in cocaine, Mercedes taken in I-20 bust

[11/12/03]Cocaine with a street value of more than $200,000 was taken from a Mercedes on Interstate 20 in Vicksburg early this morning, and three South Carolina residents were jailed.

Warren County Sheriff’s Deputy Brad Redditt stopped the 1997 Mercedes E320 at 2:52 on I-20 East near Indiana Avenue for having no tag, Sheriff Martin Pace said.

“Deputy Redditt became suspicious of the occupants and called for assistance from the K-9 unit in Delta,” Pace said.

In the trunk, they found two packages weighing a total of 5 pounds. An additional eighth of an ounce of cocaine was found beneath the car’s backseat.

Nearly $2,500 in cash was found in the lining of a pillow in the car.

“Even though there is no indication that this cocaine was intended for distribution in Vicksburg, it’s still a significant seizure and that’s a large quantity of cocaine that will not be distributed in someone else’s community,” Pace said.

Arrested and charged with possession of cocaine over a kilogram with intent to distribute were:

Terry Bernard Anderson, 37, 130 Epps Drive, Simpsonville. Anderson was the driver of the vehicle.

Charles Marvel Brown, 24, 57th Street Judson, Greenville.

Marketa Delois James, 18, 116 Rose Ave., Greenville.

The three were in the Warren County Jail without bond.

Separately, two Vicksburg residents were arrested Tuesday on drug charges, Vicksburg Police Department records show.

Rheuvonia Buck, 21, 20 Water Well Road, was arrested at 1:10 p.m. on North Washington Street, records show.

Buck was charged with sale of controlled substance. She was released from the Warren County Jail on a $5,000 bond.

Charles Holmes, 27, 933 Bowmar Ave., was arrested at 8:40 p.m. at 4888 U.S. 61 South, records show. He was charged with sale of marijuana and was released from the Warren County Jail on a $15,000 bond.

Results on Jett School fire expected in this week

Results of tests submitted to the state crime lab, which are expected later this week, may show the cause of a Sunday morning fire believed set minutes before an armed robbery at a downtown casino and an hour after a bomb threat was made to another casino.

Fire Chief Keith Rogers said today that he cannot go into details about the samples sent for testing until they are returned, but he still suspects the blaze at the former Jett Elementary School was set.

“We found some materials that look like some foul play was going on, but we’re just guessing at this point,” Rogers said.

Although authorities have not said they suspect the two incidents were connected, the fire off Warrenton Road just south of the Mississippi River bridges was reported around 4 a.m., about 15 minutes before a man forced his way into an employee entrance at Horizon Casino, 1310 Mulberry St., with a gun.

The masked man made off with an undisclosed amount of cash. Police spokesman DaVon Grey said this morning that investigators are following new leads, but have not identified a suspect.

The man also told employees at the casino that a bomb had been hidden in the building. A box wrapped in duct tape was found under the casino loading dock, but later turned out to be empty.

Rogers said the Jett property now belongs to Rainbow Casino and that the city is working with the company to tear down the remaining structure this week. He said more samples could be sent for testing as cleanup efforts begin.

A bomb threat was also called to Rainbow Casino, 1380 Warrenton Road, about an hour before the robbery.

City man charged with embezzlement

A Vicksburg man was arrested Tuesday and charged with embezzlement under contract, police records show.

Jimmy Small, 50, 1806 Poplar St., was arrested at 9:45 p.m. at Marcus and Lummie streets. He was in the Warren County Jail on a $5,000 bond, records show.

Louisiana man charged with uttering forgery

A Louisiana man was arrested Monday and charged with four counts of uttering a forgery, police records show.

James McKinney, 40, 48378 Spook Hill Road, Natalbany, La., was arrested at 7:10 p.m. at the Vicksburg Police Department, records show.

He was in the Warren County Jail on a $10,000 bond.

City woman jailed for false pretense

A Vicksburg woman was arrested Tuesday and charged with three counts of false pretenses, records show.

Cassandra Johnson, 38, 1212 Camilia Cove, was arrested at 3:30 p.m. at Ameristar Casino.

She was in the Warren County Jail, and bond had not been set.

Car burglary reported at casino parking lot

A car burglary was reported at 9:09 p.m. Tuesday at Ameristar Casino, police records show.

No items were reported stolen but damage to the vehicle and the car stereo was estimated to be $475, records show.