. I'll never stop being mad about what just happened in January 2024. Cops are scum.

SEATTLE (AP) — Three Washington state police officers who were cleared of criminal charges in the 2020 death of Manuel Ellis — a Black man who was shocked, beaten and restrained facedown on a sidewalk as he pleaded for breath — will each receive $500,000 to leave the Tacoma Police Department, according to documents released Tuesday.

“This says to the public that these are excellent officers, and it’s a shame Tacoma is losing them,” said Anne Bremner, an attorney for one of the officers, Timothy Rankine.

A jury acquitted Rankine, 34, and co-defendants Matthew Collins, 40, and Christopher Burbank, 38, in December following a trial that lasted more than two months. Rankine was charged with manslaughter, while Collins and Burbank were charged with manslaughter and second-degree murder.

End of article excerpt.

To make matters so much worse, Thurston county, where Manny Ellis's sister moved to get away from TPD, hired one of the murders of her brother.

Excerpt:

Christopher Burbank, Matthew Collins, Timothy Rankine were accused of repeatedly punching, tasing, kicking and choking Manny Ellis until he died. But after a 10-week trial, jurors acquitted the officers, siding with the defense that Ellis’s drug use and bad heart likely led to his death.

Less than four months later, on April 1, Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders announced on social media he hired Christopher Burbank as a patrol deputy.

The sheriff has spoken out repeatedly on controversial issues. Instead, this time, issuing a written statement.

“While acknowledging the distressing nature of the events in Tacoma four years ago,” Sanders wrote, “we want to emphasize that Deputy Burbank has been cleared of any wrongdoing both by Tacoma PD, Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office and a jury trial.”

Excerpt:

One of the most impactful testimonies of the evening came from Ellis’ sister, Monét Carter-Mixon, who moved to Thurston County with her family for their safety following the trial.

Carter-Mixon said Thursday she spoke about her move to Thurston County on the record during the trial in 2023, so Burbank would have known she was a Thurston County resident at the time he applied to work with the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office.

“It's very odd out of every county in the state of Washington, it just so happened to be Thurston County, where … my young, Black children ride around the neighborhood, go to the convenience stores like their uncle did on their bikes or walking, especially on late summer nights coming from the pool. I don't want someone like (Burbank) patrolling my neighborhood that I do pay taxes in and where I do live at,” Carter-Mixon said.

Sanders responded that he did not know ahead of Thursday’s forum that Carter-Mixon and her family were living in Thurston County, saying that it didn’t come up during the hiring process.

“I didn’t ask for this. I didn’t tell those officers to kill my brother … That’s an issue in Tacoma. I don’t want those issues here, where I live and I’m choosing to raise my family,” Carter-Mixon said.

End of excerpt.

Also because ACAB, a note about Thurston county: in 2022 but made news this year a cop pulled a gun on a woman who crashed into a roundabout as she was having a medical event, threw her in jail and left her immobile on the cell floor for over 24 hours. He took her to the hospital to get her blood drawn for alcohol but did not give her medical care even though she was in a car accident. She couldn't move and literally couldn't get up out of a puddle of her own piss because she was having a fucking brain bleed. She had to get part of her skull removed. She's suffering from all kinds of shit from delayed medical care.

The police cannot exist.

Source

Fewer cops and crime went down

[247liveculture]

Former Mississippi police officers plead guilty to race-fueled assault charges, admitting to shocking abuses of power and violence, as a civil rights investigation reveals disturbing details.

[mongowheelie]

U.S. launches civil rights probe into Mississippi sheriff's office that employed 'Goon Squad'

Source: Reuters

U.S. launches civil rights probe into Mississippi sheriff's office that employed 'Goon Squad'

Source: Reuters

[thoughtlessarse]

The Mississippi deputies, dubbed the “Goon Squad,” who were sent to federal prison in the torture of two Black men have been exposed for a nasty thread of text messages with their colleagues joking and boasting about the very crimes they plead guilty to and more. A WhatsApp group chat obtained by The New York Times and Mississippi Today revealed conversations between over a dozen deputies at the Rankin County Sheriff’s Office dating back to 2019. Among the messages was the typical banter about using excessive force against crime suspects – Tasing people in the anus, specifically. The report says messages also included talks of taking nude photos of a female suspect as well as a video of an officer defecating on someone’s bed. Conversations also featured jokes about shooting and killing suspects, per The Times. Around the time of a 2019 probe into three fatal shootings by members of the so-called Goon Squad, deputies created a game out of arrests. In one message, Deputy Cody Grogan asked how many points he’d get for shooting someone. Another deputy replied the points depend on if they die or not. “People that know me know that’s not going to happen. I’m not going to go out and shoot anybody,” Grogan told The Times. He was also seen in another message suggesting the deputies kill a hit-and-run suspect, bury him at his house and burn his car. He no longer works for the department.

continue reading

[antonio-velardo]

Antonio Velardo shares: Stories of Alleged Brutality by a Mississippi Sheriff’s Department by Nate Rosenfield and Brian Howey

By Nate Rosenfield and Brian Howey Mississippians say they’ve been shocked with Tasers, beaten with batons, pistol-whipped and waterboarded by Rankin County deputies, for decades. Published: December 23, 2023 at 06:00AM from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/5joAMrz via IFTTT

[beardedmrbean]

Six white former law enforcement officers in Mississippi are set to be sentenced in federal court this week over the beating and sexual assault of two Black men, one of whom was shot in the mouth.

Five former Rankin County sheriff’s deputies and another officer pleaded guilty to more than a dozen federal charges in August after Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker accused them of bursting into a home without a warrant, beating them, assaulting them with a sex toy and shocking them repeatedly with stun guns last year. Jenkins said one of the deputies shoved a gun in his mouth and fired the weapon.

