Supervisor talks about threats to her life and response by local law enforcement

Published 1:19 pm Monday, July 6, 2020

John A. Lumbley is expected to make his initial court appearance Monday afternoon after his arrest over the weekend for making terroristic threats against a Warren County Supervisor.

Lumbley, 53, was arrested Saturday and is charged due to comments made on a news site’s Facebook page on a story about District 3 Supervisor Shawn Jackson calling for a special meeting for supervisors to vote to remove the now-former state flag from county buildings.

On the post made last week, Lumbley wrote, “LMFAO this is where the b***s*** stops.” He added, “these N*****s are fixing to get shot.”

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Saturday, when the comments became widely known, Jackson took to her personal Facebook page to reply.

“This is a serious matter and a testament to why this is NOT the time to be silent on hate and evil,” Jackson posted Saturday. “I take this for exactly what it is, a threat to my life and safety. I also take it as being racially driven and falling into the category of a hate crime.”

Monday morning, the Board of Supervisors voted to remove the now-former state flag from county buildings and facilities.

“I saw (the comments) Saturday morning. Someone sent me a screenshot and sent it because it hadn’t necessarily been tracking the comments and I did not know the threat had been made,” Jackson said following Monday’s meeting.

Jackson said once she was made aware of the comments and the threat, she contacted the Warren County Sheriff’s office and the Vicksburg Police Department.

“One of the things I have realized when this type of threat comes about you don’t have a guide book of what to do, who to call, how to get assistance,” Jackson said. “I have learned a lot in this process and felt alone when I initially got the threat because there is no board to go to.”

Throughout the process, Jackson said she has been comforted with how Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace and investigators handled the situation.

“I am pleased with how fast Sheriff Pace has moved and the number of updates that I have been provided. There have been some measures of security that I have seen that make me feel better,” Jackson said. “I am happy (Lumbley) is behind bars and pray he is ultimately held accountable because that type of threat cannot be taken lightly.”

In a release Sunday, the Warren County Sheriff’s Office said, “Sheriff’s investigators were able to identify, locate and interview the author of the Facebook post Saturday afternoon and a search warrant was simultaneously executed at his residence. After consulting with the District Attorney’s Office, this individual is being held in the Warren County Jail.”

Lumbley is expected to appear in Warren County Justice Court Monday afternoon either in person or through a remote connection due to COVID-19 restrictions.

We will update the story once more information is made available.

About Tim Reeves

Tim Reeves, and his wife Stephanie, are the parents of three children, Sarah Cameron, Clayton and Fin, who all attend school in the Vicksburg Warren School District. The family are members of First Baptist Church Vicksburg. Tim is involved in a number of civic and volunteer organizations including the United Way of West Central Mississippi and serves on the City of Vicksburg's Riverfront Redevelopment Committee.

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