Jackson Free Press

The U. S. Marshal's Fugitive Task Force arrested Jackson resident Evans Welch Tuesday morning on an aggravated assault warrant filed by Jackson Police Department homicide detectives at his parents' home on Derrick St., according to a press release sent out by the city of Jackson.

"They came and got him this morning," Welch's mother Louvenia Welch confirmed to the Jackson Free Press.

Welch, 45, is a suspect in the Friday stabbing of Dwayn Mack, of Jackson. Louvenia Welch said she does not believe her son knew Mack but she could not know for sure.

"I don't know what (my son) knows," Welch said, adding that she had no plans to post bail for Welch.

Mack, 43, has no police record in Hinds County. Mack told the JFP that he has no prior relationship with whoever it was who assaulted him.

Welch suffers from schizophrenia and severe depression, and he has a long history of mostly petty crimes.

District Attorney Faye Peterson said JPD let U.S. Marshals handle the arrest because of the charges relating to Welch against Mayor Frank Melton. "They wouldn't want anybody to say they mistreated him or mishandled him considering he's a victim in the mayor's case," Peterson said. "The best option to keep anyone from making that comment or saying that they roughed him up was to call in another agency to handle (the collection)."

On Aug. 26, 2006, Mayor Frank Melton and a crew of young wards allegedly destroyed a Ridgeway Street duplex that Welch rented from owner Jennifer Sutton. In September, a grand jury indicted Melton and police detectives Marcus Wright and Michael Recio on five felony counts in connection with the Aug. 26 incident. Welch was arrested then for possession of paraphernalia and resisting arrest, along with a prior charge for which he failed to appear in court. Welch was previously arrested for shoplifting, violation of probation, contempt of court, disorderly conduct and house burglary, among other charges.

Between 1994 and 1996, Welch's parents committed him for psychiatric care to St. Dominic's, University Medical Center and Baptist Hospital. In 1999, Welch was committed to the Mississippi State Hospital. His evaluation there explained that he could not afford medication to treat his schizophrenia. Welch was prone to paranoia and had "tactile hallucinations"—thinking that things were crawling on him, according to the evaluation.

Welch has never before been arrested for a violent crime, apart from resisting arrest. In 2001, he was arrested for domestic violence, which is a charge often brought against mentally ill people in order to have them committed. Welch's mother said she called in that charge when he was having "one of his episodes."

Nevertheless, in her application to have him committed, Louvenia Welch described her son as "easily agitated; he constantly uses abusive language and make verbal threats; he has been shot and cut several times and is in jail on a constant (basis)." She wrote then that Welch "is a danger to himself and other (people)."

Previous Comments

ID

126848

Comment

Why were the U.S. Marshals called out? Was he even a fugitive in the first place?

Author

golden eagle '97

Date

2007-03-27T14:31:42-06:00

ID

126849

Comment

That was my big question, too, golden. There is an answer inserted above now.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2007-03-27T14:41:42-06:00

ID

126850

Comment

I wonder who gave the order to call on U.S. Marshals to arrest Welch. This sounds like someone covering their butts. Did Sherline call? Did melton make that call or did it come fromDale Danks? The rationale for a Federal intervention really sucks. melton can't go out after midnight, he can not be around children under the age of 17; He can not bear arms: melton can not go in the adult clubs and there is an unsigned restraining order against him for the Upper Level. Now, we don't have any officers with the JPD who is trustworthy enough to arrest a suspected criminal of a violent crime. Why didn't sherline pick him up in the Mobile Command Unit. They have cameras to video anything that they chose to video. This was City DRAMA at its best!

Author

justjess

Date

2007-03-27T15:10:47-06:00

ID

126851

Comment

who are worthy enough to......

Author

justjess

Date

2007-03-27T15:12:28-06:00

ID

126852

Comment

Where was Tyrone Lewis. He's running for Sheriff. Are the Citizens of Jackson fearful of his being unfair to Mr. Welch. This is just too wILD!

Author

justjess

Date

2007-03-27T15:16:25-06:00

ID

126853

Comment

A slight oddity: The Clarion-Ledger Sunday that police said the suspect in the stabbling was a quite a bit younger than Welch: The suspect is a 20- to 30-year-old man who was wearing a white shirt and blue jeans at the time of the attack, Scott said.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2007-03-27T15:33:26-06:00

ID

126854

Comment

So ladd, is it THIS or is it THAT. These CL and JPD folks can't have it both ways. Ain't nothing wrong; but, something ain't right.

Author

justjess

Date

2007-03-27T15:39:37-06:00

ID

126855

Comment

I just added an update to the story. Mack has told the JFP that he had no previous relationship with the man who stabbed him. He refused to comment further.

