Jackson County Sheriff’s Department opens crime lab

In Pascagoula, Sheriff Mike Ezell of Jackson County opens up the department’s crime lab, the first in the state to be owned and operated by a local agency.

The traffic arrests and other police interactions we see on the street level are just the beginning of criminal investigations. Behind the scenes, science determines the future of many who face charges.

From here on out, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department will take on its own forensic investigations. It’s the only agency in Mississippi to have its own lab that will alleviate the infamous backlog on the state level.

The $300,000 project is operational and ready to go, and with a little more personnel training, forensic scientists Raven Williams and Summer Chance will take on the county’s case load.

But here’s the most important thing: those facing criminal charges in Jackson County won’t have to wait years before the crime lab processes evidence from their case, due to the backup in the state lab. They’ll have their due process in a matter of weeks. Drug Task Force Director Joe Nicholson said, “They’ll set there for two years, because you can’t do anything with them until the crime lab comes back. So, they’re out there two years, we’re paying for housing and everything else. If we cut that out, I can take that same guy, and I’ll have his crime lab results back in two weeks.”

The crime lab will handle cases from any jurisdiction in Jackson County.

Today, the team was looking at seized fentanyl and examining what might be MDMA pills. Much of what you see here, like the pounds of marijuana and many of the guns, will be destroyed after they’re processed. Sheriff Mike Ezell said, “It’s just a great investigative unit out here. We work together with all the other agencies in the county. We also have agreements with the Border Patrol. And we work a lot of drug cases on the interstate.”