MS Alderwoman attends first town hall meeting since drug arrest

BYHALIA, Miss. — Byhalia had its first town hall meeting since Alderwoman Delainer Richmond was arrested and charged after police allegedly found illegal drugs and guns inside her home.

Tuesday’s town hall meeting was Richmond’s first since the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics and Byhalia Police seized marijuana plants, methamphetamine, guns and a large amount of ammunition in her residence.

During the meeting, none of Richmond’s allegations were addressed to the public as an executive session ended the meeting.

WREG spoke with Byhalia’s mayor who declined to go on the record, but he said he still supports the alderwoman and repeated a previous statement saying she is “good at her job.”

On the other hand, others outside the meeting spoke off-camera about their criticisms of Richmond and her charges.

However, the overall consensus of the meeting was that support overshadowed the critics.

“I don’t think resigning should be in her vocabulary,” NAACP of Marshall County’s Vice President Antoine Lester said. “She does good, she did nothing wrong.”

Lester and another man told WREG there is too much hearsay surrounding Richmond’s case and that people need to hold opinions until all facts are presented.

“We don’t think that she don’t have really anything to do with it,” Lester said. “Just the way the business was handled, we disagree with that. We in the state of Mississippi and we are faced with tremendous amounts of racism here.”

Both men also said that Richmond’s track record in the community speaks for itself.

“I have known her all her life and she is a good person,” Fitzgerald Richmond said. “She is a good worker here in the town, she stands for what’s right.”

Agents may pursue federal charges against Curtis Richmond. The state said additional arrests are expected.

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