A Columbus reserve police officer was fired Wednesday after he was arrested in Oktibbeha County on statutory rape charges.
Reserve officer Richard Carr, 45, was “relieved of his duties as a police officer” Wednesday after Oktibbeha County officials notified the Columbus Police Department the officer had been arrested on the sex charges.
As of Thursday, police had released no details of the charges, as the investigation was ongoing and was being handled by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation.
As of Thursday afternoon, no bond had been set and Carr remained in the Oktibbeha County Jail awaiting his initial court appearance.
Columbus Police Chief Joseph St. John this morning noted the investigation was turned over to MBI as soon as he was notified of the charges.
“As quickly as we could, he was placed under arrest, and he is terminated immediately,” St. John added. “Even though he was reserves, he”s one of us, and any time we have, not even probable cause, but reasonable suspicion, we turn it over to another agency.
“Really right now, the rest of it is really in (MBI”s) hands.”
Embezzlement arrest
The CPD arrested Maria de la luz Calvario, 19, of 45 Parra Drive in Columbus, Wednesday on one county of felony embezzlement.
The arrest came as a result of a complaint filed by one of Calvario”s former business partners at a Mexican store on 18th Avenue North in Columbus.
As of Thursday, Calvario remained in jail in lieu of a $2,500 bond and was awaiting her June 18 court date.
Other incidents
The following other incidents were reported by the Columbus Police Department:
- Jeffrey Sansing called authorities at about 6:20 a.m. May 18 to report vandalism at APAC Manufacturing at 462 Lake Norris Road in Columbus.
Sansing told officers someone damaged windows on a Dodge Ram truck and one small front loader tractor at the facility sometime since May 16.
- CPD officers responded to a robbery call at about 11:30 p.m. May 19 near the 1800 block of Seventh Avenue North.
When officers arrived at the scene, they learned John Matthew Forbus was attempting to retrieve a stolen cell phone from an unknown individual when he was assaulted by a pair of black males.
After the assault, the suspects fled the scene on foot and ran toward 20th Street North. One suspect was a black male wearing a red shirt with baggy shorts. The victim was unable to identify the second suspect.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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