A FORMER SHERRIF HELD WITHOUT BOND

OXFORD - Former Prentiss County Sheriff Jerry C. "Bud" Michael was
ordered held without bond on federal drug charges.

Michael, 58, was arrested Wednesday on federal charges of distributing
a controlled substance after allegedly selling methamphetamines to an
undercover narcotics agent.

U.S. Assistant Attorney Bob Norman asked that Michael be held without
bond at the defendant's initial appearance on Thursday. U.S.
Magistrate Judge S. Allan Alexander scheduled a bond hearing for 10
a.m. Tuesday to decide the issue.

Michael's arrest was the first of three that came out of a
multi-agency investigation lead by the U.S. Marshal's Service and the
Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics into criminal activity in Prentiss
County.

Joining Michael in federal custody Thursday was fugitive Gary F. Lee,
58, also of Pisgah community. Lee, who pled guilty to a federal charge
of possession of meth with intent to distribute, has been on the run
from federal authorities since he failed to report to prison in
October to begin serving his 20-year sentence.

In a criminal complaint, the marshal's service said they have received
information that Michael actively assisted Lee in his flight. So far,
Michael has only been charged with a drug offense.

Lee is also scheduled for a court hearing on Tuesday.

Also arrested Wednesday night was Wesley Weathersby, 34, of the Hinkle
community in Alcorn County, said U.S. Marshal David Crews.
Investigators discovered a handgun equipped with a silencer, a
violation of federal and state law, when they went to question
Weathersby in connection with the investigation.

Weathersby is currently being held in the Alcorn County Jail on the
weapons charge, Crews said.

Officers from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, Mississippi Highway
Patrol Criminal Investigation Division, Booneville Police and the
Alcorn and Prentiss County sheriffs' departments, cooperated in an
investigation sparked by complaints by citizens and other law
enforcement agencies.

"The current sheriff (Randy Tolar) is one hundred percent behind us,"
said MBN Maj. Roy Sandefer.

Thursday Hearing

Michael appeared Thursday without counsel and asked Alexander to
appoint an attorney for him. Michael said his family was probably
trying to arrange for a private attorney at that moment, adding that
he didn't know how he would afford legal representation. In a
statement of his financial condition, though, the defendant
acknowledged that his home is paid for and that he has several
thousand dollars' equity in a second home.

A criminal complaint filed by the U.S. Marshal's Service details a
number of allegations against Michael including death threats against
other law enforcement officers, misuse of position as sheriff and
increasingly paranoid behavior.

The federal court document refers to a Mississippi Highway Patrol
criminal investigation into threats made against Alcorn County Sheriff
Jimmy Simmons and an MBN agent. Taylor told state investigators he
believed Michael fired shots at him on one occasion.

Additionally, federal investigators are looking into an allegation
that Michael had a state prisoner make "undercover buys" but never
documented the cases or logged in the illegal drugs, according to the
court documents.

The only charges currently filed against Michael result from
undercover buys made on Monday and Tuesday by state narcotics agents,
also detailed in the court papers.

Investigation Continues

After Michael's arrest, narcotics agents received warrants to search
the defendant's home and farm, an operation that lasted until early
Thursday morning and yielded several guns, numerous documents and
other evidence. All the evidence will be studied for links to further
crimes or other people, said Maj. Roy Sandefer of the Mississippi
Bureau of Narcotics.

"After we analyze what we have, who knows what will happen?" he
mused.

When asked about whether Michael may have used drugs, Sandefer said
that such a situation was provable.

"That's a sad statement," he added.