Narcotics director tagged in lawsuit
By By Buddy Bynum / editor
May 3, 2003
The head of the Mississippi Narcotics Bureau leaked a confidential agency memo because of a "personal vendetta" against a former agent he believed was involved in the transfer of two MBN airplanes, according to a lawsuit filed in Lauderdale County Circuit Court.
MBN director Frank Melton of Jackson and MBN agent Warren Buchanan of Meridian were named as defendants in the suit filed by Earl Pierce, Jimmy Saxton, Bill Taylor and Ronald Pitts. A complaint represents one side of a legal argument.
The plaintiffs essentially claim that Melton released the MBN memo knowing it contained "unfounded, uncorroborated and false information" to a reporter in The Clarion-Ledger's Washington bureau. An account of the memo was written by reporter Ana Radelat in the newspaper's April 18 editions.
Internal memo
The internal memo summarizes MBN investigating agent Roy Sandefer's interviews with people believed to be knowledgeable of details in the 1999 transfer of a Beechcraft King Air to the Harrison County Sheriff's Department and the 2000 transfer of a Cessna 206 to the Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission.
The King Air, valued at approximately $800,000, was obtained by MBN from the State Surplus Property Department, then transferred to Harrison County at no cost, according to a confidential source cited in the memo.
The memo said the plane's transfer was facilitated by Pierce, a former employee of MBN who became head of the Mississippi Air National Guard's 186th Air Refueling C-26 counter-drug unit, which is based in Meridian. Pierce now heads the Mississippi National Guard's federal counter-drug programs.
The memo contained allegations that the aircraft were transferred at the request of a former aide to U.S. Sen. Trent Lott. The planes were kept at the Mississippi Air Guard's Meridian-based 186th Air Refueling Wing at Key Field.
The state auditor's office confirmed it is looking into the allegations.
Lawsuit's claims
The lawsuit was filed in Lauderdale County Circuit Court because a second defendant, Buchanan, lives here, according to the complaint.
The lawsuit claims that Melton acted beyond the scope of his authority as MBN director "for his own personal reasons to settle a personal vendetta" against the plaintiffs. The lawsuit claims that Buchanan "intentionally fabricated the allegations" contained in the internal memo "for the purpose of embarrassing and damaging the reputations" of the plaintiffs.
Pierce, Saxton, Taylor and Pitts claim mental anguish, emotional distress, potential lost income and damage to their reputations. The amounts of actual and punitive damages they are seeking was not disclosed in the lawsuit.
Melton has said he does not believe Lott violated any laws.
The allegations in the April 17 memo are based on an internal MBN probe, including interviews with a confidential source said to have knowledge of the activities, identified only as "C.S."
Other problems
The MBN's internal investigation also claimed that several individuals fraudulently applied for overtime. They turned in reports, signed by Saxton, an MBN official, that said they were flying over Mississippi in December and January looking for marijuana. But marijuana plants don't grow in December and January,'' the report said, quoting C.S.''
Saxton also promoted a civilian employee in exchange for helicopter flight lessons and allowed thousands of dollars in bureau money to be spent on personal items for employees, including leather jackets, tools, boots and sunglasses, the report said.
I did not have authority to do the things I've been accused of and have been cleared of the allegation regarding fraudulent overtime by the state auditor's office last year,'' Saxton said.
The lawsuit has been assigned to Lauderdale County Circuit Judge Robert Bailey.
