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Davenport innocent of 5 of 9 counts
Autopsy: Gunshot killed 61 South suspect
Mistrial declared on other charges
By Tish Butts tbutts@vicksburgpost.com
By Pamela Hitchins phitchins@vicksburgpost.com
State trooper Dane Davenport was found innocent of five of nine counts of child sexual abuse Friday night. The jurors in Warren County Circuit Court also reported being deadlocked and unable to reach a unanimous verdict on the remaining four counts against the Mississippi Highway Safety Patrolman, and presiding Judge Isadore Patrick declared a mistrial on those. “We’re thrilled to death that the citizens of this community found Mr. Davenport not guilty,” said John Zelbst, Davenport’s lead attorney. “Always have faith in the jury system. Always have faith in the jury. I do not know, at this time, enough details to really comment on the four (counts) that are hung up. Of course, we would like this fight to end, in this courthouse, and be over.” Zelbst sat with his head in his hands and a tense Davenport nodded slightly as each “not guilty” verdict was read. Afterward, Davenport hugged the members of his defense team and sang a hymn with family and friends. “They did not forsake me at all,” Davenport, 47, said of his supporters. “God has taken care of every need I’ve had through this. The jury — I thank them for their hard work this week. I know it’s tough. I just pray that we can get all this behind us, and everybody can move on with their lives.” The family and friends
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Dane Davenport, right, and his lead attorney, John Zelbst, react as the verdicts are read Friday night. Below, Zelbst, followed by Michael Cupit, a member of the Davenport defense team, gives a thumbs-up as he talks with reporters. of his accusers — two teens who had testified this week that he raped and molested them over a period of eight years — heard the verdict and mistrial ruling in silence, and Patrick dismissed them from the courtroom, saying he wanted to clear the courthouse in an orderly manner. The prosecution team, special assistants to the Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood, which tried the case because Davenport is a state employee indicted in two counties, were not available for comment, but the AG issued a statement through a spokesman Friday night. “It was our prosecutor’s duty to present the victims’ case after a Warren County Grand Jury issued an indictment by finding that See Davenport, Page A7.
Bill that would regulate rural strip clubs goes to governor MISSISSIPPI LEgISLaturE
By Shelia Byrd The Associated Press JACKSON — Outrage over a 20-foot stallion outside a strip club in rural northern Mississippi could lead to a new law allowing counties to regulate such establishments. The Senate on Friday sent Gov. Haley Barbour a bill that would give Mississippi’s 82 counties the option to write rules and regulations for strip clubs that try to open in rural, unincorporated areas. The bill was filed in response to
onLInE www.vicksburgpost.com VOLUME 128 NUMBER 65 4 SECTIONS
a strip club called The Pony that opened about three years ago in Lowndes County, bringing with it the shiny silver stallion that locals say is wearing a pink bikini. The Pony sits just off U.S. 45 outside West Point — a highway frequently used by sports fans traveling from Tupelo down to Mississippi State University games in Starkville. Rep. Gary Chism, R-Columbus, said he’d receive numerous com-
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• Jonnny Hoskins Today: • John Clinton RoSunny; high of 63 land Tonight: Partly cloudy; low of 35 Mississippi River Friday:
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plaints from residents about The Pony’s horse. “Since I’ve filed the bill, I’ve gotten a lot of telephone calls and encouragement from pastors and others. But really what started it all was that bikini on that stallion,” Chism said. The legislation will not affect The Pony because the law wouldn’t be retroactive. But it is intended to give county supervisors the flexibility
they need to limit such establishments if they choose, Chism said. No one at the club immediately responded to a call from The Associated Press seeking comment. The discussion on the bill Friday was brief, but a few comments drew snickers in the Senate chamber. “Are y’all abreast of what’s going on in my county over there?” said Sen. Terry Brown, R-Columbus, whose district includes Lowndes County. Only three Mississippi counties See Bill, Page A7.
An armed robbery suspect found dead at the U.S. 61 South-Interstate 20 interchange Friday morning died from a single gunshot wound, Warren County Coroner Doug Huskey said Friday evening. Authorities had been trying to determine whether the man was shot, or had jumped or fallen from the overpass, which appears about 60 feet high. Meanwhile, Vicksburg police continued to search for a second man in Thursday night’s armed robbery and assault at the La Chiquita grocery, 4002 U.S. 61 South. “We have identified the deceased, and we’re trying to contact the next of kin,” Vicksburg police Lt. Bobby Stewart said late Friday. “We’ve identified the second person of interest.” He declined to release names, citing notification of the dead suspect’s family and risk of compromising the search for the second suspect. The two men, both described as Hispanic, ended up at the overpass — about four miles from the store — after leaving the grocery, where they took CDs, jewelry and an undisclosed amount of money, along with a wallet and cash from a patron, police said. Both were wearing ski masks, police said, and one was carrying an SKS assault rifle, the other a handgun. The rifle was found in the woods near the overpass, Stewart said. During the robbery, called in to police about 8:41, a woman clerk was hit with the rifle. She was questioned by police after being treated and released from River Region Medical Center. The owner of the grocery, who also owns El Ranchero Restaurant next door, was notified by the clerk and chased the two men, who were in a 1993 Toyota Corolla with Hinds County plates, north to the overpass. The suspects wrecked and a shootout ensued, but the grocery owner wasn’t hurt. He was questioned and released by police Thursday evening. The dead suspect, discovered about 6:15 Friday morning by a passerby, appears to have been about 24 years old, Huskey said. An autopsy was performed Friday at the Mississippi Crime Lab in Jackson. Physical evidence at the grocery has linked him to the robbery, police said.
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