TOMPKINS PEADS GUILTY TO EXTORTION CHARGE

Clarksdale Police Sgt. James Tompkins pleaded guilty to extortion Thursday.
Tompkins appeared before U.S. District Judge Glen H. Davidson of the
Northern District of Mississippi in Oxford.

"It's sad that we have to prosecute one of our own," said Assistant U.S.
Attorney Robert Norman after the hearing. "But we have to clean our own house."

As part of the plea agreement, Tompkins pleaded guilty to one count of
extortion. In exchange for the guilty plea, prosecutors agreed not to
charge Tompkins with any other offenses arising from the extortion incident.

The agreement contained no sentencing recommendation, but Tompkins faces up
to 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. He will remain free on
bond until his sentencing hearing, which has not yet been scheduled.

According to court records, Tompkins conducted a traffic stop of a
Clarksdale woman on Jan. 11. He told her the police had videotapes of her
committing some sort of drug violation. Tompkins then told her he could
have the tapes destroyed for between $3,000 and $4,000. The woman reported
the incident to Police Chief Steve Bingham on Jan. 14, and, while she was
meeting with Bingham, Tompkins called her on her cell phone demanding
money. Bingham listened in on the conversation and recognized Tompkins' voice.

Bingham notified Mississippi Highway Patrol investigators, and the woman
was provided with a tape recorder and $1,000 in marked bills. She met with
Tompkins and gave him the money. He told her the money was well spent by
naming some interstate cocaine traffickers who had avoided prosecution.

Immediately after the meeting, Tompkins was arrested and the $1,000
recovered. He confessed to extorting the money for his own use.

"It's sad that it happened, but at the same time, we're sworn to uphold the
law, not break the law and become party to something like that," Bingham
said Thursday. "That became our job."

FBI Special Agent John Lavoie, who worked on the case after the arrest,
commended the Clarksdale Police Department for moving forward with the
case. "Some departments would have looked the other way," he said. "This
one didn't."

Bingham would not comment on whether or not Tompkins agreed to cooperate on
any related investigations.