Author

Brian C Johnson

Date

2007-03-27T16:15:11-06:00

ID

126856

Comment

"Welch has never before been arrested for a violent crime, apart from resisting arrest. In 2001, he was arrested for domestic violence, which is a charge often brought against mentally ill people in order to have them committed. Welch’s mother said she called in that charge when he was having “one of his episodes.” I wonder if a male came on this board and said domestic violence was not a violent crime what the reaction would be?

Author

Kingfish

Date

2007-03-27T16:52:32-06:00

ID

126857

Comment

District Attorney Faye Peterson said JPD let U.S. Marshals handle the arrest because of the charges relating to Welch against Mayor Frank Melton. "They wouldn't want anybody to say they mistreated him or mishandled him considering he's a victim in the mayor's case," Peterson said. "The best option to keep anyone from making that comment or saying that they roughed him up was to call in another agency to handle (the collection)." Chaulk one up for the Pike! However, how about this that just pooped up on the Ledge site: Alleged carjacker shot Gowan called police to 3006 Pocahontas Ave. about 11:47 a.m. Tuesday where he was found suffering from a gunshot wound to the leg. He would not state who shot him, or where he was when he was shot. Why does "By any means necessary," come to mind? Scary?

Author

pikersam

Date

2007-03-27T17:13:14-06:00

ID

126858

Comment

'Fish, no one said that, you goob. The point is that, often, when people call in people to be committed, it's not what you normallly think of as "domestic violence." It means the family is trying to get him committed because they can't help or control him. Which, of course, is what's written. Go be the contrarian somewhere else. We've got too much on our plate right now to deal with someone who tries to twist stuff for sport.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2007-03-27T18:13:53-06:00

ID

126859

Comment

(And, uh, Adam is male.)

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2007-03-27T18:14:37-06:00

ID

126860

Comment

I wasn't twisting anything. It said he was never arrested for a violent crime apart from resisting arrest. It then says he was arrested for domestic violence. I see an inconsitency there and thought someone might want to clean up that sentence a little. Not being contrarian at all. I've just never seen the charge of domestic violence explained away that way.

Author

Kingfish

Date

2007-03-27T18:24:33-06:00

ID

126861

Comment

It's explained in the text. I had never had it explained that way, either, until we did the original story on Evans Welch, but it made sense when I paid attention to the words being spoken to us by experts. Just because you've never seen something, 'Fish, does not mean that is an "inconsistency." Also, if I'm not mistaken, domestic violence isn't *officially* in the violent crime category, even if we believe it should be. Now, a certain crime committed during a domestic violence event could be considered a violent crime, I assume. As much as I want to see domestic violence ended, even I am smart enough to realize that police would not qualify every domestic-violence incident as a "violent crime." That seems painfully obvious.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2007-03-27T18:39:20-06:00

ID

126862

Comment

thanks for the clarification. I'm sure I'm not the only one who had that question.

Author

Kingfish

Date

2007-03-27T19:10:00-06:00

ID

126863

Comment

This is just a "bunch" of BS! Frank or is it JPD? I wonder called out the US Marshal's Service for one thing only "coverage." Frank's and his team of "spin doctors" are at work trying to make Welch out to be Bundy, Damer and/or the Son of Sam. If Welch did stab Mr. Mack then that is a terrible thing and get Welch some help and off the streets. Frank and the boys are trying to slant any potential jury pool before his trial starts. I can see it now...."ladies and gentleman of the jury you've heard it yourself the prosecutions star witness is a career criminal, just last month he stabbed Mr. Mack." On another note am I really to believe that every single homicide detective in JPD is not professional enough to make an arrest without an assault? I'm not buying this. The Marshal's got "Punk’d." Regards, Larry.

Author

Larry

Date

2007-03-27T19:12:08-06:00

ID

126864

Comment

Sounds like total set up to me.

Author

Jo-D

Date

2007-03-27T20:52:23-06:00

ID

126865

Comment

This is crap! From WAPT: A former Jackson police officer who pleaded guilty to killing a 23-year-old man in June 2005 won't be going to jail and won't have a conviction on his record. An investigation revealed Jeffrey Middleton was off-duty and ran a red light in his police car -- traveling at more than 100 mph -- when he hit Desmonde Harris' car and killed him nearly two years ago. Middleton pleaded guilty Tuesday but got two years probation. Absolute crap! More: District Attorney Faye Peterson is upset Judge Bobby Delaughter also ruled that as long as Middleton stays out of trouble while on probation, he won't have a conviction on his record. At the end of the story it points out that his attorney is Ed Peters. The former DA. Reported to be working with Meltons legal team, along with another one of his old employees. The cop will pay a $3100 fine. Grrrr!! Wanna see what the Ledge has so far: A former Jackson police officer has pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter in an on-duty, fatal traffic collision in June 2005. Jeffrey A. Middleton, 29, pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter with culpable negligence on Monday, according to court records. So, was he "on-duty" or "off-duty" as WAPT reports editors at the Ledge? Sheesh! Little of what the Clarion Ledger does lends itself to even want to believe them over another media source.

