Miss. sheriff's FEMA case moved to Baton Rouge federal court (FEMA ice)

[spotbird]

BATON ROUGE, La. Federal prosecutors in Baton Rouge will take up the misdemeanor case against a Mississippi sheriff accused of commandeering two ice trucks from a federal reservation and sending them to relief centers after Hurricane Katrina.

The U-S Department of Justice assigned Forrest County Sheriff Billy McGee's 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.

The 53-year-old McGee had agreed last month to plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of interfering with, intimidating and impeding a federal officer. It is unclear where that plea stands now that the case is being moved to Baton Rouge.

more

http://www.klfy.com/Global/story.asp?S=4594746

Why hasn't this gone national? It is one of the more outrageous stories to come out of the FEMA the Katrina mess? It shows the incompetence of the feds, their corruption (the ice was going to be stored at a Bush cronies in Maine) and the total disregard for the suffering of the victims. It is a perfect metaphor for why the Gulf is still such a mess.

On edit:

This story ran earlie,r but I don't understand why the Sheriff would need a defense fund since he plans to plead guilty.

Defense fund established for McGee

Supporters of Forrest County Sheriff Billy McGee have started a fundraising campaign for what could be a long, drawn-out legal battle.

Retired banker Paul McMullan announced Monday that accounts have been set up at BancorpSouth and Trustmark for anyone who wants to contribute to a legal defense fund for McGee.

McGee, 53, had agreed last week to plead guilty to a federal misdemeanor charge that he interfered with and intimidated a federal officer when he and his deputies commandeered two FEMA ice trucks at Camp Shelby and sent the ice to Petal and Brooklyn where hurricane victims desperately needed it.

more

http://www.wdam.com/Global/story.asp?S=4592605

[Kierkegaard]

1. I hadn't heard about this.

Welcome to upside-down world where doing the wrong thing and lying about it is great, but doing the right thing will get you bullied, harrassed or jailed.

Kudos to sheriff McGee for doing the right thing!

:patriot:

[aquart]

2. They're prosecuting this? Give the guy a medal and a pension.

He actually did his job.

And fire the federal officer who had to be "intimidated" into doing his own job.

[spotbird]

6. I feel safer knowing that next

time FEMA wants to screw locals the fed will prosecute to prevent sanity.

[zreosumgame]

3. just idiot-cons wanting it both ways

The NO mayor Nagin does not authorize theft of school buses (after being repeatedly assured FEMA help is staged and ready to do pick-ups) so they beat up on him, now when someone DID step up to the plate and DID something actually useful, why slap him in chains and throw the book at him...

[Ian David]

4. I hear people ask, "Why didn't Nagin just TAKE the busses...

even though FEMA told him not to?"

This is why.

Does McGee still need a defense fund even though he plead guilty?

[lies and propaganda]

5. LIHOP n/t

[eyeontheprize]

7. Recommended

If this isn't a parody we really are living in the most insane times in American history.

[saigon68]

8. Recommended

[Timefortruth]

9. Recommended N/T

[spotbird]

10. Update: The plea deal was apparently with the prosecutor who

recused himself, hence the need for a defense fund.

McGee case moved to Baton Rouge


skip

"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.

a tiny bit more here

http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060307/NEWS01/603070312/1002

[Janice325]

11. Has anyone sent this to Keith Olbermann?

Kicked and recommended.

[MadMaddie]

12. He saved lives and he is being prosecuted for it....

This should prove that the * cabal only promotes death for Americans....

Do the states have the right to disband FEMA in individual states?

[Canuckistanian]

13. What's really criminal is the prosecutor for this case.

Why don't they treat it like, say, Rush Limbaugh's money laundering charges?

[spotbird]

14. That would be because Rush is a Republican

who didn't embarrass the administration so there aren't any laws which apply to him.