news
Temetris Watkins, 49, of 405 Dry Creek Road was arrested Monday morning after a cab driver called police, saying a man put a package in his trunk that may have been an explosive device.
The cab driver parked at the BancorpSouth branch on South Gloster Street and Cliff Gookin Boulevard before alerting police about the possible explosive device.
Watkins has not been charged yet but was being held Tuesday in the Lee County Jail until he can undergo a mental evaluation.
Because of a mix-up with his jail paperwork, Watkins actually was released from jail Monday night. Police rearrested him late Tuesday afternoon.
Monday's incident lasted nearly five hours, worrying residents and causing the closing of streets and businesses. It ended when a police bomb squad confirmed that although the package was suspicious, it did not contain an explosive device.
"We are sorry for the inconvenience to the public, but we had to make sure this was not a bomb," said Tupelo Police Chief Tony Carleton. "We work to assure the safety of the public, and that's what we did."
Carleton said Watkins had personal items were in the box, although police couldn't tell from X-raying the package.
A small explosion was reported about 2:20 p.m. after the bomb squad took the package from the car's trunk to the back of the bank, but Carleton said the report was misleading.
Although it's possible a boom was heard, it did not come from a device in the box, said bomb squad Commander Michael Lewellen.
"There was absolutely no explosive device in the box," Lewellen said. "The sound people heard was a result of us opening the box, but nothing inside the box exploded."
Even though he said he was about 90 percent sure at the time that there was no bomb in the box, Lewellen said that wasn't enough to handle the situation differently.
"We are trained that if we are 99 percent sure that there is no bomb," he said, "then we treat it like there is a 100 percent chance there is one."
Contact Danza Johnson at (662) 678-1583 or danza.johnson@djournal.com.
Here is that list I promised you:
"Catch 22" - Joseph Heller
"Fair Blows the Wind" - Louis Lamour
"Stranger in a Strange Land" - Robert A. Heinlein
"Unit Pride" - John MacAleer & Billy Dickson
"Marine! The Life of Chesty Puller" - Burke Davis
You sure are good at making broad assumptions and generalizations aren't you?
I'd be willing to bet that you couldn't pick a drug dealer out of a lineup based solely on their manner of dress.
Most of the good ones dress like their potential customers. I've seen them wearing everything from Armani suits to surfer shorts.
I have a question, where is it that you actually practice/applied all this knowledge acquired during the course of earning your MS in CJ from U of M, where you learned about PC and all that other BS that you're spouting?
Here's a hint for you, using acronyms or abbreviations common in a particular trade or profession with those who might not know what they mean without defining them on their first use doesn't make you look smart or give you any credibility at all. It just makes you look like a pompous idiot.
As for being able to hold people without formal charges, here's a little something to ponder:
"They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." -- Benjamin Franklin.
@Pragmatic, I'm sure your folks are proud of you and show your picture to everyone they come in contact with, and it is obvious that you are very proud of yourself. However, I'm really not that impressed. I mean, come on, Criminal Justice? That's just a step above an Art degree.
Even so, let's get back to the matter. in your first post you stated:
"@Larry, it is not just Mississippi. Read around, any law enforcement officer can hold/detain you for 24 hours without arresting you, even in Booneville."
In the dissertation you just penned you start talking about articulating PC (for an arrest I presume).
The truth is, you have made an arrest as soon as you indicate by word or action your intention to take the person to the police station or before a judicial officer, or otherwise take him into custody.
I'm not surprised that you are confused about this, but I will go no further to fill in the gaps in your college education.
Peace Out
As for Federal holds, you can thank the Patriot Act for that. Giving up a small amount of freedom for safety is a win/win in my book. But I must admit that I have never had a bad experience with law enforcement. When I have gotten speeding tickets, I deserved them and other than that I have steered clear of anything that would get me in the spotlight. I mean come on, it is 2010, if you are dumb enough to run around spouting off about having a bomb, you deserve to be held. As for TPD harrassing teens, have you not seen how some of these teens conduct themselves in public? My dad, a retired drill sargeant once told me that "if you paint a target on your back then you better be prepared to be shot at". Teens want to dress and act like drug dealers, then cry foul when they are questioned. Teens want to walk around in public cussing every other breath, then run to momma and daddy about the mean ole popo. Maybe the problem is not the TPD but the fact that parents do not raise their children to respect anything.
You strike me as the guy who gets pulled over for speeding and asks the officer why he doesn't have anything better to do with his time. Yet if some drunk comes flying through your neighborhood you call complaining wanting to know where the police are. If you don't like laws, start a movement to change them and then the officers will enforce those laws. But sitting around with some psuedo-conspiracy theory that your imagined rights are being violated is useless.
I am sure someone will correct me if i am wrong but seems to me like if there wasn't a bomb in the car....nobody did anything wrong. Why is anyone being held? If you are going to hold the poor crazy guy why not the cab driver? It kinda just all sums up that the crazy guy scared the cab driver and it all went down hill from there. The crazy guy can talk about whatever he wants to talk about to whomever. He has the right to talk about making bombs. Unless there was a clear threat then what is the deal? Or was there a clear threat and i missed that being reported?
It just seems like maybe the poor guy is being held because traffic was a mess for 5 hours and someone should pay. I kinda blame the cab driver for pulling in a bank of all places. why not the EMPTY parking lot of the old Delta plant across the street.
It was "The Enforcer" released in 1976.
I was watching one a month or so ago and Clint Eastwood, aka Harry Callahan, aka Dirty Harry, told someone in the movie that his name was "Larry Dickman".
Now I can't remember which of the Dirty Harry series I saw.
Which one was it?
It's citizen's such as you who are ignorant of their rights under the US Constitution that contribute to the erosion of our rights and to the abuse that goes on daily in our ailing country. I suggest you attend a civics class (American History may suffice if the instructor is good). There are several community colleges around that offer them (adult literacy also if needed).
God help us and may God have mercy on you should you ever run afoul of any of the Centurions. You are either ignorant of your rights or you are one who should know them, but choose to ignore them when dealing with others.
Peace Out
Peace Out.
Have a WONDERFUL day.
Peace Out
They kept streets and businesses closed for 5 HOURS while they tried out all their gizmos!
Then they screw up and release the guy that they arrested after keeping that part of the city shut down for 5 HOURS!!
Brilliant police work TPD!!
Peace Out
My surprise is that the Lee County Jail actually acted responsibly and didn't play their silly little game until they finished shopping for a judge and got their warrant (commitment order).
Folks should take note of this. You don't have to break a law in Mississippi's America to get locked up. Folks can simply band together and call you crazy and then lock you up, for your own good of course...
Sure makes a person think about moving to Booneville.
Peace Out
Oh, and if ya find time, read Sid Salter's article that is posted in today's opinion section. You'll probably find reading him gets old also...
Peace Out
Come on guys...you can do better and should!
Just when I start to think there may be something to Chief Carleton, he drops the ball again. The Tupelo Spirit still smells real strong...
Peace Out
I certainly hope the State of Mississippi finds the funds to keep places like North Mississippi State Hospital open so people like Demetrious who have serious and real mental illness will have somewhere appropriate for their illnees to go, Those whose bad behaviors are brought on by abusing drugs and alcohol or are just plain old mean and high tempered--these belong in jail.
Anyway, I'm glad he didn't get hurt and I'm sure that was not a bomb.
Must have been Robert Hall striking again!