Author

pikersam

Date

2007-03-27T21:27:39-06:00

ID

126866

Comment

My first inclination was to wonder what was up with this arrest. I'm still wondering. Can Melton's team (gang?) be this corrupt? The appearances to an outsider like me aren't good at all. Someone please tell me that Melton isn't behind this arrest.

Author

tombarnes

Date

2007-03-27T23:00:49-06:00

ID

126867

Comment

tom: what if he actually did it?

Author

Kingfish

Date

2007-03-27T23:05:25-06:00

ID

126868

Comment

Evans Welch needs to be in a hospital for a long, long time. Research on schizophrenia says that medication plus long term therapy has the best results in these cases. Obviously the family has struggled with both affording his medication and getting him to take it. He needs to be in a structured environment where they can make sure this happens. Schizophrenics with active hallucinations are violent. I mean, if you were walking down the street and a six foot tall cock roach started chasing you-wouldn't you want to kill it? The sad part is that the "six foot tall cock roach" could be just some normal person who has no idea what the schizophrenic is seeing in his head. Kingfish-it is very normal for a family with an active mentally ill member to call the police and charge "domestic violence" if the mentally ill person is in a mental health crisis and they have limited resources to get the person into a hospital. I could go into how Medicaid only allows a certain number of "inpatient" days in a year, but I'm sure that would be horribly boring to you. There is no police charge for "Crazy MFer in my house is seeing things and threatening to hurt me". Translation: Domestic Violence. Oftentimes its the only way that poorer families can get the person into a controlled enviornment where they can't hurt themselves or someone else. There is a HUGE problem with disadvantaged people with mental illnesses ending up in jail because of the reasons I listed above...plus a few other ones. I could tie in those damn crisis centers they won't fund...but I won't do that either.

Author

Lori G

Date

2007-03-28T06:22:35-06:00

ID

126869

Comment

I was about to scream about the problems with deinstitutionalization. But I feel this article probably explains a lot about this situation: http://www.psychlaws.org/GeneralResources/Article2.htm I hate to say this, but this is fairly normal behavior for someone with a pervasive disorder like Mr. Welch who has no real structured care. Yes, I am a mental health nerd.

Author

Lori G

Date

2007-03-28T06:37:03-06:00

ID

126870

Comment

Damn. Nesbitt is analyzing the crime stats in CL and ripping them to pieces. Anderson taking a major hit and said Melton's idea of fighting crime was playing outside the sandbox. LoriG: Thank you and Donna for clearing up the misconception about domestic violence. As you know, I've said all along he needs to be institutionalized.

Author

Kingfish

Date

2007-03-28T07:27:42-06:00

ID

126871

Comment

kingfish, you are leaving out the part where he said that Harvey Johnson did nothing but "study" the crime problem for 8 years. You are leaving out the part where he says that Precinct 4 is down to 43 officers in the last two years. Well, Larry... Let's see officer numbers went up and crime went down under Johnson while he was "studying." You will never get larry to admit that because then it proves he's been spreading lies for 3 years now on his show and to his friends. So, larry (and kingfish), if crime was going down in 2003 and 2004 to one of the lowest levels in 15 years as a result of bringing in an effective police chief who had a plan and tried to implement it, how is that NOT doing ANYTHING about crime? When you couple this with Larry's comments about the rise in crime and the loss of officers, there is no comparison of Johnson to Melton. There is no logical conclusion that supports what Larry says about Johnson. There is no way you can say Johnson is as ineffective as Melton is now without perpetuating a lie. Of course Larry, the Sunday choir member and reserve deputy, would never lie. It's not a lie when he quotes Evans Welch's mom as saying "He is a good boy, he is a good boy," in the Clarion Ledger. Show me where the hell in any of these articles about Welch where his Mom says that! Show me larry! Then he goes on to make a snide comment that Evans Welch is 45 "And still lives at home folks." Why does he live at home Larry? Is it because he is mental unstable? Is it because the home he "stayed" in (what was that little racial dig, kingfish, when he said that?) was torn down by Melton? I'm not saying Evans is a saint; but, Larry just flat out lied about what the article said, what condition Evans state of mind is, and called him a "crackhead" when the most he's been busted with is marijuana possession! See until Larry can "grow up" as he tells people to do, and realize that what Harvey did or didn't do in his eyes has absolutely no bearing on Melton and today's problems, he will always be a flawed source who is more a problem to Jackson's future rather than a cure. Maybe he will go to church and pray about it? Look in the mirror and see how ugly he really is about Jackson.

