Photo by Stan Carroll
Southaven Mayor Greg Davis
Indictments against Southaven Mayor Greg Davis that were handed down Tuesday are the "tip of the iceberg" in the ongoing investigation of Davis, Dist. Atty. John Champion said during a press conference this afternoon.
Davis has been indicted by a Mississippi grand jury in DeSoto County for two counts of embezzlement by a public official and one count of false pretense. The charges relate to his leased city vehicle and the use of city gas in his personal vehicle.
Champion said those charges, which represent only the portion of the investigation that officials felt ready to move forward on right now, could total about 35 years in prison.
But Davis? attorney, Steve Farese, said during a news conference at his Ashland, Miss., office conducted at about the same time as Champion's that he wouldn?t expect Davis to face ?anything close to these maximums.?
Farese said the indictment was a shock to Davis.
?It?s a shock to anyone to be indicted,? Farese said. ?He?s shocked, he?s dismayed, but he?s confident we can mount a good defense to these claims.?
Davis was booked into the DeSoto County Jail shortly before 11 a.m. today. He paid a $3,500 bond and was released.
Davis, 46, has been under state and federal investigation for the past year. He has been accused of using city funds for his personal use.
Last November, Mississippi Auditor Stacey Pickering ordered Davis to repay more than $170,000. He still owes $70,000 that the auditor is seeking to recover by garnishing his paycheck and through a lawsuit filed in Hinds County Chancery Court.
As word of the indictment spread today, aldermen said they had no idea the state indictment was coming.
"We weren't aware that it was happening today, and it caught us off guard," said Alderman Ronnie Hale. "We want to let the constituents know that we are operating the city day to day like it needs to be done. We are not going to let the indictment hinder the operation of the city."
Aldermen are scheduled to meet at 6 tonight in regular session, and it is not known if Davis will be present. If not, Mayor Pro Tem Lorine Cady will lead the meeting.
Farese said he and Davis thought it would be a distraction for Davis to be present tonight but stopped short of saying the mayor definitely would not be there.
Davis has been the leader of Southaven, the third largest city in the state, since 1997.
His indictment is the latest in a series of issues the beleaguered mayor has faced this year.
His ex-wife, Suzann Savage Davis, filed a petition this summer accusing him of hiding assets from her, drinking excessively around his children and using his political clout to threaten her.
She seeks an amended child support arrangement and other changes to the original divorce settlement.
She also went after the mayor's boyfriend, Jansen Fair. She is suing Fair, 27, a Starkville, Miss., hair stylist, for $1 million in an alienation of affection lawsuit accusing him of breaking up her 20-year marriage by luring Davis away from her.
Most recently, four Southaven aldermen and Southaven Police Chief Tom Long filed affidavits that said Davis altered payroll documents given to his former wife that showed he made less money than he actually made.
Source: http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/dec/18/southaven-mayor-davis-indicted/
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