[05/09/02]County Judge Gerald Hosemann filed for a fifth-term today, beating Friday’s deadline and increasing the field of candidates to five.

A spokesman for the Warren County Circuit Clerk’s Office said Hosemann, 50, submitted his paperwork about 10:45 a.m. He was not available this morning.

Hosemann was suspended from the bench by a 5-4 vote of the state Supreme Court after being indicted on an aggravated assault charch in Hinds County on April 24.

Former Vicksburg South Ward Alderman Sam Habeeb, 33, is serving as the county and youth court judge on an interim basis. He is on leave from his job as an attorney for the state Tax Commission and does not plan to seek the job in the Nov. 5 election.

Four other attorneys do. Filing earlier were Robert C. Arledge, 44, William Bost Jr., 57, Clarence Whitaker, 59, and Johnny Price, 55. The job pays $94,600 per year.

Hosemann’s ordeal began with his arrest on Dec. 28 after Hinds County sheriff’s deputies filed a sworn statement saying that Juanita “Nita” Johnston, 48, identified him as the person who beat her and left her on his Hinds County ranch property after the two argued Dec. 4.

In March, Johnston, who said she loves Hosemann and has for a long time, told prosecutors, Hosemann’s attorney and the press that he is not responsible for injuries that resulted in abdominal surgery and her use of a walker. She also called the indictment a miscarriage of justice.

No trial date has been set for Hosemann, first elected in 1986 and re-elected without opposition every four years since.