Author

pikersam

Date

2007-03-28T08:49:27-06:00

ID

126872

Comment

Thank you, Lori for the explanation. Based on your example, I guess that big, green duplex/house was a big "roach" to the Mayor and the cops. And since they couldn't smoke it, they tore it up. And, of course, it was all Welch's fault.

Author

JenniferGriffin

Date

2007-03-28T08:51:25-06:00

ID

126873

Comment

Tee, hee jennifer....

Author

pikersam

Date

2007-03-28T08:53:53-06:00

ID

126874

Comment

King- It goes without saying that if Welch committed murder, than he should be arrested. All I am saying is that the timing appears eerily convenient for Melton. As for whether he should be in a hospital, I agree with LoriG that we have created many unnecessary problems with the removal of many patients from hospitals. I can't tell you how many people I see every day on the streets of Washington who obviously need treatment. It's sad that our society does so little for them.

Author

tombarnes

Date

2007-03-28T08:55:46-06:00

ID

126875

Comment

“We as a society failed Welch. Medicaid proved to be ineffective so he couldn’t get his precious medicine. He doesn’t have the opportunities others have been given. Poverty. Racism. Christ Jesus, it’s not Welch’s fault he was living in a crack house and tried to kill someone. It’s Frank Melton’s fault. It’s our own fault. I’m sorry Mr. Welch that we as a morally reasonable society let you down.” “I believe Welch should be sent to prison, but with the option of a weekend furlough.” (That’s my Michael Dukakis impersonation.) Classic liberalism holds that people who commit violent acts should be treated or rehabilitated over prison time simply because these “poor folks” are misunderstood or have fallen through the cracks of society. Surely schizophrenia is something that naturally occurs in people that roam around Virden Addition and Ridgeway Street at all hours of the night. I bet his condition has nothing to do with drugs like crack cocaine because crime in Jackson has nothing to do with drugs (like crack cocaine). Welch wasn’t doing the drug he was just living in a house that was notorious for selling drugs, in a neighborhood notorious for its open air drug markets. (PLEASE)

Author

Skinnyp

Date

2007-03-28T09:20:42-06:00

ID

126876

Comment

Welch wasn’t doing the drug he was just living in a house that was notorious for selling drugs, skinnyp Got proof it was notorious? Been there before? Friends? Relatives? Or are you just going off what the mayor and the mayor controlled police say? Also, how is it that crack cocaine and other drugs caused his condition? Please, explain? I have a friend who was hooked to crack - bad - in the 90's and they aren't schizophrenic now! Weren't then either.

Author

pikersam

Date

2007-03-28T09:32:51-06:00

ID

126877

Comment

Pike, I guess I'm going to need a new name! The Larry you are reffering to (above) is definately not me! If you can and.or want please clarify this because I want to continue utilizing this fine site. Regards, larry

Author

Larry

Date

2007-03-28T09:35:42-06:00

ID

126878

Comment

skinnyp, Let's say Welch was doing drugs in the house the night the Mayor and gang showed up. What policy constitutes tearing down the house? And how was Welch responsible for anyone making a decision to do that?

Author

JenniferGriffin

Date

2007-03-28T09:47:02-06:00

ID

126879

Comment

No, it is not you. It is Larry Nesbitt on the radio in the morning. I will make it "Larry on the radio" from here forward. Sorry about that! Of if you prefer we can use "Good Larry" - You and "Bad Larry" - him. LOL!

Author

pikersam

Date

2007-03-28T09:52:36-06:00

ID

126880

Comment

Thanks Pike! LOL LOL LOL

Author

Larry

Date

2007-03-28T10:03:52-06:00

ID

126881

Comment

Skinnyp, you are so confused in your attempt to turn this into a "liberal" thang. First of all, Pike ain't liberal. I know the guy. Secondly, one of the main points of rehabilitation is to help folks stop committing crimes! That means fewer victims and less cost to society. So even if you don't give a damn about the perpetrator themselves, if you really care about reducing crime (rather than having folks to beat up on), then you would believe in intelligent rehabilitation of criminals in order to reduce recidivism. Beyond that, you truly seem to be blind to the fact that arrests for drug selling have essentially stopped under Melton. He tries to harbor much worse criminals than Welch, and I've walked with him through houses where there is more evidence of drug activity than Welch's duplex. While you're trying to shape this into something it clearly is not—crime-fighting—you are missing the bigger picture. Whatever it is. Time to wipe the sleep from your eyes, friend. Oh, and to someone up above, Welch wasn't living at home with his parents until his home was destroyed. He was trying to go it on his own. Is someone really criticizing a mentally ill man for living with his parents after a mob tore down his house? Some of you are further gone than I thought. Bless your hearts.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2007-03-28T10:27:26-06:00

