Field set for Hinds District Attorney special election after filing deadline passes
By Bobby Caina Calvan | Originally published by Mississippi Today
Five candidates are seeking to serve out the term of former Hinds District Attorney Jody Owens, who left office earlier this summer after pleading guilty in a federal bribery case.
Thursday was the deadline to file candidacy papers with the Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office for a Nov. 3 special election.
Jackson defense attorney Darla Palmer is making another bid for the office after two previous attempts – both times losing to Owens, who was first elected to the post in 2019 then reelected in 2023.
Also expected to be on the ballot: Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Gwen Agho, Greta Mack, Marvin L. Sanders and Wendy Wilson White, all of whom filed candidacy papers by Thursday’s 5 p.m. deadline, according to the secretary of state’s website.
The winner would serve through January 2028, when Owens’ four-year term would have expired.
Acting Hinds County DA Brad McCullouch, who was appointed to the post last month by Gov. Tate Reeves, is not vying for the job. He is not eligible to run for the post because he does not live within the 7th Judicial District, whose boundaries coincide with that of Hinds County. McCullouch lives in neighboring Madison County.
Owens was set to go on trial in July alongside former Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba and former City Councilman Aaron Banks.
Owens pleaded guilty to a federal bribery conspiracy charge about two weeks before jury selection was to start. A week later, Lumumba and Banks also pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy in a bribery scheme involving undercover FBI agents and a proposed downtown development project. Sentencing for the three men is set for October. Two others previously pleaded guilty in 2024.
The next Hinds County DA will oversee an office struggling to clear caseloads that have contributed to severe crowding at the Hinds County Detention Center.
This article was originally published by Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
Source: Original Article
