Ballgame Traffic Keeps City Cops Rolling
WATER VALLEY – Saturday’s Ole Miss football game was a sell-out, the seventh largest crowd ever at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford with the University of Mississippi reported 64,425 people in attendance. The big game also marked a busy weekend on the Hwy. 7 bypass in Water Valley as police officers issued 52 traffic citations from Friday to Sunday, the majority related to ballgame traffic.
Water Valley Chief Jason Mangrum explained that officers focused on high-speed motorists as well as enforcement at the dangerous Hwy. 7-Wise Street intersection.
“We get a lot of complaints about that intersection, reports of near misses,” Mangrum reported Monday. “That is one reason we are working so hard. It is critical to get the traffic slowed down before they get to that intersection, especially during big ballgame weekends.”
An officer witnessed one of those near misses at the intersection Friday morning after the driver of a north-bound 18-wheeler hauling lumber was forced to lock up his brakes and swerve to avoid colliding with an SUV that ran the stop sign. Although no contact was made between the vehicles, the load shifted and struck the back of the semi’s cab. Mangrum reported it took several hours for a crew using wreckers, skid steers and other equipment to get the truck’s cargo road ready again.
“The quick reaction by the truck driver helped avoid what could have easily been a fatality,” Mangrum added about the near miss.
Mangrum said that officers also issued dozens of warnings to motorists over the weekend.
“Of the 52 tickets that were written, there were over a 100 traffic stops. The tickets are usually for driving 70-plus MPH,” the chief added.
Other activity reported by the chief includes:
• Arrested Ladarrious Carothers, 19, of Water Valley on Sunday, Nov. 14, for burglary and malicious mischief. Mangrum reported Carothers forced entry into a residence where his child and the mother of the child were located on Charlie Harris Street. Carothers gained entry into the apartment after kicking the back door and was trying to get into a bedroom when officers arrived.
“He ran out the back door and they arrested him without incident,” the chief reported. He also said there is a history of disputes with the parties involved.
“But this is the first time it went that far,” Mangrum explained.
Carothers was transported to the Yalobusha County Detention Center and had an initial appearance scheduled Tuesday.
• Arrested Brandon O’Neal Williams, 36, for possession of a weapon by a convicted felon on Sunday night, Nov. 14. Mangrum reported the arrest stemmed from a dispute on Blount Street where Williams allegedly fired several rounds into the air and then threatened to go get another gun and inflict bodily harm on the other party.
Williams was arrested after he was located hiding behind several trailers on Gore Circle at 11:34 p.m. The arrest came after additional city officers and off-duty deputies responded to help with the 90-minute search.
“We want to thank the deputies for assisting us with the search and arrest,” Mangrum added.
Williams remain incarcerated.
• Arrested Tony Vereen Wade, 45, of Water Valley for DUI on Friday, Nov. 12. An officer was patrolling on Eckford Street around 8 p.m. when a SUV driven by Wade pulled up behind him with no headlights.
