Judge Singletary

Originally published by James Broadwater at http://www.onlinebyram.com on Sept. 29, 2006.

Recently, the Clarion Ledger reported that Judge Singletary was arrested for allegedly ringing his neighbor's doorbell repeatedly because of their barking dogs, going inside when the door was opened, using profanity, and threatening the person inside. But are the charges true? I know what it's like to have one neighbor who causes trouble, and believe me, the fact that you're right doesn't always mean that the law is always on your side in Hinds County.

The judge has also been accused of holding a machete to the throat of an elected official, and it is being said that he brandishes a machete in the courtroom. Now, that last charge should be easy enough to prove, if it is true. Judge Singletary, by law, is not allowed to discuss the case, so for now, we're only hearing one side of the story.

Could it be that Judge Singletary has been set up in order to derail Byram's incorporation bid, or for some other reason? It's possible. Frank Melton, Mayor of Jackson, has been mayor for only a little over a year, and he has already been formally accused of breaking the law and arrested. In this case, as in the Judge Singletary case, for now, we're only able to hear one side of the story. But we do know that Mayor Melton has been trying to clean up crime in Jackson, and considering the people who have come out against him -- District Attorney Faye Peterson and Attorney General Jim Hood -- the whole thing is suspect, if you ask me. Let's remember that both Peterson and Hood are up for reelection next year. And Hinds County Sheriff Malcolm McMillan, who arrested Mayor Melton, is also up for reelection in 2007, so we should carefully scrutinize every move that these three make over the next 14 months, as well as consider their past actions, since some people tend to start behaving near election time.