James Marshall, the Greenwood High School student seeking a million-dollar judgment over an altercation with a police officer, has had at least one previous run-in with the law.
Still hanging over the 18-year-old's head is a robbery charge from last summer.
According to police booking records, Marshall, of 602 Pine St., was arrested at 12:46 p.m. on June 15, 2006. He has been out on bond since then.
Further details of the charge were unavailable Saturday.
The case is still pending against Marshall, according to Joyce Chiles, Leflore County's district attorney.
While declining to talk about specifics in the incident, Chiles did say she's familiar with the case.
"It has not been disposed of," she said.
Robbery, under state law, is defined as the felonious taking of personal property from another against his will by violence or by "putting such person in fear of some immediate injury to his person."
A person convicted of robbery can serve up to 15 years in prison.
Marshall was charged as an adult even though he was 17 at the time of the incident.
In his lawsuit, Marshall claims that police officer Casey Wiggins used excessive force and wrongfully arrested the student during a confrontation at the high school on Dec. 6.
A school surveillance video has become a central focus of the case. It shows Wiggins, who was assigned to patrol the school, pointing his service pistol at Marshall twice, once after falling on his back with Marshall on top of him. Wiggins, 26, claims he pulled his firearm after Marshall knocked him to the ground and continued to resist the officer.
The lawsuit names as defendants Wiggins, the city of Greenwood, Police Chief Henry Harris and Mayor Sheriel Perkins.
Carlos Moore of Grenada, Marshall's attorney in the lawsuit, said Saturday that, although he was aware of the robbery charge, his client "is currently not under investigation for any crime."
Moore said, "He did tell me initially he was arrested. He's not under any investigation for any crime whatsoever."
Moore is not representing Marshall in the robbery case.
Mitchel Creel of Greenville, Wiggins' attorney, said he intends to examine Marshall's possible criminal activities very closely when the student takes the witness stand in a probable cause hearing set for Jan. 26. That circuit court proceeding is intended to determine whether there is evidence to charge Wiggins with a crime.
"I'm going to look into every avenue," Creel said. "Knowing that (Marshall) is a minor, you can't get ahold of anything."
Two days after the incident at Greenwood High, Marshall turned 18.
Moore continues to say that there is interest in the national media in the case. The attorney said he and Marshall will be booked on the CBS morning news program "The Early Show" once the probable cause hearing has concluded.
Creel questioned whether that appearance will ever take place. He said producers of the CBS show called him last week and told him "they don't want the story."
Moore said other interviews are likely on ABC's "Good Morning America" and the television news magazine "Inside Edition."
Creel said the incident at the school was fairly simple.
"You're in school, he's an officer. Does he have the power to question you? This goes on 50 times a day in the Delta."
He said he expects his client to be exonerated during the probable cause hearing.
Creel disputes the often-repeated claim that no charges were filed against Marshall after he was arrested by Wiggins.
Such charges might include simple assault or failure to comply with a law enforcement officer, Creel speculated.
Regardless of which it is, Wiggins has not dropped them, his attorney said.
"He filed them on the day in question. If they were dropped, we need to find out who did that. No court of law has dropped them," Creel said.
