LEXINGTON, Miss. (WLBT) - A Mississippi civil rights attorney, who is suing the Lexington Police Department for citizens’ rights violations, was arrested in the city this weekend after filming a traffic stop. Attorney Jill Jefferson was released Monday after her fine was waived.
She spent two nights in the Holmes County jail on what she calls false charges of Failure to Comply, Disorderly Conduct, and Resisting Arrest. Jefferson embraced Nikki Wade, with whom she shared a jail cell this weekend after speaking to the media about the ordeal.
The Laurel resident said she now knows the plight of the clients she is defending in a federal lawsuit against the Lexington Police Department. The Harvard Law graduate said she was arrested Saturday night and threatened by Officer Scott Walters after filming a traffic stop in the town square.
“I see what you’ve been through, and nobody should have to live like this,” said Jefferson. “Nobody should have to live in a police state like this.”