A Lowndes County Justice Court civil affidavit shows Swoope Real Estate, Inc., settled a civil suit last week against Ward 4 Councilman Marty Turner’s business, Turner Furniture LLC, for unpaid rent. The suit was filed June 24.
The cause of action listed in the affidavit is to evict Turner’s business from its location at 1405 U.S. Highway 45 North and collect rent, but the two parties agreed to a consent judgment of $2,605 in garnishments Wednesday.
Turner could not be reached for comment Monday on the judgment.
Public records show Turner has had similar cases in the past regarding unpaid rent. In a previous Dispatch report, records indicated Turner had yet to satisfy a $56,023.84 judgment regarding failure to pay rent at his business’ old location in Gateway Shopping Center on Alabama Street. Gateway Shopping Center was awarded a principal sum of $42,028.39 for unpaid rent and $13,995.45 in Lowndes County Court on Jan. 20, 2011. Turner also owed $10,003.53 to the Mississippi Department of Revenue, in other judgments.
Hattiesburg Municipal Court confirmed on Monday that Turner has paid a $1,416.77 fine stemming from a DUI second offense conviction more than two years ago since a Dispatch article published last week reported he still owed the money. An incident report indicates he was booked and transferred to Forrest County Jail on Dec. 19, 2010 based on a breath test result after being stopped at a safety checkpoint and identified by an expired driver’s license.
The report stated he had a prior DUI conviction in Jones County within five years prior to being arrested in Hattiesburg. In that article, published Thursday, Turner stated his intentions to pay his fine on Friday.
Nathan Gregory covers city and county government for The Dispatch.
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