VETERAN LAWMEN VIE FOR PONTOTOC SHERIFF POST

PONTOTOC - This county has suburban-style subdivisions, small towns
and rural areas that not only provide lifestyle advantages for
residents, but also pose varying public safety challenges.

Three veteran lawmen, all longtime Pontotoc County residents, will
compete Nov. 6 to be the man facing those challenges, succeeding
Sheriff Leo Mask, whose bid for a third term ended in the Democratic
primary. The winner will take office in January.

While the candidates differ in enforcement styles, they agree on the
biggest challenge facing the election winner: drugs.

- - "Our reputation is pretty well one of drug problems," said Neal
Davis, the Democratic nominee. "A lot of people say we're No. 1 in the
state in crystal meth."

- - "The Toyota place coming in is going to bring quite an addition to
crime in the way of drugs (and) drug-related crime," said independent
Frankie Daniels.

- - "Most of the other crime in our county in some way relates back to
drugs - theft, burglary, assaults, homicides," added independent
Mickey Puckett.

Several Pontotoc County residents informally polled were unanimous in
their agreement.

- - "Drugs ... lead to burglaries and most of the other crime," said
Wells Russell of Thaxton.

- - "I guess they're doing all they can do, but it looks like the drugs
are winning," Billy Willard of Pinedale added.

- - "They've got to get rid of this drug stuff," said Marjorie Warren of
South Pontotoc. "It hits almost every family."

All three candidates also say they hope to win the confidence of
Pontotoc Countians and for them to help combat crime.

"No one knows what is going on in their own community better than the
people in that community," Puckett said. "If they can provide us with
information, we will intensely and immediately investigate these crimes."

"It's going to take county people letting us know where the problems
are, being involved in helping us clean up their own areas," Davis
echoed.

Daniels added that residents "can be the eyes and ears" of the
Sheriff's Department. "They see a lot of things we can't see; they
hear a lot of things that we don't hear. If they got confidence in us,
they'll tell us, and we can take it from there."