A former Mississippi police chief already charged with demanding money or property in exchange for dropping criminal charges against people has been indicted on nine new counts.MENDENHALL, MS (Mississippi News Now) -
A former Mississippi police chief already charged with demanding money or property in exchange for dropping criminal charges against people has been indicted on nine new counts.
Former Mendenhall Police Chief Donald "Bruce" Barlow was charged Feb. 5 with eight counts including conspiracy, extortion, soliciting bribes and witness tampering. He pleaded not guilty March 8.
A new indictment on Tuesday added nine additional counts.
The indictment says Barlow instructed "his officers to seize cash at every arrest, including money from people arrested for misdemeanors."
When some of those people were arrested, Barlow allegedly offered to let them go or reduce charges if they forfeited their property and money.
The new indictment says Barlow sometimes told people to sign over their vehicles and pay him cash, in one case $4,500.
Barlow's arrest is the result of an investigation by the FBI, the Mississippi State Auditor's Office and the Simpson County Sheriff's Office, according to the FBI.
Barlow was chief of police in Mendenhall until October 2010 when he was fired after being arrested on a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct. Barlow was accused of making a sexually obscene gesture toward a man and his family.
At the time of his arrest in 2010 Barlow was already on paid administrative leave because the department was being investigated by state and federal agents for alleged missing money and equipment.
Copyright 2013 MSNewsNow. All rights reserved. AP contributed to this report.
WLBT 3 - Fox 40
