Grenada attorney Carlos Moore is preparing a fourth lawsuit against the city of Greenwood and its Police Department, this time against three of its officers concerning an incident that allegedly happened on June 11, 2006.
Moore was in town Wednesday assisting his client, Rogric Washington, in filing criminal charges in Leflore County Justice Court against officers Jim Burden, Terrence Craft and Tanisha Lewis.
According to Moore, Washington was walking down Linden Avenue on June 11 carrying a DVD player when he was stopped and "accosted" by Craft.
The attorney said Washington "is a ward of the state" who is "mentally challenged."
The officers suspected Washington of stealing the DVD player even though there was no report of a theft, he said.
"They tried to get the DVD from him. He went to his grandmother's house that is on that street" and left the player there, Moore said.
"Police started spraying him with Mace. They arrested him and handcuffed him," the attorney said.
Even after he was handcuffed, Moore said, the officers continued to spray Washington with Mace "or some kind of concoction" up his nose.
Moore also said that Craft put his knee on Washington's neck.
Attempts to obtain comments on the case or the lawsuit from the police department were unsuccessful Wednesday.
Washington filed affidavits Wednesday for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon on Burden and Craft. On Lewis, Washington filed an affidavit for conspiracy to commit a crime.
Washington had a criminal case filed against him for resisting arrest following the June 11 incident but was found not guilty, Moore said.
Moore said a lawsuit in the Washington case will likely be filed in Leflore County Circuit Court next week.
Craft is also named as a defendant in a $5 million lawsuit filed by Jerrance Jones in February. Moore is representing Jones in that case, which arose from a Feb. 8 traffic stop.
Moore also said Wednesday that he has added Leflore County Judge Solomon Osborne as the 15th defendant in the Latara Kemp case.
In the Kemp case, a $10 million lawsuit handled by Moore, other named defendants include Greenwood Mayor Sheriel Perkins, her three children and her husband, Willie Perkins Sr.
The lawsuit, arising from a May 5, 2006, incident involving Perkins' children in which Kemp was arrested, was filed on Feb. 20 in Leflore County Circuit Court.
Osborne, according to Moore, recused himself from hearing the Kemp arrest case and turned it over to Judge James Littleton, another defendant in the lawsuit.
Later, Osborne ordered Kemp to be rearrested, Moore said. Kemp was later found not guilty by a special judge appointed by the state Supreme Court.
"We think a lot of improprieties occurred. The family wanted me to name him as a defendant," Moore said.
Moore's first case naming the Police Department as a defendant in a lawsuit involves a Dec. 6 incident at Greenwood High School between Officer Casey Wiggins and James Marshall, a senior at the school.
In that case, Marshall is seeking $2 million.
