Article published Mar 7, 2006
McGee case moved to Baton Rouge
From staff, wire reports
Federal prosecutors in Louisiana will handle the case against Forrest County Sheriff Billy McGee, who has admitted commandeering two trucks of ice in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
The U.S. Department of Justice assigned the case to the Middle District of Louisiana after U.S. Attorney Dunn Lampton of Mississippi - a retired National Guard colonel - recused his office from the case.
"We'll handle it just like any other case," said U.S. Attorney David Dugas of Baton Rouge. "We'll gather the evidence, look at the law and make what we believe to be the appropriate decision as to whether to bring charges and, if so, what charges."
McGee had agreed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor federal charge of interfering with, intimidating and impeding a federal officer in connection with a Sept. 4 incident involving two ice trucks.
McGee diverted the trucks from a Federal Emergency Management Agency staging area at Camp Shelby and has acknowledged a National Guard soldier was physically removed from the running board of a truck, handcuffed and cited for interfering. McGee sent the trucks to relief centers in Brooklyn and the Sheeplo community near Petal.
The charge against McGee was to have been filed when he went to U.S. District Court on Feb. 24. His plea agreement would have allowed him to remain in office, seek office in the future and prohibit prosecution of three deputies who were with him at Camp Shelby, he said.
But Lampton notified McGee on Feb. 23 that the hearing had been postponed. Lampton last week notified McGee's attorney, Jim Dukes of Hattiesburg, that he had recused himself from the case, McGee said.
"About 4:30 yesterday afternoon, a prosecutor from the Middle District of Louisiana called Dukes and said he'd been assigned to the case," McGee said today.
The notificiation came a few hours after retired banker Paul McMullan of Hattiesburg announced the creation of a fund to help McGee with legal fees. Accounts are open at BancorpSouth and Trustmark banks, he said.
"It's an honor to ask the good people of Forrest County to support Billy in his time of need," McMullan said.
The case against McGee has angered many Forrest County residents who believe the sheriff was only trying to help hurricane victims who needed ice and other supplies.
Hattiesburg resident Jackie McLaurin, who stood in the small crowd at the Forrest County Courthouse on Monday when McMullan announced the fund, couldn't understand why McGee was accused of wrongdoing.
"If it hadn't have been for him, we wouldn't have had ice and water," McLaurin said. "Why are they going to do this to somebody who was just trying to help everybody? I'm really upset about all this."
The threat of prosecution comes as Congress is continuing hearings into the federal response to the Aug. 29 storm that left much of South Mississippi in shambles. Reviews reveal many things that could have been done better at every level of government, McGee said Monday.
"I realized when I took the actions that I did there would be some hurt feelings," McGee said. "I realized I was acting outside the protocol of the national government, and I realized there would be some repercussions from it. I only hoped that at the end of the day that common sense would prevail ... it's been slow coming."
The plea deal McGee had made called for him to be fined up to $5,000. He doesn't know how much defending himself, and possibly his deputies, will cost.
"We anticipate that we may have trips to Washington, negotiations with them," McGee said. "Certainly if we're indicted, we'll have legal fees."
Lampton said the deputies and McGee would be indicted on felony charges if McGee didn't agree to plead to the lesser charge, McGee told the Hattiesburg American last month.
McGee said he asked McMullan to coordinate fund-raising after supporters called to offer financial help.
"The support of the people has only strengthened my resolve to serve the people of Forrest County," McGee said.
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