MISSISSIPPI (WCBI) – Atmos Energy customers are asked to be on high alert for scammers. Whether it is bogus imposters demanding money at your door or emails and texts demanding bill payments, utility companies are seeing an increase in reports of scammers seeking financial and other private information. Atmos said employees will not collect money in person. If you suspect…
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – A desire to stay in the country leads to a stay in the county jail for a bogus armed robbery. 24-year-old Jaimin Patel was charged with conspiracy to commit a crime and false reporting of a crime. Investigators believed Patel wanted to use the excuse of being a victim of a crime to apply for a…
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – There are 11 days until Valentine’s Day which means it’s not too late to get your loved one something sweet. Chocolate and teddy bears are two of the go-to items, but flowers are right up there too. Bruce Sansing at Noweta’s said things haven’t slowed down from one holiday to the next. “Immediately after Christmas, we…
MONROE COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Scammers are everywhere and they are always looking for their next target. In Monroe County, the Sheriff’s Department shared on social media that multiple accounts have been hacked in the area. One incident almost led to a dangerous situation for a homeowner. Hackers have been posing as people who have listed items for sale on…
LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – A storage shed went up in flames Friday morning in Lowndes County. The fire happened on Sand Road at about 8 a.m. Lowndes County Fire Coordinator Neil Austin said the one-room shed was a total loss. There was no power to the building. Volunteer fighters from districts one and three put out the flames. No…
EUPORA, Miss. (WCBI) – A traffic stop in Eupora led to gun and drug charges. A Webster County Deputy and K-9 pulled a vehicle over on Roane Avenue in Eupora, Wednesday night. That traffic stop ended with Timothy Green being arrested for Possession of a Weapon by a Convicted Felon. Deputies were able to get a search warrant for Green’s…
FAYETTE COUNTY, Ala. (WCBI) – An Alabama Probation Officer will spend the next 30 years in prison for abusing his position. Michael Steven Painter served as a Probation Officer assigned to Fayette County. Painter was arrested in 2020 on charges of Custodial Sexual Misconduct and Use of Position or Office for Personal Gain. He was accused of having inappropriate sexual…
LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – The Lowndes County Sheriff sounded the alarm about a readily available and potentially addictive drug. In the last two weeks, deputies have made a major arrest and dealt with at least one overdose tied to the unregulated drug Tianeptine. The drug is used as an anti-depressant in some countries but is not approved by the…
TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – Tupelo police made an arrest of a man that allegedly hit his grandmother. On January 31, TPD was called to 1013 North Gloster for a disturbance. Officers determined the suspect, 34-year-old Jamie Sheffield, had physically assaulted his grandmother. Officers arrested Sheffield and detectives began a more thorough investigation. It was learned that Sheffield was on house…
STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – A man in Starkville was found guilty for a shooting that happened in 2021. Gregory Davis was found guilty of one count of aggravated assault with a weapon and one count of possession of a weapon by a felon. Davis was arrested in April of 2021 for shooting a man twice in the parking lot of…
MACON, Miss. (WCBI) – A man wanted in connection with a Macon shooting has been arrested. Jermaine McCloud is now charged with two counts of aggravated assault. He was arrested by the Mississippi Highway Patrol during a traffic stop yesterday. The shooting happened on Jefferson Street. A police report said there was an argument at a gas station and then…
LOUISVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – The family of Montevious Goss is beginning to process the news of his death. Goss’s body was found in Louisville earlier this week. The family knew people had heard his name in the news, but they wanted those people to know who he was. “He liked to ride horses, he likes to write lyrics, rap, hang…
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI)- Rain, rain, and cold go away. But that’s not stopping the kids from learning and playing. It may have been cold and dreary outside, but there’s always a bright spot in Columbus when Storytime is in session. The Columbus-Lowndes County Public Library is one place where the whole community can come and explore programs like finance for adults,…
FULTON, Miss. (WCBI) – While Punxsutawney Phil reportedly saw his shadow on this groundhog day, it was a different type of shadowing for some local high school students. Seniors and juniors in Itawamba County schools spent their day as part of “National Groundhog Job Shadow Day.” A group of Itawamba County high school seniors got a change of scenery, trading…
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Recent pick-up problems have Columbus leaders looking at all options for garbage removal in the city. At a work session today, the City Council got an idea of how much it might cost if they decided to get the city itself back into the trash pick-up business. The mayor and council members heard a proposal from…
JACKSON, Miss. (WCBI) – Another legislative session, another year where many Medicaid expansion bills die on both the House and Senate floors. According to a report by Mississippi Today, neither committee chair from the House or Senate debated over the nearly two dozen bills that would provide health care coverage for poor working Mississippians. The article states that State Health…
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – After the Columbus City Council approved a contract for police radios, a local company said “hold the phone”. The Council recently approved a lease plan through a statewide contractor out of Jackson that would allow Columbus Police to operate on the MS-WIN statewide emergency network. When Columbus-based Teletec found out, they asked to meet with the…
CLAY COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – A stop at a safety checkpoint ends with a ride to jail for a West Point man. While the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics were conducting a checkpoint on Monday, Deputies stopped 23-year-old Shontez Clay of West Point. K-9 Spike was called in to search Clay’s vehicle. Sheriff Eddie Scott…
NOXUBEE COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – A shooting on Highway 45 left Noxubee County deputies asking for help to find the gunman. The gunfire happened near the Septic Tank Shop back on December 1. Investigators said someone inside a small grey vehicle started shooting at a red Dodge Charger. There were minor injuries. If you have any information about this shooting,…
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Working hard or hardly working is the question for our ever-shifting workforce. One business owner sees the shift as part of a greater awakening. 2021 was the beginning of the great resignation, and still, in 2023, employers are looking for workers to fill empty positions. And Columbus businessman Joe Baldwin said some workers are working for…