Benoit police chief arrested for assault
Published 9:36 pm Wednesday, August 30, 2017
JACKSON (AP) — A Mississippi police chief has been arrested on a charge of aggravated assault.
Attorney General Jim Hood’s office, in a news release, said 55-year-old Billie Earl Williams surrendered to authorities Tuesday. He was later released on his own recognizance.
Hood’s office says a Bolivar County Grand Jury indicted Williams for shooting a suspect while acting as Benoit Police chief Jan. 2.
The indictment says Williams attempted to or did cause harm to the suspect, “manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life” by firing a pistol and striking the suspect in the back of his right leg.
This case was investigated by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations, which declined further comment. A telephone call to Benoit City Hall went unanswered.