Cynthia Stewart, attorney for Michael Recio, has subpoenaed Jackson City Attorney Sarah O’Reilly-Evans in the civil rights trial of Recio and mayor Frank Melton.
The subpoena (PDF) asks O’Reilly-Evans to bring to trial on Jan. 5 all documents related to the termination of deputy city attorney Katherine Pugh and any JPD Internal Affairs files that federal prosecutors may have requested. Pugh’s last day with the city attorney’s office was Tuesday, Nov. 11. Last week JPD Chief and Hinds County Sheriff Malcolm McMillin rehired Pugh as an attorney for the Hinds County Sheriff’s Department.
The staff shuffle came on the heels of a provocative motion filed jointly by Melton and Recio alleging that prosecutors had concealed the existence of an Internal Affairs file on former mayoral bodyguard Marcus Wright, who is cooperating with the prosecution. The file, which prosecutors eventually provided to the defense, concerns allegations by a former male prostitute that Wright engaged in sexual misconduct while on duty.
Full Melton coverage/archive here.
PDFs of all U.S. v. Melton documents
View photos of Ridgeway Street duplex destruction.
Read Adam Lynch’s story that started it all.
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The Mississippi Free Press produced this story through the MFP Solutions Lab, supported by the Solutions Journalism Network. This series digs into Mississippi’s systemic issues and sheds light on responses to them in other communities. Beyond just reporting on problems, these stories interrogate their causes and inspect potential solutions.