Jackson Free Press

So, it is possible that Mayor Frank Melton has fibbed again—this time about the suspect in the Memorial Day shooting confessing to him on tape. The D.A. doesn't have the tape, the detective doesn't have the tape, and an old police friend of Melton's—whom Melton said he gave it to—won't confirm or deny whether he did. WTF? The bigger question this should raise for people is how many of the men who have "turned themselves in" to Melton over the years have ended up going free? And is that why they do it—because they know the track record might help them? We've reported numerous cases in which these men have gone free, and we have questioned why media in the past allowed Melton to pit them against the JPD when they complained about him and his cop friends "bringing in" certain criminals.

(Hat tip on this one to Jimmie Gates at the Ledger, for staying on this story and not letting Melton sidestep it. This is very different from past coverage of Melton that helped him get in this position, and I applaud Gates for stepping up. I'm enjoying his work of late.)

Previous Comments

ID

131032

Comment

They surrender to Melton because it's a quick trip out of Jail in the end, right?

Author

Ironghost

Date

2008-06-19T17:17:03-06:00

ID

131036

Comment

It's certainly possible that they do. And that isn't to say that that is his purpose; but if they know the track record of those who do, they just might think it's a safe bet. Bottom line: You need people who understand the law, law enforcement and the Constitution having first contact with alleged criminals. Otherwise, you're going to get a lot of people walking free. Amazing that it's taken so long for this town to figure that out. A little media assistance would have been nice. But the Ledger desk was too busy lapdogging Melton to actualy question his actions.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2008-06-19T17:57:02-06:00