9 of 10 arrested in HPD locker raid indicted

hattiesburgamerican.com
BYLINE: Jesse Bass, American Staff Writer

Hattiesburg, MS

Hattiesburg Police Department's evidence locker was raided by burglars Aug. 20. After the heist, an undisclosed amount of marijuana was discovered to be missing. Police made 10 arrests during the investigation, including:

- Felisha Taylor, 32, of Hattiesburg, a housekeeper at the police department; charged with providing contraband (electronic device) to a state inmate and receiving stolen property

- Victoria Shabazz, 40, of Hattiesburg, an employee at the city's Action Center; charged with providing contraband (electronic device) to a state inmate

- Melinda Burke, 36, of Gulfport; charged with commercial burglary, conspiracy to commit burglary and conspiracy to possess a controlled substance with intent to distribute

- Raphael Parkman, 26, of Gulfport; charged with commercial burglary, conspiracy to commit burglary and conspiracy to possess a controlled substance with intent to distribute, possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute

- Troy Wolverton, 47, of Laurel, a former jail inmate; charged with grand larceny

- Rodney J. Burke, 20, Gulfport; charged with commercial burglary, conspiracy to commit burglary and conspiracy to possess a controlled substance with intent to distribute, possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute

- Melinda Buford, 36, of Gulfport; charged with commercial burglary, conspiracy to commit burglary and conspiracy to possess a controlled substance with intent to distribute.

- Paul Pettis, an escaped Mississippi Department of Corrections inmate, charged with commercial burglary, conspiracy to commit burglary, possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver and conspiracy to possess a controlled substance with intent to deliver.

- Cheryl Fluker, 39, of Hattiesburg, who worked in the city's Action Center; charged with accessory to burglary after the fact and providing contraband (electronic device) to a state inmate.

- Tyson Lee Gaines, 25, of Gulfport, a state inmate; charged with conspiracy to commit burglary, possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, conspiracy to possess a controlled substance with intent to deliver, possession of contraband and two counts of commercial burglary.

Whatever happened?

After being indicted on the contraband charge, Felisha Taylor pleaded guilty June 3. She was ordered by Circuit Court Judge Robert Helfrich to complete 500 hours of community service and received a five-year suspended sentence.

What's next?

Wolverton currently has no indictment on file in the Forrest County circuit clerk's office, but as for the other eight, Forrest-Perry County District Attorney Patricia Burchell said all have been indicted, have attorneys and have been scheduled for trial.

"There should be a disposition in those within the next couple months," Burchell said.

Coming up, Fluker and Shabazz are scheduled for trial June 20. Gaines was set to be tried June 1, but pre-trial discovery issues caused his date to be changed to July 27.

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