For the second time in three months, phone service to a Claiborne County office has been disrupted and the county’s provider, Delta Communications of Vicksburg, is being blamed.

&#8220My phones haven’t worked in two days,” Sheriff Frank Davis said this morning. &#8220Delta Communications put in the whole system about six months ago, and we’ve had problems ever since. It’s a mess.”

Claiborne County Administrator James Miller said a technician was working to restore service this morning.

&#8220The phones are being worked on as we speak,” he said. &#8220A technician has been brought on board to solve whatever the problem is. But I don’t know what the issues are, to be honest with you.”

Miller said the sheriff’s department is the only government office in Claiborne affected, although the county’s entire phone system was purchased from and is maintained by Delta.

&#8220The only place we are having problems is at the sheriff’s department,” Miller said.

Delta owner Edwin Mitchell of Vicksburg declined comment this morning. Davis said he hasn’t talked to any representative of the company.

&#8220I don’t talk to them because of the problems we’ve had before,” he said. &#8220They shut the phone system off before because the county saw discrepancies in the bill. It is my understanding the board still has not paid them.”

The problems to which Davis is referring stem from a Sept. 7 incident in which a Vicksburg police officer moonlighting as a technician for Delta was wrongly accused of shutting off phone lines, including 911 service, over a disputed charge.

Miller, too, was suspended by the Claiborne County Board of Supervisors pending an investigation that Mike Espy, board attorney, said he would conduct.

On Oct. 19, Espy cleared the officer and Miller of wrongdoing.

The whole phone deal remains murky, with no clear information available on the decision to purchase a new phone system, the price or ongoing charges and how service problems are to be resolved.

Attorney General Jim Hood and state Auditor Phil Bryant were asked Nov. 6 by Claiborne County resident James Scott to answer questions on the matter. One of those questions was whether it was legal for the county to do business with a company not registered, as required, with the Secretary of State’s Office.

Under state law, counties may act legally only through written agreements and make payments only when reflected by votes recorded in board minutes. Corporate vendors also are to be registered to do business in Mississippi.

The Secretary of State’s Web site listed no corporation actively chartered as Delta Communications.

Davis said this morning Claiborne supervisors are looking for a new vendor.

&#8220The board is going to advertise and see if they can get the whole problem taken care of,” he said.

A cell phone number, Davis said, is being provided to residents and to the county’s 911 dispatchers to reach the sheriff’s department’s nonemergency number. That number is 601-529-1055.

&#8220I hate this because my citizens down here are at risk,” Davis said. &#8220The only thing I have is a cell phone for 911 to get in touch with us. That’s the thing that concerns me the most.”