SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Transportation's NHTSA has launched its annual “Click It or Ticket” campaign to promote seat belt use, particularly at night and in rural areas. The campaign, supported by an $11.2 million advertising effort across multiple platforms, highlights the high percentage of unbelted fatalities in rural areas and among young male drivers. In 2022, 58% of passenger vehicle occupants killed in rural nighttime crashes were not wearing seat belts. The initiative runs from May 13 to June 2, coinciding with heightened enforcement by state and local law enforcement to enhance road safety. For more details, visit NHTSA.gov/SeatBelts.

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SUMMARY: The Mississippi Highway Patrol concluded the 2024 Memorial Day Holiday Travel Period at midnight on Monday. Beginning Friday, May 24th at 6:00 a.m., they issued 7,026 citations, made 118 DUI arrests, and cited 864 for seatbelt violations. They investigated 135 crashes resulting in 53 injuries and 4 fatalities, occurring in Benton, Tunica, Itawamba, and Harrison Counties. The crashes involved a variety of vehicles and circumstances, and all incidents remain under investigation. Compared to 2023, there were fewer citations, seatbelt violations, DUI arrests, crashes, and motorist assists but the same number of alcohol-related crashes and a slight increase in fatalities.

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SUMMARY: Jimmy Joe Davis, 54, has been found guilty by a Harrison County jury of sexual battery and touching a child for lustful purposes. Davis, originally from Kentucky, was on trial for molesting a seven-year-old child. He left the courthouse before the jury delivered its verdict, prompting Circuit Court Judge Randi P. Mueller to issue an arrest warrant for him. The trial revealed that Davis had been living with a woman and her two minors, where the child disclosed the abuse during a Child Protective Services visit. Sentencing will proceed once Davis is apprehended, with a potential life plus 15 years in prison.

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