Jackson, Mississippi

January 27, 2005

Canton cop charged in extortion sting

·  Hispanic community victimized, officials say

By Sylvain Metz
smetz@clarionledger.com

A high-ranking Canton police officer is accused of extorting money from Hispanic residents following a yearlong investigation of allegations that immigrants were being shaken down by law enforcement, officials said Wednesday.

Lt. Rodger Thomas, 52, was arrested around 11 a.m. in a sting operation by Madison County sheriff's deputies, Sheriff Toby Trowbridge said.

The officer pulled over a male Hispanic on a routine traffic stop at the intersection of Watkins and Dinkins streets. As questioning continued, Thomas allegedly asked the driver for an unspecified amount of money, Trowbridge said.

The driver had agreed to work with authorities in the sting operation, Canton Chief Robert Winn said. "This is not a pleasant day for me," Winn said. "At any rate, we did something good for the Hispanic community, and we apologize deeply that it took so long (to investigate)."

Winn, named chief last April, said he began receiving reports in August or September that members of the Hispanic community were being shaken down for money.

Trowbridge said his department heard those same whispers about a year ago. Making matters difficult was the Hispanic community's distrust of authorities. Gaining their confidence took time, Winn said.

Immigrants didn't know if the alleged wrongdoing was the action of an individual or several officers, said Angela Stuesse, community outreach and education associate with the Mississippi Poultry Workers' Center, which provides outreach and support to workers in Canton, Carthage, Morton and Forest.

Also, Stuesse said, "A lot of the immigrants from Latin American come from countries where there is not a culture of trust with law enforcement. There are problems of corruption with law enforcement throughout Latin America. So people would say to us they came here thinking things were different. So they did not know whom they could trust."

The Morton-based organization encouraged immigrants to come forward, Stuesse said. The amount of money taken from immigrants varied, she said. In one extreme case, a woman accused Thomas of taking $1,000 from her over a month, Stuesse said.

"This was a very important step for the sheriff and the Police Department to take in establishing a relationship of trust with the immigrants community," Stuesse said. "I think this is going to show immigrants in Madison County and Canton that law enforcement is there to protect them."

Thomas, a 10-plus year veteran, is the third Canton officer to be charged this month in separate cases. Mellon Daniels faces a drunken driving charge in Jackson after an automobile crash Friday. Charles Montgomery was ticketed about three weeks ago by the state Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, Winn has said.

Thomas, who is being held in the Madison County Jail, is scheduled to appear in Madison County Justice Court this morning. Trowbridge said he will ask for the highest bond possible because Thomas is "a public figure and betrayed the confidence of the public." Trowbridge also said he fears possible retaliation against his officers and other Canton police officers by people upset over Thomas' arrest.

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