Pascagoula Police Chief Answers Questions Surrounding Art McClung

Did the Pascagoula chief of police show special treatment toward Moss Point Police Chief Art McClung when McClung was pulled over last month? Why did a Pascagoula supervisor ask officers to turn off the microphone on the dash cam video?
These are two of the questions circulating around the video that led to the suspension of Moss Point Chief Art McClung.
Today, News 25’s Shelby Myers sat down with Pascagoula Chief Kenny Johnson for answers to these questions.
Despite some scrutiny, Pascagoula Police Chief Kenny Johnson is sticking with the decision not to arrest Moss Point Police Chief Art McClung after he was pulled over by Pascagoula officers for speeding and reportedly telling officers he consumed multiple vodka drinks. “Based on the information that was relayed to me at the time, I certainly feel like we made the best decision we could,” said Johnson.
Statements heard throughout the 30 minute dash cam video from the traffic stop raise some questions. Chief Johnson says it wasn’t until weeks after the incident that he actually saw the July 29th footage. “The decision I made was based on information I received on a telephone call. I wasn’t on scene. I certainly hadn’t seen the video.”
Action that Johnson does admit to is giving the Moss Point chief special treatment. “Obviously, if it had been any resident, I probably wouldn’t have gotten the call. They wanted to make sure that they were doing things right.”
A statement heard in the video concerning the dash cam microphone also raises some questions, but Johnson says there was nothing wrong with cutting off the microphone. “He just wanted to talk with the officers off video. We reviewed our policies after we viewed the video, saw that nothing in our policy prohibits that.”
While McClung is on suspension for his actions, Pascagoula City Manager Joe Huffman says the city stands behind their police department and Chief Johnson’s decision.