On Monday, May 8, 2023, after a day long trial, a Simpson County Jury returned a Guilty verdict against Alexander Easterling, Sr. for possession of methamphetamine, a Schedule Two Controlled Substance. Easterling was arrested and charged after a traffic stop in Magee led to the discovery of the illegal drugs in his vehicle. Deputy Chris Jones of the Simpson County Sheriff’s Department, who at the time was employed with the Magee Police Department, made the traffic stop after observing Easterling fail to stop at a stop sign. During the traffic stop, Deputy Jones did an outstanding job recognizing that there was more to the story than just running a stop sign. Due to his keen observations of Easterling’s body language and his extreme nervousness, Deputy Jones investigated the situation further and located the methamphetamines in Easterlings vehicle.
After the jury returned its verdict, a sentencing hearing was conducted by Circuit Judge Stanley Sorey. At the conclusion of the hearing, Judge Sorey sentenced Easterling to serve the maximum penalty of six years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections as a habitual offender. Because of his habitual status, Easterling will have to serve every day of his sentence and will not be eligible for early release or parole. The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Shannon Jones and Chris Purdum, who did an excellent job presenting the state’s case to the jury.