ID

126882

Comment

Whether Welch’s problems are drug related or mental illness isn’t relevant to Mayor Misdemeanor’s case. Meltdown broke into the man's house without a warrant or probable cause, destroyed private property and compelled juveniles to act as his accomplices, and then arrested him on trumped up charges. If Welch was the big time drug dealer and threat to Ridgeway Street that Misdemeanor would have us believe, then why hasn’t he ever been charged for drug distribution in the past? I am NOT holding Welch out as a saint either, but the man is still entitled to be treated with respect under the law. If he is responsible for last week’s stabbing he deserves to be arrested and charged, and I don't blame the Mayor directly for Welch's actions. But that also doesn’t mean the Mayor was right to act as he did.

Author

Jeff Lucas

Date

2007-03-28T10:29:56-06:00

ID

126883

Comment

BTW, I'm with Nesbit—lightning striking—if he criticizesdeither the city's crime stats and/or the Ledger's story about them. I didn't have time to blog about it yesterday, but their story was atrocious. They're doing the same thing they did with Chief Moore/Mayor Johnson, but the opposite: They're focusing in on an arbitrary time period to say that crime is "down" for that period (which they don't even clarify), and then not explain the context, which is that crime is up across the board on Melton's watch. It's as if the Ledger has no idea how to do math; we already know they hate anything remotely resembling institutional memory (or research). Remember during the Johnson administration when the Ledger created Perception-Gate™? I analyzed what was going on with crime stats then, and figured out that the Ledger was making it too negative and the administration too positive. The whole "perception" thing came after the media went wild over crime number spikes in one February over the last February (when crime was at a record, almost bizarre low for a February, compared with trends over the years). The current February had seen a slight spike in crime over the average, but compared to the last February, it looked very dramatic. Did the Ledger bother to tell readers any of this? What do you think? Instead they reported, erroneously, that Chief Moore was saying that crime was just a "perception," when what he actually said was that media sensationalism was creating a perception of fear that crime was out of control. They didn't get into all that media stuff, though. But I was there; I know what he said. Now, they're using the same kind of trick to help an administration they endorsed. Go figure. Meantime, of course, the biggest problem is not that the Melton administration is creating all this crime (although they, arguably, could be creating some of it)—it's that they have dismantled everything that was in place that was helping lower crime in Jackson, and don't seem to give a damn about it. It starts to look like they're even intentionally avoiding fighting some of the crime, such as the drug trade in some of our neighborhoods. That certainly gives one pause.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2007-03-28T10:36:36-06:00

ID

126884

Comment

Understand me. I haven't said that Melton directly caused Welch to stab someone. No one can know that. What I am saying is that Melton has a long record of "helping" young men who turn around and commit worse crimes, and of targeting other young men with all his wrath, who also continue committing crimes. And it doesn't take a brain surgeon to see that a mentally ill man who was the target of a bizarre attack on his home (regardless of the number of drugs in it) might actually then go out and exhibit worse behavior as a result. Now, to you binary thinkers: Saying that in no way means that Mr. Welch should not be punished or dealt with (or, hopefully, helped with his illness) after this last attack, if he did it. What it does mean is that we'd better be careful who we send out to do what on our behalf in the name of "crime-fighting." If not, we might end up with a worse situation on our hands.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2007-03-28T10:44:50-06:00

ID

126885

Comment

Agreed ladd, and I even gave Larry, on the radio, credit yesterday for his message to his "friends" about Melton. But, he needs to put the dead horse away, and move on from Johnson, so we can focus on Melton and Jackson today. Isn't that one of their complaints about Melton critics by Meltonites, that we "need to move on from Johnson" because he is gone? There are but a handful of citizens who would say that Jackson's crime problem is not as bad as it was just 3 years ago. Those are mostly uninformed or victims themselves. Also, the fact that the crime critics constantly look at the police as the sole solution. Yet, they ignore the fact that it appears that Melton is systematically tearing apart the City's departments. This dismantling of the City's resources contributes to the crime problem in ways that are unmeasurable by COMSTAT or "AndersonStat!"

