Jackson mayor enters not guilty plea

By The Associated Press | The Natchez Democrat

Published Thursday, July 17, 2008

JACKSON (AP) — As Jackson Mayor Frank Melton pleaded not guilty to federal charges for a sledgehammer attack on a suspected crack house, a group of supporters stood outside the courthouse protesting his second round of litigation related to the incident.

The mayor and two bodyguards, who are also facing charges, made initial court appearances Wednesday at the federal courthouse in Jackson. Police officers Michael Recio and Marcus Wright also pleaded not guilty.

Each was released on a $10,000 unsecured bond. An Aug. 18 trial date was set.

Melton didn’t comment as he arrived and left the courthouse. During the proceeding, U.S. Magistrate Linda R. Anderson asked Melton if he understood the charges against him.

‘‘No ma’am. I do not,’’ Melton replied.

Anderson instructed U.S. Department of Justice attorney, Mark Bloomberg, to read the entire indictment. Afterward, Melton said he ‘‘clearly’’ understood.

Melton, Recio and Wright were indicted last week on three counts each of conspiracy and violating the civil rights of the owner of the private home and the man who lived there.

They’re accused of leading an entourage of young men to the house and using sticks and a sledgehammer to knock out walls and windows in 2006. The three also face a firearms charge. Last year, all three were acquitted of felony state charges stemming from the incident.

Bloomberg asked the judge to forbid the defendants from carrying weapons as one of the conditions of their release. Anderson said that was already a requirement.

Melton could be heard telling his attorney, Kevin White, that he had concerns with that. Recio and Wright have been placed on paid leave.

‘‘You can petition the court to see if there are circumstances that might warrant certain exceptions,’’ Anderson said.

Melton has said the latest charges have come about because he wouldn’t accept a plea deal in the state case — a claim prosecutors haven’t disputed. However, former District Attorney Faye Peterson has said any plea is irrelevant to the federal case.

White said he was only hired for the arraignment. It was unclear who would take over Melton’s case.

Leland Speed, former director of the Mississippi Development Authority and a prominent Jackson businessman who supported Melton’s mayoral bid, said he was disappointed about the federal charges.

‘‘I think we all realize that Mayor Melton is acting in what he considers to be the best interest in the people of the city of Jackson. I had hoped this case would have been resolved through the action of the state court,’’ Speed said in an interview earlier this year.

Melton, elected in 2005 with more than 80 percent of the vote, has tried to keep his promise to tackle the capital city’s crime problem. But he’s run into trouble for his unorthodox tactics, including carrying guns and cruising the inner city in the police department’s mobile command center.

Melton has defended the attack, telling The Associated Press, ‘‘the house has been a crack house for 15 years.’’

‘‘The last thing I wanted to do was let the people down. I know exactly why they hired me to do this job,’’ Melton said in an interview with The Associated Press last week.

Outside the courthouse, about dozen protesters sang spirituals and held homemade signs and a large blue tarp with the words: ‘‘Mayor Frank Melton is not guilty.’’

‘‘The mayor has done a great job,’’ said Michael Green. ‘‘A lot of people have said some bad things about him. Only God know the truth.’’

Clarence Bolls, Sr., who lived in the neighborhood where the attack on the house occurred, said Melton’s leadership has helped the community.

‘‘What are we marching for?’’ Bolls said. ‘‘To get that crack out of our community.’’