Oktibbeha County Circuit Clerk Glenn Hamilton was arrested late Thursday night on charges of trespassing, possession of Native American artifacts and methamphetamine, according to Clay County Sheriff Eddie Scott.
Scott said 60-year-old Hamilton and Rufus Edward Lewis, 59, were arrested shortly before midnight in north Clay County. He said law enforcement responded after a E-911 call reported the men on private property near the Monroe County line.
Lewis was also charged with trespassing and possession of methamphetamine.
Scott said Hamilton and Lewis were out of jail Friday afternoon after each posting a $10,282 bond.
Scott said the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks assisted in arresting the men, because deputies could not cross the terrain to reach them. He said the Mississippi Department of Narcotics will bring the possession charge against the two.
Scott said he did not know how much methamphetamine Hamilton and Lewis had.
He noted the men were near Native American burial mounds and had cultural artifacts in their possession.
Glenn Hamilton is a second-term circuit clerk for Oktibbeha County. He’s held the position since January 2012.
Prior to that, he served as a state senator from 1996 to 2004, and was appointed chairman for the Mississippi State Parole Board by former Gov. Haley Barbour in 2004. He served in the post until 2008.
Hamilton did not return a call for comment.
Alex Holloway was formerly a reporter with The Dispatch.
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