Author

pikersam

Date

2007-03-28T10:53:38-06:00

ID

126886

Comment

Well, Nesbit was stunningly wrong about Johnson. His propensity for planning and taking the time to get a good chief was working. But Johnson's political foes were never going to admit that; they just didn't understand who/what they were making a deal with to get rid of Johnson. I suppose it's poetic justice, from one perspective, that the most strident "thug"-haters supported someone who has no intention of making arrests, even of the criminals he doesn't like. He'd rather play demolition man. Melton supporters are losing both directions. He blocks the arrest of the criminals he likes (by harboring them), and the ones he doesn't (by making it impossible for the prosecutors to get good convictions on them by mucking up the evidence). Meantime, my biggest concern is that none of the young men are getting the help they need to both save their futures, and to make our community safer. And that's supposed to be his biggest concern. What's crazy is that his most conservative supporters are actually supporting a man who has the opposite views of law and order than they do when it comes down to it. Wackiness.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2007-03-28T11:09:47-06:00

ID

126887

Comment

In other words, Charles Tisdale is getting the last laugh on Mr. Melton's white conservative supporters. *His* plan seems to be working out just fine.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2007-03-28T11:11:21-06:00

ID

126888

Comment

I say we rehabilitate Welch and find him a nice home in some lib turkey neighborhood so YOUR children and loved ones can be the next stabbing victim or 6-foot-2-inch cockroach. Of course, I would much rather live next to Welch than in a community of people who think we should start counseling and caressing violent criminals. (I consider throat slashing to be in the violent category). Hope Bobby doesn’t hear this case! I hope you all pour yourselves a shot of reality today.

Author

Skinnyp

Date

2007-03-28T11:43:03-06:00

ID

126889

Comment

In other words, Charles Tisdale is getting the last laugh on Mr. Melton's white conservative supporters. *His* plan seems to be working out just fine. ladd Agreed! And, to many of the progressive African-Americans in town it was a surprise. It's going to take a strong effort to bring the right sides together again in Jackson. It is going to take honesty and hard work by everyone to help the constituents see that "WE" can make Jackson better. There are bad actors in Jackson that need to be marginalized. We can do it together; not by hoping Melton will make it all right by some dumb luck.

Author

pikersam

Date

2007-03-28T11:50:26-06:00

ID

126890

Comment

Hey, skinnyp - you may actually live next to a person with problems like Welch's. But, they can afford insurance. They can afford to take care of their problem child. They can afford the medication and doctors. They can afford to ship them off to krazy kid kamp for the Summer, so the parents can relax and regroup. So, it never affects your neighbors as it does those who live in the poorer conditions such as Welch and his family. Come on, you guys got better than that!

Author

pikersam

Date

2007-03-28T11:54:58-06:00

ID

126891

Comment

I say we rehabilitate Welch and find him a nice home in some lib turkey neighborhood so YOUR children and loved ones can be the next stabbing victim or 6-foot-2-inch cockroach. Skinnyp, you are working really hard to sound like a moron here. Do you understand that the system keeps putting him back on the street because it is UNDER-FUNDED? And until now, he has done nothing to put him away for life (which sounds like what you want). Had he gotten adequate help, the other man might not be lying in UMC right now. Therefore, your argument is nonsensical. If you'd get the sh!t out of your eyes, you might see that we can all work together for the same thing here—ensuring that sick and/or violent people aren't roaming the street without assistance/intervention to keep them out of trouble. (I don't know what a "lib turkey" neighborhood is. And had Mr. Melton made him one of his chosen ones, he *would* be living in a nice northeast Jackson neighborhood just as Mr. Walker, Mr. Taylor, Mr. Bibbs, and so on.) You're spinning in circles here.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2007-03-28T11:55:21-06:00

ID

126892

Comment

you may actually live next to a person with problems like Welch's. But, they can afford insurance. And Pike-the-conservative makes a very good point. Many people have schizophrenic and other mentally ill people in their families. Are you arguing that they all be locked up for life, or summarily executed so that they don't start hallucinating and hurting themselves and others. Or would you rather we just exterminate them when they're born? You need to start making sense.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2007-03-28T11:57:20-06:00

ID

126893

Comment

It's going to take a strong effort to bring the right sides together again in Jackson. Agreed. Not every rainbow is a decent rainbow. Oh, the irony. It is going to take honesty and hard work by everyone to help the constituents see that "WE" can make Jackson better. There are bad actors in Jackson that need to be marginalized. We can do it together; not by hoping Melton will make it all right by some dumb luck. Right again. The city will be fine if we all maintain our vigilance, stay educated, form alliances and keep our eye on the big picture. It's not easy; this administration needs to be watched every second as we've all seen to ensure that they don't get us in deeper trouble. But we can do it, and I've always said we can come out stronger on the other end—with the knowledge of how racist and backward the empty "thug" rhetoric is. I have a feeling even Mr. Nesbit is learning that lesson.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2007-03-28T12:02:39-06:00

ID

126894

Comment

From WAPT Alleged 'Crackhouse' Resident Arrested In Stabbing So... they don't know if he's an actual resident or not? :D (Thought Donna would like this one...)

