Two once up-and-coming Democrats on the opposite end of Mississippi made the news on Inauguration Day for all of the wrong reasons.
In Ocean Springs, former Mayor Connie Moran was arrested for public drunkenness late Monday night after an officer found her lying on her back in the road near her home.
Moran lost her re-election bid for mayor in 2017. She most recently lost the Southern District Public Service Commissioner race to Republican Dane Maxwell. She previously ran for State Treasurer in 2011, losing to Republican Lynn Fitch.
WLOX reported that the officer said Moran “was clearly intoxicated and unable to stand… The officer said she initially didn’t even try to stand up and just laid on her back smiling.”
Moran admits to having a few glasses of wine Monday night at her house, but she told WLOX, “I wasn’t falling down drunk. I did slip. It’s just a big misunderstanding. It was total overkill for the cops to arrest me. It was just an accident.”
At the other end of the state, the Daily Journal reported that Jamie Franks, current chairman of the Lee County Democratic Party and a former State Representative, was arrested early Tuesday morning at his house.
Franks was the Lieutenant Governor nominee for the Democrat party in 2007, losing to Republican Phil Bryant.
He is charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
According to the Daily Journal, Franks “got in the face of a deputy, began cursing and chest bumped the deputy. While attempting to gain control of Franks, a deputy was injured.”
Charges against both Moran and Franks are misdemeanors. Accused are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
