Choctaw County, Mississippi Sheriff’s Deputy Indicted for Civil Rights Offenses and Obstruction of Justice

OXFORD, MS—John Marshall Alexander, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Mississippi, and Daniel McMullen, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), announce that:

A federal grand jury returned an indictment last week charging Choctaw County, Mississippi Sheriff’s Deputy Billy C. Scott, Jr. with civil rights violations and obstruction of justice. Scott appeared today before United States Magistrate Judge Jerry Davis, in Aberdeen, Mississippi. He was released on a $25,000 bond and will face trial on March 28, 2011, before United States District Judge Sharion Aycock.

According to the indictment, on April 1, 2010, Scott ordered his police dog to attack a Mathiston male resident without any legitimate law enforcement purpose, causing the victim to suffer bodily injury. Additionally, the indictment charges Scott with failing to keep the victim from harm and falsifying a report in order to cover up his misconduct.

If convicted, Scott faces a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison for the civil rights offenses and 20 years in prison for the false statements offense.

The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Jackson Field Office - Oxford Resident Agency. The case is being prosecuted by the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Mississippi.

The charges set forth in the indictment are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.