Early Thursday morning, a Pearl River County resident was arrested for the destruction of several windows at the Picayune Item office.
Picayune Police Department Assistant Chief Jeremy Magri said the call came in just before 1 a.m. that day from Highland Community Hospital. The officer was sent to Highland Community Hospital after the medical center’s staff were told by 35-year-old Mary Evelyn Mizell that she had broken windows at the publication’s office.
The officer arrived to the area to find Mizell standing at the corner of Highway 11 and Highland Parkway. Magri said the officer was told by Mizell that she committed the crime. The officer then transported her to the scene, where he took pictures of the damage.
Large cinder blocks were found in the lobby of the office when staff arrived to attempt to temporarily cover the damage. Writing, allegedly in lipstick, was scrawled across several of the unbroken windows.
Mizell was initially booked into the Picayune Criminal Justice Center on the offense of malicious mischief, but the charge was modified to a felony after it was determined the damaged exceeded $1,000.
This is not the first time law enforcement has had dealings with Mizell. Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Shane Tucker said she’s been arrested 11 times by deputies between 2013 to 2017 for various offenses ranging from contempt of court, various bench warrants, disorderly conduct, vagrancy, public profanity, telephone harassment, and a felony count of simple assault domestic violence third offense.
According to records filed with the Picayune Police Department, Mizell was arrested by that agency four other times between 2004 and 2017 for the offenses of possession of marijuana in a motor vehicle, two instances of shoplifting, one including the additional charge of destroying public property and abuse of emergency services for calling 911 inappropriately.
It’s currently unclear whether any of these arrests led to convictions.