A decision in the city’s misdemeanor case against street-preacher Micah Bishop has been extended at least a week.

Municipal Court Judge Nancy Thomas said she will not issue a ruling before mid-week, at the earliest.

At the request of city prosecutor Bobby Robinson, Thomas extended the deadline for attorneys to file their summations after Bishop’s Jan. 25 trial. Attorneys also have the opportunity to file rebuttals.

Bishop 35, 329 Lakeview Drive, was arrested Oct. 3 while open-air preaching at Jackson and Monroe streets during the annual Old Court House Museum Flea Market. He was charged with disturbing the peace and failure to obey a lawful order.

Also arrested was 18-year-old Andrew Clemts, 96 Baptist Drive, who was videotaping Bishop.

 

Atwood found innocent on misdemeanor appeal

David Atwood was found innocent on a domestic violence charge Thursday by a jury in Warren County Judge John S. Price’s court, according to court records.

Atwood, 26, 439 Garden Grove St., was appealing a Dec. 9, 2009, conviction in justice court on the misdemeanor domestic violence charge, which stemmed from an Oct. 13, 2009, incident involving his grandmother, records show. Atwood’s attorney, Marcie T. Southerland, declined comment on the case or Atwood’s Jan. 12 arrest by U.S. Marshals in Warren County for a violation of a supervised release stemming from a 2005 conviction.

Atwood had pleaded guilty in 2005 to wire fraud and sexual enticement. U.S. District Court Judge David Bramlette had sentenced him to five years, three months in federal prison followed by five years’ probation and payment of nearly $26,000 in restitution.

Atwood ran for Warren County constable in 2002 and a year later filed to seek the office of sheriff. He has also faced state felony indictments, including a March 2002 Jones County charge of possession of a firearm on a school campus that was dropped and a Warren County charge of malicious mischief that was also dismissed.

Lower crest keeps Kings ferry running

The Kings Point Ferry will remain open through the forecasted crest of the Mississippi River, Warren County Road Manager Richard Winans said.

Originally set to close while the river was expected to approach flood stage, the vessel has kept its 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. hours because of a lower crest predicted at Vicksburg, Winans said.

A crest is forecast at Vicksburg at 41.5 feet Wednesday, half a foot lower than the National Weather Service expected earlier in the week. Forecasts indicated the river had crested at Memphis and was nearing a crest at Helena, Ark.

The current rise is a bit earlier than normal for spring rises, generally attributed to winter rains and snow melt in the Midwest.