Tuesday, February 13, 2024, 5:20 pm News Flash Archive

Deona McGee, the 26 year old woman who was arrested for the January 26, 2022 vandalism of the Immaculate Heart of Mary sanctuary in Greenwood, has been indicted on the felony charge of "Defacing of Church Property," but her case is now in limbo as she awaits a court ordered mental evaluation before she can face trial.

As exclusively reported by The Taxpayers Channel, McGee was arrested in March 2022 and charged with the crime. We reported the barest of details in our May 17, 2022 article here: Arrest made in vandalism of Catholic church

Deona McGee. Photo provided by the Greenwood Police Department

McGee's arrest flew under the radar for two months, because she was nowhere publicly connected with the church vandalism.

The Taxpayers Channel had to file a public records request for more details, since the Greenwood Police Department and the Leflore County Sheriff's office refused to provide any details about the charges. McGee had a long history of run-ins with law enforcement, and had failed to appear at recent court dates.

In response to our public records request, Police Chief Terrence Craft provided a photograph of Ms. McGee, as well as redacted copies of police reports, and the crucial arrest affidavit and warrant. These items may be seen here: More details emerge in the vandalism of the Catholic sanctuary

The charging affidavit, executed by Detective Abigail Redmond, specifies a felony violation of Mississippi Code 97-17-39, described in the arrest warrant as "destroying public property."

According to the charging affidavit, the damage done was valued at $11,550, and included destruction of "a chair, table, baptismal font, Virgin Mary statue, hymnal book, candlesticks, crucifix, and [a] Guadalupe painting."

County Court Judge Kevin Adams signed the arrest warrant.

After four hours at the county jail, McGee bonded out on bail set at $10,000.

At that point, the case went deathly quiet. There was no record of her making an appearance in court. No other media would report on her arrest, and there was no sign of action in her case. Some thought that the District Attorney's office would simply let the matter slide.

But it turned out that the Leflore County Grand Jury finally did get around to indicting Ms. McGee just before Christmas 2022. The indictment lay secret from the public until now. It may be viewed here: Indictment of Deona McGee

In that indictment, the Grand Jurors charged that:

DEONA MCGEE on or about January 26, 2022, in Leflore County, Mississippi, did wilfully [sic] or mischievously injure, destroy or deface the property belonging to the Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church located at 511 W. Washington, causing damages of more than $5,000.00 but less than $25,000.00 in violation of Section 97-17-39(c), Mississippi Code, 1972 as amended and contrary to the form of the statute in such cases made and provided, and against the peace and dignity of the State of Mississippi.

McGee stayed free on bond, and Wally Stuckey was appointed as her public defender. Her case was assigned to Circuit Court Judge Margaret Carey-McCray.

Then on April 17, 2023, Judge Carey-McCray signed an "Order for Mental Evaluation and Treatment." Apparently, this happened because McGee's attorney, Mr. Stuckey, requested that she be examined for mental competency.

The court ordered that Dr. W. Criss Lott of Ridgeland perform the evaluation:

IT IS, THEREFORE, ORDERED AND ADJUDGED, that the Defendant, Deona McGee, be given a mental evaluation for the purpose of evaluating,

(a) whether or not she has sufficient present ability to consult with her attorney with a reasonable degree of rational understanding in the preparation of her defense, and has a rational as well as factual understanding of the nature and object of the legal proceedings against her;

(b) to describe her mental state at the time of the alleged offense(s) with respect to her ability to know the nature and quality of her alleged acts and. to know the difference between right and wrong in relation to her alleged acts at that time;

(c) especially whether the offense with which the Defendant is charged was committed while she was under the influence of extreme mental or emotional disturbance;

(d) whether her capacity to appreciate the criminality of her conduct or to conform her conduct to the requirements of the law was substantially impaired and

(e) her capacity to understand and to knowingly, intelligently, and voluntarily waive or assert her constitutional rights.

The mental evaluation report is to be provided to Mr. Stuckey, and to include the following additional information:

if the Defendant is found not to be competent to proceed, then; (1) whether there is a substantial probability that the Defendant will become mentally competent to proceed within the foreseeable future and, if so (2) whether any progress toward that goal is being made.

The court further stated that:

all medical, psychiatric, and/or psychological records of the Defendant pertaining to previous and/or present medical psychiatric or psychological examination or treatment, are hereby ordered and directed to be released and provided to W. S. Stuckey, Jr. and/or Dr. W. Criss Lott, Ph.D. upon request, to aid and assist in said evaluation herein ordered to be conducted.

The court ordered the Leflore County Sheriff to transport Ms. McGee from her residence to Dr. Lott's office in Ridgeland for the examination, and then back again to her residence. Leflore County is to pay all the costs of the mental evaluation.

The court ordered that the mental evaluation and reports thereof are to be kept secret from the public.

The entire Order may be seen here: Order for Mental Evaluation of Deona McGee

That is the last substantive order in the court docket for the McGee case.

In the meantime, Stuckey has asked for two continuances, the first on August 7, 2023, and the second on October 2, 2023, due to the mental evaluation not having yet been performed. Mental evaluations typically take quite a long time to be processed, which is particularly troublesome if the defendant is incarcerated, though Ms. McGee is not.

According to the Judge's hearing docket, McGee was scheduled for trial once again on January 25, 2024, but no new orders have been filed in her court case file since April 2023.

The District Attorney's office informed The Taxpayers Channel this afternoon that the January 25 trial date was also continued, because the mental evaluation has still not been done.

John Pittman Hey
The Taxpayers Channel

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