Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves has appointed Brad MuCullouch to temporarily serve as Hinds County district attorney until a special election to succeed the former DA, Jody Owens, is held on Nov. 3. 

Hinds County Circuit Court Judge Winston Kidd originally appointed McCullouch to attorney pro tempore, a temporary position to fill the district attorney seat until Reeves could make his appointment on July 1. 

“My immediate priority is simple: to ensure the work of this office continues without interruption,” McCullouch said in a July 1 press release from the Hinds County District Attorney’s Office following his initial appointment. McCullouch has served as an assistant district attorney in the office since 2023. 

A man sitting in his office smiling in a selfie
Brad McCullouch is serving as attorney pro tempore for the Hinds County District Attorney’s Office in Jackson, Miss., as of July 1, 2026, following his predecessor’s resignation in the midst of federal criminal charges. Photo courtesy Hinds County District Attorney’s Office

Candidates interested in running for the Hinds County District Attorney position must qualify before Aug. 20, a Friday press release from Reeves’ office said. 

McCullouch’s appointment comes less than two weeks after former Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens resigned from his position and pleaded guilty to a federal conspiracy charge on June 29. The Mississippi State Bar association has requested that the Mississippi Supreme Court revoke Owens’ license to practice law in the state. 

Prosecutors accused Owens of leading a scheme to bribe elected officials at the request of two real estate developers who were actually FBI agents between 2023 and 2024. The indictment alleges Owens and other officials accepted bribes directly from the undercover FBI agents, prosecutors alleged. 

Chokwe A. Lumumba seen exiting the courthouse, holding a woman's hand as the press surrounds him
Former Jackson Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy charges on Mon., July 6, 2026, in the Thad Cochran Federal Courthouse in Jackson, Miss. MFP Photo by Grace Marion 

Former Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba and former Jackson City Councilman Aaron Banks followed Owens’ lead, pleading guilty to related conspiracy charges on July 6. 

Follow the Mississippi Free Press’ coverage of the Jackson bribery scandal and read past stories here. 

Mississippi Free Press stories are always free because we believe everyone should have access to quality journalism. Donations from readers like you make that possible. Please click here to give to help sustain and grow vital, people-over-power journalism for Mississippians.

Readers can sign up for our free newsletters here.

➡️ Read more stories from the Capital City Bureau here.

Capital Bureau Reporter Grace E. Marion is covering the capital city, Jackson, as well as surrounding rural, urban and suburban areas in Hinds County, Madison County and Rankin County. She is a reporter and photojournalist with a passion for narrative writing and investigative reporting. Her work as a journalist has earned her coverage in publications like the Columbia Journalism Review, the Hechinger Report, and the Student Press Law Center. Grace is a member of the Investigative Reporters & Editors (IRE) and the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ).

Grace graduated from the University of Mississippi School of Journalism and New Media in 2022 with a degree in print and broadcast journalism, and from the University of California at Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism in 2024.