Jackson Jambalaya

Melton's young soljah, Michael Taylor, is out on PAROLE! Remember Michael? He was the thug who discovered sports like armed robbery and carjacking while living with Frank Melton. An earlier post provided details of Taylor's history:

"Although 17 years old, he has lived a life filled with adventure, and well, also alot of trouble. Young Mr. Taylor was reported by the Clarion-Ledger as being "held in the Hinds County Detention Center in Raymond since Nov. 18, 2006, when he was arrested on a carjacking charge while on bond for a previous armed robbery charge." (http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007706250343)
Such a nice young man as I'm sure he is just completely misunderstood. He also was one of the youths that Mayor Melton directed to take sledgehammers and destroy the infamous "crack house" on Ridgeway Street in Jackson last year. WAPT further reported that Mr. Taylor "had 15 criminal charges as a juvenile, including carjacking, drug possession and burglary."

After Mr. Taylor carjacked the victim, he was reported to have threatened her family according to WAPT: "The victim's sister said in court Friday that she text messaged her sister's cell phone -- which was still in the car -- and told the driver to call her and return her sister's vehicle. She said that within five minutes, a man who would say only that his name was Michael called her and demanded $300 to return the vehicle. "He threatened to have sex with me and hurt my children and husband and kill us if I got the police involved," she said."

The Clarion-Ledger reported last June:
"In a plea agreement, Michael Taylor, 18, pleaded guilty Friday in Hinds County Circuit Court at the Detention Center courtroom in Raymond.
On the recommendation of special prosecutors in the case, Circuit Judge Swan Yerger sentenced Taylor to 10 years in prison with seven years suspended and three to serve.With credit for time served, Taylor could be out in less than two years."

Carjacking a woman, threatening to kill her family and rape her, then trying to extort the victim for her car only earned Taylor three years in jail. Unfortunately, Taylor was paroled last November, a bare five months after his guilty plea. His parole is listed on the Mississippi Parole Board website. The Parole Board confirmed his release took place in November, 2008. The parole was granted after an automatic review of his sentence, a review that could have been prevented (according to the Board) if Judge Yerger had placed in the sentence a clause stating that Taylor was not to be considered for parole. Judge Yerger, however, chose not to issue an order preventing such a review.

Taylor's parole is an outrage. Both Melton and Yerger should be punished for letting this thug out on the street. Does anyone think this early release isn't something they cooked up together? Melton and Yerger have done everything possible to turn this criminal loose. When Taylor was held on a $250,000 bond, he was somehow set free and was returned to jail only after a public outcry forced a reversal. However, Taylor got the last laugh on the public as he once again got over because of Frank's special interest in him. (See note below for a listing of previous charges for Michael Taylor. They include manslaughter.)

More outrageous is the charge listed for Taylor on the MPB website: "Extortion", leaving one to wonder if he was convicted of carjacking even though the media reported he was (WAPT):
"JACKSON, Miss. -- A Hinds County judge sentenced Michael Taylor to 10 years, with seven years suspended, for carjacking a woman in 2007.
Taylor pleaded guilty Friday to carjacking the woman and to using a cell phone he found in her car in an effort to extort money from her.
Taylor once lived with Jackson Mayor Frank Melton and at one time worked for the city repaving roads.
As part of Taylor's plea agreement, he is required to get a GED and to attend anger management and alcoholism classes." WAPT Story

How was he convicted of carjacking and extortion yet paroled for only extortion? Did the media get it wrong or was his conviction for carjacking somehow erased? If such happened, there should be an explanation as well as hell to pay. Yerger, Fortenberry, and Newton should be forced to explain why they conjured up a deal that they knew would set Taylor free in only a few months. While people gripe about prosecutors who make plea bargains favorable to criminals, it is judges like Yerger who approve them and thus bear ultimate responsibility for such deals. Yerger has shown he is going to help his friends come hell or high water, the public be damned, with his eagerness to help such thugs as long as they are a Friend of Frank (His brother gave a nice sum of money to Frank's campaign for mayor. Hint: 5 figures). Instead of Taylor's being set free to terrorize Jackson once again, Michael Taylor, Frank Melton, Fortenberry, Newton, and Swan Nero should be in a jail cell. This case is just more proof there are different standards of justice in Hinds County as justice here only belongs to those with the most money or bullets.

Earlier posts on Taylor:
Taylor gets a light sentence
Melton's young soljah turned loose
Media coverage on Melton's young soljah
Melton's young soljah

WAPT stories:
Taylor released from jail, taken back into custody
Taylor out of jail
Taylor denied bond

Note: Here ia an WAPT story that lists past charges against Taylor:
"JACKSON, Miss. -- Should Michael Taylor be out of jail?
It's a question that officials with the Jackson-area criminal justice system can't seem to answer.
Taylor, 17, is awaiting a grand jury hearing in August on armed carjacking and extortion charges. His prior charges include two burglaries, two counts of drug possession and a murder charge that was bumped down to manslaughter.He also had photos posted on his MySpace page that showed him holding guns. Taylor is living with Jackson Mayor Frank Melton and working for the city.
When police arrested Taylor in connection with the armed carjacking, his bond for a previous armed robbery charge was revoked. He was sent to the Raymond Detention Center.
The armed robbery case was then sent back to youth court. A judge ruled he could not be tried as an adult because he was not armed during the robbery.
The case was resolved, and Taylor was released May 29.
It appears, however, there was no hearing for the armed carjacking charge, so no bond was set.
The district attorney told 16 WAPT it's the first time she's seen something like this, saying the municipal court system should have handled the situation."