Author

Ironghost

Date

2007-03-28T12:39:35-06:00

ID

126895

Comment

Yeah, good one, Iron. Sigh.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2007-03-28T12:47:13-06:00

ID

126896

Comment

Maybe they mean he was a resident of the alledged crackhouse. It wasn't exactly the best-worded description.

Author

golden eagle '97

Date

2007-03-28T13:08:05-06:00

ID

126897

Comment

"What's crazy is that his most conservative supporters are actually supporting a man who has the opposite views of law and order than they do when it comes down to it." They're not conservatives Donna, they're pre-paid, brain-washed fakers. They have no respect for property rights or the Second or Fourth Amendments, that is...as long as we're not talking about their rights. Remember, they're supporting and anti-gun democrat to achieve other goal(s). Conservatives? Nope. Elitist? Yup.

Author

Cliff Cargill

Date

2007-03-28T13:12:50-06:00

ID

126898

Comment

I read that headline to mean he's an alledged resident, not that the house is an alledged crackhouse. Otherwise, if this guy is really this messed up he needs help, not jail. Or not jail in Hinds County.

Author

Ironghost

Date

2007-03-28T14:07:45-06:00

ID

126899

Comment

Pike: I know you didn't say I made a racial comment. I had appointments this morning and only had time to write a quick blurb. I agreed with Nesbitt's comments about the decrease in the number of police officers. WHen is Melton going to be asked about that?

Author

Kingfish

Date

2007-03-28T15:09:29-06:00

ID

126900

Comment

No, kingfish... When larry, on the radio, said Evens Welch "stayed" at the house on Ridgeway that Melton tore up. He added, "You know they 'stay' at a house. They don't 'live' in it. What's with that?" He even used his inner-city parody voice to say it. That's where that come from. I realized that I could have made that point better and explained the context he said it.

Author

pikersam

Date

2007-03-28T15:14:38-06:00

ID

126901

Comment

There is little more gross than Nesbit's "inner-city parody voice." Shudder. Thanks for calling it out, Pike. That's the kind of stuff Mississippians should call out every time we hear it. When I looked into the windows of the destroyed duplex, it looked like a place someone lived in. For the record.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2007-03-28T15:19:20-06:00

ID

126902

Comment

And I was only jumping off your post to add that larry, on the radio, was making good points; but, he can't do so without insulting others and providing lies to manipulate the audiences views on the subject. He was making great points without adding all his embellishments that were not true. But, it is his show. Too bad he doesn't realize that he is part of Jackson's problem, not the solution. Fear mongering doesn't move a city forward.

Author

pikersam

Date

2007-03-28T15:21:50-06:00

ID

126903

Comment

didn't hear it. only heard 30 minutes or so if that long. thanks.

Author

Kingfish

Date

2007-03-28T15:28:54-06:00

ID

126904

Comment

When I looked into the windows of the destroyed duplex, it looked like a place someone lived in. For the record. I drove past that house just a couple of days ago. It's quite an awful site to see.

Author

golden eagle '97

Date

2007-03-28T15:45:44-06:00

ID

126905

Comment

Yeah, I saw it a few days ago, too. It's disgusting. No one's even tried to rebuild it. Imagine the message it sends to children in that neighborhood. And Pike, I agree with you. The hysteria (and ghetto voices) on The Ben & Larry Show helped created a lot of the mess we have today. No question. I shudder at the thought that the owner of a potential business or a developer might drive through Jackson and hear Nesbit doing his black-thug voice and talking about hanging people on the gallows in front of the capitol. His antics are a real black spot on our city. Sure, he mixes some OK comments in there, but they in no way make us for his darkest moments. In that way, he rather symbolizes Mississippi's primary curse from our past. The best response, of course, is louder, smarter and more sophisticated voices of all races joining together to celebrate our city and do what's right for her. That is, make sure our own residents and the rest of the world know that such antiquated voices are the exception, not the rule. And I believe that's true. It's just that the good voices need to speak up a bit louder and in greater harmony, so the squeaky wheel doesn't, er, leave the strongest impression.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2007-03-28T16:01:27-06:00

