City man to stand trial in shooting at center

Published 11:29 am Wednesday, August 8, 2012

A Vicksburg man accused of shooting inside Vicksburg Convention Center while fighting with his cousin’s accused killer and a man accused of receiving marijuana through the mail will stand trial in November.

Everett Defrance, 22, 227 High Hill Drive, waived his right to arraignment after indictment by the Warren County grand jury for aggravated assault and malicious mischief and did not appear in court.

Circuit Court Judge M. James Chaney set trial for Nov. 26. Defrance is represented by attorney Michael Bonner.

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Defrance is accused of firing a .38-caliber pistol inside the convention center early Easter morning after a private party. About 450 people attended the event, and about 150 were in the convention center when the bullet ricocheted off a door and lodged in the ceiling, convention center director Troy Thorn said.

Defrance and his cousins were fighting with Rondell Galvin, 21, 209 Overlook Drive, when Defrance fired the shot, police said. Galvin was indicted in May for murder in the July 15, 2011, shooting death of Defrance’s cousin, William Jones Jr.

Galvin told police that he had been attacked by the group of men, but Defrance said Galvin started the confrontation.

After the shooting, Defrance said he fired a warning shot into the air to stop the fight. Replacing the door struck by the bullet cost an estimated $11,960, according to court records.

Rodney Woodford, 44, 322 Silver Creek Drive, will stand trial Nov. 12 for possession of a controlled substance on charges he received more than a pound of marijuana in the mail.

Woodford also waived his right to arraignment and did not appear in court.

He was arrested Nov. 7, 2011, by Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics agents after accepting a packing containing 499.5 grams — more than 17½ ounces — of marijuana from an undercover postal inspector. The priority mail package was shipped from California, according to court records.

Other indictments, including name, age, address, the charge and arrest dates, released by the DA’s office after receiving waivers of arraignment Tuesday are:

• Troy Bunville, 20, 2310 E. Main St. — conspiracy to commit a felony and three counts of forgery of a counterfeit instrument, July 11.

• Amanda Doyle, 24, 2930 E. Main St. — conspiracy to commit a felony and three counts of forgery of a counterfeit instrument, July 11.

• Angela Lovins, 40, 159 Joyce Lane — malicious mischief, March 20.