Panel backs city on policeman’s unpaid leave|[11/30/05]

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, November 30, 2005

Deputy Sheriff Mike Hollingsworth couldn’t offer much information Tuesday, telling jurors in the trial of a man accused of running him down he has no memory of the impact or the aftermath.

Another witness was clear, however, testifying Ronald Vaughn, now 25, accelerated a sedan around a funeral procession on U.S. 80 and slammed into the officer who was directing traffic into Green Acres Memorial Park.

&#8220It was obvious that he hit the gas pedal whenever he saw the cop,” said Chris DeRossette, identified as the driver of a pickup over which Hollingsworth was knocked.

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A passenger in that pickup, Justin Boler, testified he &#8220had to look up” to see the trajectory the deputy took. Another witness, Mike Boler, said Hollingsworth traveled 10 to 15 feet in the air and landed 20 to 30 feet from the point of impact.

A total of 11 prosecution witnesses appeared in Warren County Circuit Court for the second day of Vaughn’s trial on an indictment charging aggravated driving under the influence of a controlled substance. If convicted, Judge Isadore Patrick may sentence Vaughn to up to 25 years in prison.

Emotional testimony came from Debbie Hollingsworth, who recounted learning her husband had been injured on Feb. 9, 2004, and taken to River Region Medical Center.

&#8220I was told he may not make it to” University Medical Center in Jackson, she testified.

It took weeks after the wreck for him to recognize her or their two children, she said.

After his release from hospitalization Hollingsworth required more treatment and rehabilitation for his brain and other injuries, including surgery for a torn knee ligament, he said. As a consequence, Debbie Hollingsworth resigned her former job to maximize her ability to care for him and their children, she said.

In his testimony, Hollingsworth said his mind is a total blank when it comes to the incident.

&#8220The last thing I remember prior to that date was a cell-phone conversation with a good friend of mine,” Hollingsworth testified. He spent six weeks in Jackson hospitals, the first two in a coma. His first memory is being transferred to a rehabilitation center on March 2, 2004, he said.

&#8220I remember waking up – coming to, really – and my wife was in the chair,” he said. &#8220And she told me what had happened.”

Assistant District Attorney Mike Bonner was expected to complete the state’s case today. The defense of Vaughn, being presented by Vicksburg attorney Eugene Perrier, is to follow.

Several witnesses Tuesday were drivers or passengers in the funeral procession moving the short distance between the Glenwood Funeral Home exit and the memorial park entrance.

Also testifying was State Trooper Scott Henley, who investigated and said evidence at the scene and witness testimony showed Vaughn drove a sedan across double-yellow lines, around vehicles in a funeral procession and past Hollingsworth’s parked patrol car with lights flashing before striking the deputy.

Henley said he observed Vaughn at the scene and the car witnesses said Vaughn had been driving, which had careened into a ditch.

&#8220I could smell the odor of alcohol and marijuana coming from his” clothes and his car, Henley said. The trooper said he took Vaughn to River Region, where he ordered blood to be drawn. Henley said he ticketed Vaughn for DUI and for failure to yield to the patrol car’s lights.

Witnesses described Vaughn as defiant at the scene and at the hospital.

Mississippi Crime Laboratory expert John L. Stevenson testified that he received the sample of Vaughn’s blood, found no alcohol in it and sent it to a national laboratory for further analysis. An expert from that laboratory was expected to testify Tuesday but was delayed and may testify today.

Vaughn has remained in custody because he was on probation on a prior conviction for shooting into a dwelling. By a May 2004 agreement with prosecutors, he agreed to having that probation revoked and admitted that he was driving under the influence of an illegal drug the day Hollingsworth was struck.

Hollingsworth, whose father and grandfather were also law enforcement officers, returned to limited duty months after being injured. His gradual recovery has continued.