UPDATE 07/13/25: After a recent live comment, my family and I have decided to take the GoFundMe link down from this platform. Please continue to pray for my family during this time and climate. If you feel it in your heart to help, please reach out to me personally. My family and I are willing to give you the number to the NAACP representatives to verify the information. I'm leaving this up as a reminder/warning to protect yourselves at all times and know your rights!! For those that have already responded, my sister and I are deeply grateful and thankful for your help. May God continue to keep and bless everyone. All our love, Born2Speak

***ATTENTION WINOS: MY FAMILY NEEDS YOUR HELP...MISSISSIPPI REALLY IS BURNING 🔥 🔥***

Greetings everyone. My brother-in-law was arrested on 6/25/2025. The problem we're having is the officer turned off his body cam, made my brother-in-law, who is a truck driver, do a field sobriety test which he passed. Apparently, they made him do it a total of three times, three different ways, and they still detained him and took him into the DeSoto adult facility in Hernando, Mississippi. Before being processed, 2 officers had him do a breathalyzer test two times, which he passed. The first time the cop told him there was interference because the 2nd officer had on a radio, and with their TVs going, it was messing up the signal. The 2nd officer left the interrogation room, the breathalyzer test was readministered, and again, my brother-in-law passed. A request was made, at that time, for a physical copy of the passing breathalyzer tests, but the request was denied. When asked, "I passed. Why am I still being detained?" The officer then replied, "That's above my pay grade," and walked away. An hour and a half later, they gave him notice that he was being charged with a felony DUI and they aggressively tried to get him to sign documentation attesting to the felony DUI, which he refused. While still only being detained but not booked, the officers continuously tried to force him to sign the felony DUI documentation, although he'd passed all field sobriety and breathalyzer tests, and tried to intimidate him. On his last refusal, he was then formally arrested and booked into jail to await going before a judge, approximately 7-8 hours after being detained. We are not from Mississippi so we don't know anyone in the area that can assist with this issue. We are hoping that you can help us by recommending a lawyer, or helping us find proper legal representation.

My sister then contacted the NAACP branches for Mississippi, and received a return call from one of their representatives. He explained that they only deal with civil cases, and could not give any legal advice since they charged my brother-in-law with a felony DUI. However, after listening to the full story, he agreed that his civil rights had been violated, and agreed to speak with the Sheriff of Hernando, along with another representative from the NAACP. Both individuals advocated for my brother-in-law on 6/30/2025 around 3:30 pm. They spoke to the Sheriff who stated that his deputies/officers don't wear body cams, although my brother-in-law distinctly saw the one who gave him his field sobriety test turn off a device located on his vest. The NAACP representatives and the Sheriff then reviewed the dash cam video from the police vehicle. It clearly showed my brother-in-law passing 2 field sobriety tests. However, in the state of Mississippi, it is up to the officer on scene to administer a 3rd test where the officer is allowed to give rapid-fire commands, such as, lift your left leg, turn around 360°, bend backwards, touch your toes, etc, in rapid fire succession. My brother-in-law, who is close to 50 years old, tried to explain that he had previously been in a horrible accident, and could not keep up with the demands of the officer, and was placed in handcuffs. I would like to point out that after he passed the 2nd field sobriety test, the other officer on scene was ready to let my brother-in-law go, but the first officer refused. After reviewing the dash cam video, the NAACP representatives left the Sheriff's office and called to tell my sister to retain a lawyer ASAP because they didn't see how anyone could pass the 3rd field sobriety test, that is given at the officer's discretion, even if they were young and completely healthy. The officer purposefully administered that test to make him fail. Also, the NAACP representatives were completely baffled as to why it was written up as a felony DUI when there no other car involved, there wasn't an accident, no one was injured, and my brother-in-law has a clean driving record. Both representatives are of the same opinion that his rights have been violated on a trumped up charge, and needs to be investigated. My brother-in-law is currently out on bail, and they refused to give him any discharge paperwork as he left the jail. We have been trying to get his paperwork since his release on 6/26/2025 and he was finally able to get it 7/1/2025, after the visit from the NAACP to the Sheriff's office. Originally he was told to return to court on August 19, 2025, however, they never told him that he needed to return on July 14, 2025, for a probable cause hearing, which would have revoked his bail, and a bench warrant for his immediate arrest would have been issued. Thankfully, due to the NAACP advocating on his behalf, the probable cause hearing, and the felony DUI case were changed to 9/11/2025 to allow him enough time to get legal representation. Due to the questionable actions of the Sheriff's department, my brother-in-law has lost his job.

I'm calling on my Wino family for any assistance you can offer. If anyone in the Mississippi area is a lawyer, or knows of one who can take on his case on a pro bono basis, or can help on a low-income/sliding pay scale since he has lost his job and is the sole breadwinner for his family. My sister is ill and needs surgery, and they have a teenaged son. He's a hardworking man who would literally help anyone who is in need. I normally wouldn't ask for help, but they're in dire straits with upcoming bills and no income coming in. I'm also thinking of having my sister start a GoFundMe page in case he needs to pay for a lawyer. Any suggestions or help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

Sincerely,

Born2 Speak