Jackson Free Press

Former Mayor Dale Danks filed a motion yesterday in district court to withdraw as Mayor Frank Melton's attorney in the lawsuit in which Allstate Insurance Company is suing Melton. The insurance company is claiming that it should not be responsible for Melton's monetary damages in the lawsuit he lost recently brought against him by Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics agents. Melton leaked a memo, which turned out to be largely false, to The Clarion-Ledger when he was director of the agency, and later lied about leaking the document to the judge in the lawsuit. He only admitted leaking it after he took the mayoral oath of office. The Clarion-Ledger did not report on the lawsuits during his campaign for mayor. Michael T. Jaques will be Melton's new attorney in the matter.

Previous Commentsshow

Seems like Danks is trying to distance himself from Melton. Well....it seems that way.

Joerob

Sep 9 2006

Is this the begining of the end for Melton? First Danks quit his position with the city, now this. I wonder if this will factor into Melton's financial sentencing next month in Meridian for his MBN incident? Will the new attorney ask for more time to beg for mercy on ole Frankie boy? One day Evers is berating Melton on his weekly radio show, the next day he is Melton's advisor. The city council are about to reconsider doing an investigation on him. The sheriff's department and the DA's office are looking into his latest prank, not to mention the possibility of the FBI becoming involved. Then there's the ACLU, where I don't believe there is any love lost. And last and mayby least of all, the AG's office have raised their head out of the sand. If ever there was a time for Melton to back up his claim that he is the "Ultimate Authority", now is the time. I repeat..................Is this the begining of the end?

lance

Sep 9 2006

If I were Frank Melton's attorney, I'd quit, too! Cheers, TH

Tom Head

Sep 9 2006

Could Be Lance.........But don't hold your breath yet! Don't believe Danks' quitting is going to effect the Judge's opinion in October. The only thing left is the money and money pales next to what is being spoken openly now: City, County, State, and possibly Federal Investigations. None of these are pursued lightly and without some indication they are needed. Wonder what all this is going to mean for the long term survival of the Crime Summit's goals? Here's three of the four on stage at the opening Summit in a turmoil: Melton, Danks, and Allen. Guess you could say four as McCreery has lost some ground too.

ChrisCavanaugh

Sep 9 2006

A woman called into one of the news feedback lines, and said something akin to, "I love Frank Melton. I think he should keep on tearing down those crack houses!!". She was calling in reference to the Ridgeway home. She obviously is one of many...according to the polls...that's not really paying attention. She sees pix on the news of a demolished house, in a poor black neighborhood, and automatically assumes it's a 'crack house'. She didn't pay attention to the whole report that said Evans Welch was charged with possession of marijuana and paraphernalia, and a traffic violation. Hardly a 'crack house'. (Clinton, Gore and, I think, Bush have admitted to smoking pot, and that just makes us titter.) I know that Tuesday's 10 A.M. Council meeting will be difficult for a lot of people to attend... it's a workday, etc. But, I think it's important for people to show up if they possibly can. White faces need to be there...not just predominately black ones. Then maybe folks who aren't really paying attention to "the bottom line" will sit up and take notice I don't believe this is a racial or socio-economic issue. I think it's a 'stand up for what's right' issue...an "and justice for all" issue...looking out for the "least of these"....standing up to the playground bully(s). A society is as strong as its weakest link. I'm hoping, and praying, that a lot of links...red, yellow, black and white...will show up at the Council meeting and show the Council, and people not really paying attention, that a lot of our city cares...and not just about our own neighborhood.

JAR

Sep 10 2006

Dale couldn't save him. He'll probably make more suing him.

Ironghost

Sep 10 2006

I would not be surprised if Danks didn't sue him personally or represent someone who does. He is as dirty as Frank.

jada

Sep 10 2006

To all "investigative reporters" or wannabe's out there: Why did Dale Danks REALLY resign as counsel to Frank Melton? Well, I can't answer that, but perhaps some of our lawyer friends can. I seem to recall a lawyer once telling me that there are certain circumstances when a client admits that he has committed a crime, or is GOING to commit a crime (such as lying to a court or to a grand jury or in a deposition), then the lawyer has a duty to disclose to the judge, or to resign or something like that. I'm not sure what the law is, but maybe some of our lawyer friends can inform us of what the ethical rules are on this subject. It just SEEMS to me, though, that Danks quit as Frank's lawyer because Frank has admitted that he's lied about a bunch of stuff that is criminal and Danks has all of a sudden realized that he himself might be a co-conspirator in some of the crimes because of his knowledge and his failure to advise the court. It's kind of like the rat(s) deserting a sinking ship, you know. Though I'm not sure which one here is a bigger rat!

