Task Force probe nearly complete

August 13, 2006 03:24 pm

— Ever since the doors of the Southeast Mississippi Drug Task Force headquarters were locked April 4, investigators from three state law enforcement agencies have pored over files, documents, computer programs and physical evidence while investigating what have been termed as “irregularities.”
Friday afternoon, Jones County Assistant District Attorney J. Ronald Parrish confirmed that one of the completed files, from the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, a division of the Mississippi Highway Patrol, has been received by his office. He added he is in the process of reviewing the findings of MBI investigators Jimmy Herzog and Jimmy Klingon.
“The MBI has completed their investigation and turned their file over to me,” said Parrish. “There is a substantial amount of information to look over.”
Files from the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics and the Mississippi State Auditor’s Office are still being completed and expected in Parrish’s office within a couple of weeks.
After a three-week inquiry in March by investigators with the Jones County Sheriff’s Office, Jones County Sheriff Larry Dykes notified Smith County Sheriff Charlie Crumpton and Covington County Sheriff Roger Speed and consulted with them in regards to what Dykes termed as irregularities at the task force located west of Laurel in the Calhoun community.
Since then, SMDTF Commander Roger Williams has been terminated and agent Randall Parker has resigned. They have been identified by officials as primary subjects in connection with the alleged improprieties at the task force.
No agents from Smith County or Covington County are said to be involved with any alleged wrongdoing.
As a result of the investigation and obvious incidents of tainted physical evidence from drug busts leading up to the closing of the task force, Parrish was forced July 25 during hearings held in Ellisville and the First Judicial District of Jones County to drop the cases against 34 drug suspects.
Parrish said he expected within the next 30 days, much of this issue would be finalized.
“I expect in the next month that there will be a resolution of some of the issues in regards to the task force investigation,” said Parrish. “I expect certain people whom I can’t name at this time, to enter guilty pleas in circuit court. That will put a large part of this case behind us.”
Parrish also said in a very short time after those court hearings, other issues in regards to the task force will be addressed and resolved as well. Parrish wouldn’t go into any details concerning those later proceedings.
In looking through the files so far received, Parrish said the work of Herzog and Klingon was excellent, thorough and highly professional.
“It is just a pleasure to work with such individuals,” said Parrish. “They know their jobs and they do it well. That just makes my job much easier.”

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The doors to the SMDTF have been padlocked since April due to an investigation of the agency.