JACKSON, Mississippi (AP) — A Mississippi sheriff’s deputy was arrested Thursday by the FBI, one of several arrests he made at multiple law enforcement agencies in the state, a local sheriff said.
Girasol County Sheriff James Haywood confirmed the arrest of his deputy, Marvin Flowers. He also said the FBI arrested sheriffs from two other counties, as well as other law enforcement officials, on allegations of public corruption. Haywood did not provide further details about the allegations.
“The public’s trust is going to be destroyed,” Haywood said. “This is a huge blow to law enforcement.”
Haywood said Flowers worked for the department for 13 years. Sunflower County is located in the northwestern part of the state.
It was not immediately known if Haywood had an attorney.
The FBI office in Jackson, the state capital, said it planned a major announcement later Thursday along with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Mississippi. He did not elaborate on the nature of the planned announcement.
Multiple Mississippi law enforcement agencies have faced federal scrutiny in recent years.
In 2023, six law enforcement officers pleaded guilty to a long list of state and federal charges for torturing two black men. “The Goon Squad,” as they called themselves, sparked an ongoing Department of Justice investigation into the Rankin County Sheriff’s Office.
A similar Justice Department investigation concluded last year that Lexington Police Department officers discriminated against blacks and repeatedly violated citizens’ civil rights.