"I relive this everyday," Parker, who is expected to testify in court this week, said at a news conference Monday. "I relive this every time I turn on the TV, anytime I get on my phone, I'm on social media and I'm seeing everybody telling my story, everybody telling my story."

The officers are former Rankin County sheriff's deputies Brett McAlpin, Christian Dedmon, Jeffrey Middleton, Hunter Elward, and Daniel Opdyke; and former Richland police officer Joshua Hartfield, according to the indictment in the Southern District of Mississippi. Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey in June announced the deputies involved in the incident had been fired and in August, they pleaded guilty to state charges connected to the incident, which Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, previously described as "torture."

In court documents, prosecutors said some of the officers called themselves the “Goon Squad” because of their willingness to use excessive force and not report it. Three of the officers − Dedmon, Elward, and Opdyke − also pleaded guilty to using excessive force in a separate incident.

Prosecutors recommended sentences ranging from five to 30 years, which will run concurrently with time served for separate convictions at the state level, the Associated Press reported. Attorneys, family members of the two men who were assaulted and community advocates called for the maximum sentence for each former officer.

"The day of justice has finally come for the Rankin County 'Goon Squad,'" attorney Malik Shabazz told reporters. "It's an important day not only in Mississippi, but this is an important day for accountability for police brutality all throughout America."

What happened during the incident?

According to the federal indictment, Parker was staying at the home of a longtime friend, and Jenkins was there temporarily. McAlpin received a complaint from one of his white neighbors that some Black men had been staying at the property and the neighbor had observed "suspicious" behavior.

That night, Dedmon reached out to a group of officers and asked if they were "available for a mission," according to the complaint. On Jan. 24, 2023, the officers entered the home without a warrant, handcuffed the men, shocked them with stun guns, used racial slurs and assaulted the men with a sex toy.

At one point, Dedmon "demanded to know where the drugs were" and fired a bullet into a wall, the complaint said. Dedmon also "poured milk, alcohol, and chocolate syrup on their faces and into their mouths," and "poured cooking grease" on Parker's head. Elward threw eggs at the men.

Opdyke, Middleton, Dedmon and McAlpin used a wooden kitchen implement, a metal sword and pieces of wood to beat Parker, the complaint said. The incident culminated in a "mock execution," when Elward fired a bullet in Jenkins' mouth, which lacerated his tongue, broke his jaw and exited through his neck, the complaint said.

The officers ordered the men to strip naked and shower "to wash away evidence of abuse" before they were brought to jail, according to the complaint. The officers then concocted a cover story and "planted and tampered with evidence to corroborate their false cover story and cover up their misconduct," it said.

The officers submitted fraudulent drug evidence to the crime lab, filed false reports, charged Jenkins with crimes he did not commit, made false statements to investigators, pressured witnesses to stick to the cover story, planted a gun and destroyed video evidence, shell casings, and stun gun cartridges, according to the complaint.

Cops on trial: Is it easier to prosecute police now?

"The cover up and the obstruction are as dangerous as the acts themselves," Shabazz said.

Jeffrey Reynolds, who represents Opdyke, said in a statement provided to USA TODAY that he and his partner will be releasing "substantial evidence" to explain Opdyke's actions.

"Daniel has accepted responsibility for his actions, and failures to act, in relation to the two incidents that are the subject of his sentencing hearing, has admitted he was wrong, and feels deep remorse for the pain he caused the victims," Reynolds said.

Attorneys listed for the other defendants in online court records did not immediately respond to requests for comment from USA TODAY.

Officers plead guilty to other charges

The six former officers also pleaded guilty to state charges of conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice and hinder prosecution, according to a press release from the office of Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch.

Dedmon and Elward pleaded guilty to additional charges of home invasion, the release said. Elward pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and McAlpin, Middleton, Opdyke and Hartfield pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice and hindering prosecution.

Bailey previously acknowledged the deputies' actions eroded the public's trust and pledged to work to restore it. In November, he announced the department updated its training and complaints process after the assault.

Shabazz called for Bailey's resignation Monday and called on Clarke to launch a pattern or practice investigation into Rankin County, similar to the investigation recently opened in Lexington, Mississippi. Jenkins and Parker have also filed a federal civil rights lawsuit seeking $400 million in damages.

"We're still in a battle for justice, for dignity, for respect, and we are planning on winning that battle," Shabazz said.

[reasoningdaily]

"Horrendous": Black Men Tortured By White Mississippi Police “Goon Squad” React to Guilty Pleas

Six white former police officers in Mississippi who called themselves the "Goon Squad" have pleaded guilty to raiding a home on false drug charges and torturing two Black men while yelling racist slurs at them, and then trying to cover it up.

We speak with Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker about how, on January 24, six deputies in Braxton, Mississippi, raided the home they were staying in and attacked them, and how they are speaking out to demand justice.

Meanwhile, the deputies have been linked to at least four violent attacks on Black men since 2019, in which two of the men died.

We also speak with civil rights attorney Malik Shabazz, who is representing Jenkins and Parker in a federal lawsuit against the Rankin County Sheriff's Department. Shabazz asserts that the majority-white Rankin County, which is 20 miles away from majority-Black Jackson, Mississippi, is "infested with white supremacists" who "have decided 'Rankin County is for whites'" and seek to enforce it through state-sanctioned violence and torture, overseen and covered up by Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey.

"We demand that Bryan Bailey step down," says Shabazz. Parker adds, "We want justice for everyone that has gone through this with Rankin County."