A Brandon lawmaker is considering a bill that would require elected leaders to resign if charged.

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – An Ohio statute could be used as a model for new Mississippi legislation that would force elected leaders to leave office if they are charged with a criminal offense.

Rep. Fred Shanks announced Friday that he is drafting legislation that would mimic the Buckeye State law after he was given a copy of the legislation weeks after three local leaders were indicted in connection with the latest Jackson bribery scandal. .

“The short version: If an elected official is charged with a criminal offense but has not yet been convicted, it will result in his removal from office,” he said. “Besides, let’s just say it’s the other way around and they won’t go to jail. They will still get paid. They simply won’t be on duty.”

Shanks spoke for the first time about his plans for The Clay Edwards Show.

Lawmaker Brandon’s comments come nearly a month after Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens, Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba and Sixth District Councilman Aaron Banks were indicted in connection with a scheme to move a convention center hotel to downtown Jackson.

The 32-page indictment reveals that Owens arranged meetings between FBI sources posing as out-of-state developers and city leaders to solicit bribes. He also advised developers how to bribe city leaders to avoid attracting the attention of local law enforcement.

“We need to bring in someone else to fill that slot. That’s what it’s meant to fix,” Shanks said. “This guy doesn’t have to be the district attorney.”

Owens, Lumumba and Banks all pleaded not guilty to the charges during their first performances on November 7th.

Owens told reporters outside the federal courthouse that the indictment was an attempt to kill his character.

“I would like to go over every page of my indictment with you today, but on the advice of my lawyer, I cannot do that right now,” he said. “The truth must come out… Making false statements and drunken banter in the locker room is not a crime.”

Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens.(VLBT)

Citing information contained in the indictment, Kenya McCarthy’s lawyer last week filed a motion to disqualify Owens and his office from trying her case.

McCarthy is one of three former Jackson police officers charged with killing 42-year-old Keith Murriel with a Taser.

The same lawyer also filed a motion to disqualify Owens in the unrelated case of Darrianne Ragsdale.

Ragsdale, also a former JPD officer, is charged with negligent manslaughter for allegedly crashing his police cruiser into the car carrying Pamela Sonner. According to Ragsdale’s indictment, the officer was more than 30 miles over the speed limit at the time.

A federal grand jury indicted Owens, Lumumba and Banks in October. The document was printed on November 7.

Owens is charged with eight felonies, including conspiracy, federal program bribery, using interstate facilities for racketeering purposes, honest services fraud, money laundering and making false statements.

Lumumba is charged with five counts of conspiracy, federal program bribery, using an interstate facility for racketeering, honest services fraud and money laundering.

Banks was charged with conspiracy and federal bribery.

Under state law, Owens, Lumumba or Banks are not required to resign. They will only have to leave office if they plead guilty or are convicted.

Lumumba listens to a reporter's question at a recent news conference. — Lumumba listens to a reporter’s question at a recent news conference.(VLBT)

In August former District 2 Councilwoman Angelique Lee resigned hours before pleading guilty to conspiracy charges for her role in the same bribery scheme.

By comparison, Ohio law allows defendants to voluntarily leave their positions. They can also challenge the suspension in the Ohio Supreme Court. The Akron Beacon Journal, Ohio, reports.

During the suspension, the officer will continue to receive salary and benefits for the remainder of his or her term of office. The law includes mechanisms for reimbursement of this salary in the event of conviction.

The Beacon Journal reported that two Cincinnati council members, Jeffrey Pastor and P.G. Sittenfeld, were removed from office under the law back in 2020 after they were indicted on federal corruption charges in a scheme similar to what happened in Jackson.

Sittenfeld was sentenced to 16 months in federal prison. according to the Fox 19 website. His case is currently on appeal in the U.S. Sixth Circuit.

While officials in Mississippi are not required to resign until proven guilty, Shanks says Owens must “do right by the people.”

“He won’t be able to do his job effectively. It has already been proven that he did not do his job,” he said. “I think he should resign.”

The 2025 session will begin in January.

We have contacted the City of Jackson and the Hinds County District Attorney’s Office and are awaiting a response.

Want more WLBT news in your inbox? Click here subscribe to our newsletter.

See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please Click here communicate this and include the title of the article in your email.