During a special meeting on Monday, Jan. 6, the DeSoto County Convention and Visitors Bureau’s Board of Directors voted to fire Todd Mastry, who had led the facility since 2011. 

Mark Gardner replaces outgoing president Lee Caldwell, who will continue on the board but not as an officer.

“I don’t like to overuse words, but this is a momentous occasion,” Hernando Mayor Chip Johnson said. “This is the largest dollar amount grant ever given to the parks department of Hernando. It’s a big deal.”

Lindsey Aldy Whiteside, 26, is accused of engaging in a sexual act with an underage female victim in May.

In September, the DeSoto County NAACP filed a complaint in federal court claiming the county’s 2022 redistricting plan hinders the ability of Black voters to elect candidates of their choice.

On Dec. 16, a grand jury indicted Stephen Russell Jr. on one charge of felony escape after he reportedly faked a medical emergency when authorities prepared to transport him from the Hernando courthouse Dec. 9. 

After an inmate briefly escaped custody this week, Sheriff Thomas Tuggle and Chief Deputy Justin Smith were subpoenaed before a grand jury on Thursday, Dec. 12.

Joshua Zimmerman will not face additional charges related to his failure to appear in court last June, but he remains held without bail following a judge’s ruling this week.

Stephen Graham Russell, Jr., was at the Hernando courthouse Monday morning for a plea and sentencing hearing when he escaped briefly.

Jashawn Jefferson, who is currently being held at the Shelby County Jail for an incident in Memphis, is scheduled for a trial in DeSoto County for multiple felony charges.

The release of documents in the Joshua Zimmerman case sheds light on the charges against the suspect and a request to end the gag order on details connected to his escape this past summer.

Jashawn Jefferson was scheduled to appear in court Monday, Nov. 18, for a second attempt to seat a jury, following a delay from April that resulted in the court ordering DeSoto County District Attorney’s Office to pay more than $2,000 in court costs. 

DeSoto County District Attorney Matthew Barton announced “Operation Final Departure” to help the incoming Trump administration with its vow to deport immigrants. Barton’s effort will focus on inmates in the DeSoto County jail.

An employee of the Rankin County Detention Center confirmed Zimmerman was booked into the facility earlier Wednesday but could not provide further information.

The Mississippi High School Activities Association issued a penalty to DeSoto Central on Nov. 4, including a one-year disciplinary probation for the team as well as a $100 fine.

Ongoing complaints about music playing into the night at a Hernando business has city officials looking for ways to strengthen the anti-noise ordinance.

The Dickens of a Christmas event has guides adorned in top hats, morning coats and hoop skirts wandering the city’s historic Town Square as the area is transformed into 1830s England.

Those who cast ballots at the Southaven school didn’t face lines. But the Mississippi Secretary of State reported high traffic at polls across the state.

Election results for DeSoto County, Mississippi including the U.S. Senate Race; Mississippi’s 1st Congressional District; Mississippi Supreme Court; DeSoto County Election Commission, and DeSoto County School Board.

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DeSoto County tops Mississippi in absentee voting

DeSoto County residents successfully submitted more than 18,000 ballots during the early voting period. 

Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch said the use of force was justified in both a 2022 incident in Horn Lake, as well as a shooting in 2023 involving an officer with the Southaven Police Department.

Following a superseding indictment issued last month, both accused parties face a total of 15 felony charges, including grand larceny, aggravated assault and possession of a stolen weapon.

The new polling locations, first introduced during a meeting with the city’s aldermen Oct. 15, would not go into effect until 2025.

“We’ve made tremendous investments in our police department,” said Southaven Mayor Darren Musselwhite. “When your police is more active, your court is more active. So our court is very busy.”

Collierville and Houston (AAA), Briarcrest (Division 2-AA) and Northpoint (D2-A) all have the talent to contend in their respective divisions.