ID

126906

Comment

A great way to determine if Mr. Welch had been mentioned in the past as a drug dealer or if the duplex "in question" was indeed a "crack house" or the site of a past drug warrants would be to ask the DEA to "run" Welch's name and the duplex address in DEA's NADDIS System (Narcotic And Dangerous Drug Information System). The NADDIS system is simply the worlds largest drug intelligence file and/or system. Any person, address, license plate number, aircraft tail number, vessel name and or suspected "dirty" doctor that has ever been mentioned in any DEA report since 1973 is in that system. Melton has been saying all along that the duplex is a crack house and that Welch a drug dealer. Why not see what the intelligence files say since the "search" came up with nothing..............oh I stand corrected. JPD found paraphernalia. Listen folks when state and local law enforcement charge paraphernalia they are "grasping at straws." I have heard that Wright has stated that he was once at the duplex while on "street sweeps" with the downtown (Federal Building) DEA group. If that is the case then someone, per DEA guidelines had to write a report within five (5) working days of said law enforcement action. Let's see Wright's report! Or the report written by a DEA agent or task force officer regarding said action. Maybe the Attorney General's Office would want to know the same thing (Welch and the duplex‘s “drug intelligence“ past). I’m not so sure they would want to know or even have a clue something like this is out there (at DEA). I must say I'm not impressed by the AG's investigative team. In my opinion, 17 years of Federal investigations they, the AG investigators missed alot of things in the Melton gun investigation. Example, if one student said he saw Melton with a gun in class and the class had let say 45 students then “investigations 101” states there needed to be 45 separate interviews to determine how many students saw "what they thought" was Melton carrying a firearm. Just my thoughts. I welcome any and all comments. Regards, Larry.

Author

Larry

Date

2007-03-28T16:33:06-06:00

ID

126907

Comment

Slow down everybody. Welch hasn't been convicted of stabbing anyone. In fact, I don't know if Mack has even identified Mack as his assailant. Pump the brakes ladies and gents.

Author

thetruth

Date

2007-03-28T20:10:46-06:00

ID

126908

Comment

Lori, thanks for the link. Here's an important quote from the psychlaws.org article: Recent studies have shown that about half of those who have schizophrenia or manic-depressive illness have markedly impaired insight into their illness. That is, they do not know that they are sick, because their brain disease has affected the frontal lobe circuits that are necessary for complete self-awareness. This is why these people need better care. How do you expect a sufferer to take the medication if he or she doesn't believe there's anything wrong. For the naysayers who don't take this seriously, read this: We prevent individuals with Alzheimer's disease from living on the streets, because we understand that they have a brain disorder. We mandate involuntary treatment for some tuberculosis sufferers who refuse to take medication, because we understand that they are potentially dangerous to other people. We should do the same for individuals with schizophrenia and manic-depressive illness. HELLO!

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2007-03-28T21:13:26-06:00

ID

126909

Comment

BTW: Was Municipal Judge Bob Waller appointed by Melton or before he went into office? We know he appointed Mr. Priester as a Judge. It was his wife, Mrs. Priester who represented Melton in the lawsuit, that he settled, when the young boy drowned due to negligence at the Farish St. YMCA. So sad... I'm asking because he is the judge that gave Welch a $50,000 bond today. That pretty much ensures that he will be in court in prison orange come the end of April. Shouldn't matter; but, it probably will. The fix is in.

Author

pikersam

Date

2007-03-29T16:00:00-06:00

ID

126910

Comment

Good questions, Pike. Would be interesting to see a chart of the links from the Mayor and his attorney's to other judges/justices. Not just prosecutors and attorneys.

Author

JenniferGriffin

Date

2007-03-29T16:41:29-06:00

ID

126911

Comment

What worries me Pike, is I really hope Welch is not assalted by one of "Frank boys" or some other creep looking to gain favor with the Mayor. I hope they at least put Welch in the medical ward so maybe he can get some treatment. Only a hope! Regards, Larry

Author

Larry

Date

2007-03-29T19:20:11-06:00

ID

126912

Comment

Larry, you just read my mind. I also hope that one of "Frank's boys or some creep looking to gain favor with the mayor doesn't do anything to harm Welch. Just remember that the two kids who accused melton of sexually abusing them ended up "mysteriously" dead. Agreed pikersam, "The fix is in.."

Author

justjess

Date

2007-03-30T09:25:32-06:00

ID

126913

Comment

Yes, they did end up "mysteriouslly" dead..........drug deals gone wrong so "they" say.

Author

Larry

Date

2007-03-30T09:31:34-06:00

ID

126914

Comment

No coffee yet it's "mysteriously."

Author

Larry

Date

2007-03-30T09:33:03-06:00