FriendsofJackson

Sep 10 2006

"White faces need to be there...not just predominately black ones. Then maybe folks who aren't really paying attention to "the bottom line" will sit up and take notice I don't believe this is a racial or socio-economic issue. I think it's a 'stand up for what's right' issue...an "and justice for all" issue...looking out for the "least of these"....standing up to the playground bully(s)." And let the church say, AMEN!

blu_n_a_redstate

Sep 11 2006

Guess the Ledger just got the memo about Danks. But what's intriguing is that in their online story, reporter Kathleen Baydala states this: The suit stems from a libel case in which Lauderdale County Circuit Judge Robert Bailey ruled that Melton, who in 2003 served as director of the MIssissippi Bureau of Narcotics, could be sued for leaking an investigative memo to a Clarion-Ledger reporter who wrote an article based off the document. That is intriguing because Clarion-Ledger lawyers have argued repeatedly that Ana Radalat was not a "Clarion-Ledger reporter," but a reporter for Gannett News Service. Thus, they say, local Clarion-Ledger editors, such as metro editor Grace Simmons, did not know that Melton was the source. Therefore, this narrative goes, they did not know that Melton had lied under oath about leaking the memo when they wrote a glowing endorsement of him for mayor without revealing to the public that he had lied to a Meridian judge. I wonder if this will be magically edited online, as happens occasionally. We've printed and screen-shotted just in case. Also, Baydala does not mention that the "investigative memo" that Clarion-Ledger reporter wrote the story about was proven largely false by state auditor Phil Bryant. Of course, this is more than The Clarion-Ledger told the public about what was going on in the Meridian lawsuit during the mayoral campaign. Allow us to recap: The MBN agents were suing both Melton and The Clarion-Ledger for putting out false information about them. Melton and the Ledge's stories were wound up together. The Ledger didn't tell the public during the campaign that it was going on. Ponder.

DonnaLadd

Sep 11 2006

If memory serves me correctly without re-reading the rules, when faced with a witness you know will commit perjury under oath, a lawyer should withdraw, and has an abligation to inform the court. I know Frank is crazy but I hope he's not dumb enough to keep lying in court. WHAT WILL IT TAKE? We should start calling Frank, Mayor-Can't-Get-Right.

Ray Carter

Sep 11 2006

Well, he lied repeatedly in the court documents and had ample opportunity to correct himself -- and didn't until after he took office (and the Ledger hadn't reported it). I don't think he thinks the rules -- any of them -- apply to him. What I honestly don't understand is why so many people who know that he lies repeatedly have given him a pass for so long. It's remarkable, really. It's as if he had cast a spell over this entire city for years. I like to think we started breaking that spell apart with our coverage during the campaign when we were willing to question and report the truth. I don't dig a city held hostage to any one person, especially someone with Mr. Melton's track record. BTW, I was about to link the Ledger's endorsement of Melton and, lo and behold, it has disappeared from its link. Bizarrely, I can't even find it in the Nexis database. Surely, it hasn't been scrubbed completely??? If anyone else can find it, let me know. This one's weird. I can usually find anything. ;-)

DonnaLadd

Sep 11 2006

Just in case you are wondering about Charles Evers and his involvement with Melton, one will have to remember his famous words, "I LOVE GOD AND MONEY." Evers wants to set up a race track and he has been courting Melton on that possibility with all of the help he can get from the City. So you see, it is not by accident that the man who was once the Mayor of a town with 450 people (Fayette, MS) and whose sister-in-law sued him during his reign as Mayor, would volunteer to work free for the State's Capital City. Beleive this if you like, Charles is no Medgar and history evidences this fact. This makes the fourth Mayor to be employed or engaged in this City's business and all four are on payroll in some way. (1) Danks, (2)Evers, (3)Walker and, (4)Melton. Johnson didn't require all of this. Something is wrong with this picture.

