Judge Dan Jordan ruled today that Jackson Mayor Frank Melton will not be allowed to present evidence of his reputation as a crime fighter when his case comes to trial next week.
In his order, Jordan said, “the purported trait of fighting crime is not pertinent in this case.”
“The constitutional right at issue is the Fourth Amendment right to be free from unlawful search and seizure,” the judge wrote. “Evidence that Defendant Melton had a reputation for fighting crime or removing dilapidated property is simple irrelevant to whether he willfully deprived these individuals of their Fourth Amendment rights in this instance.”
Melton and former police bodyguard Michael Recio are facing federal charges related to their participation in a police-style raid on a duplex on Ridgeway Street on Aug. 26, 2006. Federal prosecutors asked Jordan to prohibit Melton from defending himself with evidence of past crime-fighting behavior, including tearing down troubled properties.
Magnolia Tribune