justjess

Sep 11 2006

Well you can find it here....lol! I like this part: Johnson has been a competent mayor with several successes under his belt, including upgrading basic infrastructure, getting planning on track and bringing basic management principles to City Hall. He has been supportive of downtown development and helped bring about approval of a much-needed convention center. Well Melton and his "clique" has thrown out the baby with the bath water on "basic management principles." Money quote from the endorsement: We believe Frank Melton offers the type of dynamic leadership Jackson needs to help it move ahead and thrive at this point in the city's history. Contrast the endorsement with Agnew's piece on Melton Sunday: Money quote: That's just not the case with Jackson Mayor Frank Melton, who should resign his office to spare the city, and himself, any more embarrassment from his eccentricities.

pikersam

Sep 11 2006

Ladd, your right though the "Endorsement" link to the Ledge has been "farked!"

pikersam

Sep 11 2006

Justjess, they dusted off Ditto for the State of City! And, during the campaign the rally cry of the Meltonites was "that started under Ditto..."

pikersam

Sep 11 2006

Pikersam, you are a definite dragnet: NOTHING BUT THE FACTS!

justjess

Sep 11 2006

Very funny, Pike. Love that you pulled it from the site launched to refute criticism of Melton! That's rather delicious. I'll go copy it in case they delete it, so we'll have it for the files. ;-) Funny that they would FARK it. Right on down the memory hole, it goes. Re Agnew's piece, it was quite good, for a change. But knowing the context for it really makes it bittersweet. And it's sad that they won't just come out and say, "we were wrong." Instead, they're trying to twist history to make it look like Melton just now started going off the deep end, instead of acknowledging that he was doing it all along, and it's just now that they've started paying attention. I also have it from multiple sources that The Clarion-Ledger metro editor was contacted about the Ridgeway bust-up two days after it happened. They ran a story the next Sunday, two days after we broke the story. I guess we'll never know if they would have done it anyway, but it doesn't look good. This is the same metro editor, of course, who was on the job during the campaign and gave us zilch about the Meridian lawsuit, or so much else about Mr. Melton. So, hey.

DonnaLadd

Sep 11 2006

Excellent work, Pike. As Donna said on a different thread, citizen journalists are unsung heroes in this unfolding scandal. At the risk of getting vaklempt, it makes me feel proud to live in a democracy.

Brian C Johnson

Sep 11 2006

"Johnson has been a competent mayor with several successes under his belt, including upgrading basic infrastructure, getting planning on track and bringing basic management principles to City Hall. He has been supportive of downtown development and helped bring about approval of a much-needed convention center." Wonder if Johnson would consider running again or is he fed up or what is he thinking right now..? I mean if things turned to where Melton stepped aside and there had to be a special election. I mean it seems he, Johnson, was getting the thing in hand.

ATLExile

Sep 11 2006

ATLExile, We need a new thread on this subject. I am very interested in what everyone thinks regarding a comeback by Johnson.

ChrisCavanaugh

Sep 12 2006

And this just in from the C-L...Former Mayor Harvey Johnson is interested in running again.

Jeff Lucas

Sep 12 2006

Thanks Brian and Ladd! *blushes* Fun to roll with the JFP....

pikersam

Sep 12 2006

Interesting ejeff.... Of course as long as people like Ben are going to let *uninformed* callers call in and say crime has been going up for 13 years, without mentioning the drop in crime and the rise in the "most livable cities" rankings during Johnson's last 3 years... then he probably doesn't stand a chance. Though, he would be the best choice. It is in my opinion, after hearing Mr. Evers on Ben's show this morning, that Charles Evers is going to run for mayor should Melton resign/arrested. Cliff... did you get that impression?

pikersam

Sep 12 2006

Yep, Charles just took the time to mention he lives in jackson, pays taxes, registered voter.... Don't Do It Charles!

pikersam

Sep 12 2006

Of course as long as people like Ben are going to let *uninformed* callers call in and say crime has been going up for 13 years, without mentioning the drop in crime Agreed, Pike. That's irresponsible of Mr. Allen, or any media outlet that does it. It's pure sensationalism, and it's what got us in this mess in the first place.

DonnaLadd

Sep 12 2006