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Mississippi jobless rate falls in April as labor force dips
JACKSON, Mississippi — The state's unemployment rate fell to 8.7 percent in April from 9 percent in March, according to seasonally adjusted figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That's the lowest level since March 2009, and significantly below the state's 10.6 percent jobless rate in April 2011.
JACKSON, Mississippi — Mississippi’s jobless rate continued to fall in April, again because fewer people were looking for jobs.
The state’s unemployment rate fell to 8.7 percent in April from 9 percent in March, according to seasonally adjusted figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s the lowest level since March 2009, and significantly below the state’s 10.6 percent jobless rate in April 2011.
The number of unemployed Mississippians fell to 116,300, down from 120,800 in March and from 141,600 a year ago.
A separate survey of employer payrolls shows that the number of nonfarm employees in the state rose only slightly from a month ago and fell slightly from April 2011.
Mississippi tied with Florida for the eighth-highest jobless rate among states. In March, Mississippi had tied for the fifth-highest rate.
Nevada retains the nation’s worst jobless rate, creeping up to 11.2 percent in April. North Dakota’s oil-fueled boom kept unemployment there at the nation’s lowest rate, 3 percent.
The nationwide unemployment rate dipped to 8.2 percent in March from 8.3 percent in February. That’s also down from 8.9 percent in March 2011.
Mississippi has 28 straight months of double-digit jobless rates ending in January, fueled in part by a steady increase in the number of people looking for work. That climb in job-seekers has reversed early this year, with Mississippi’s labor force falling 1.4 percent in just four months. That, in turn has helped push down the unemployment rate, although the underlying jobs picture has improved little, if any.
The number of people reporting they have work has risen by about 7,000 since December, while the number of people looking for work has fallen by more than 17,000. Combined that has pushed down the total of unemployed Mississippians by about 24,000.
County-level unemployment numbers won’t be released by the state until Wednesday.
The broadest measure of unemployment — which includes people who are only looking for work sporadically, have given up looking or are working part time because they can’t find a full-time job — averaged 15.5 percent in Mississippi over the 12 months ending March 30, the most recent figures available.
Nationwide, that broad measure averaged 15.6 percent during the same time.
The unemployment rate is calculated by a survey that asks how many people are looking for a job. A second survey each month asks employers how many people are on their payrolls, a measure that many economists look to as their top labor market indicator.
The payroll survey found that total jobs in Mississippi, at 1.09 million, rose by 1,000 from March to April, when seasonally adjusted. Total jobs were about 2,000 fewer than a year ago, another measure of weakness in the state economy. Mississippi and Arkansas were among seven states where payrolls shrank from April 2011 to April 2012, according to federal figures.
The state remains 70,000 jobs short of the pre-recession peak in payroll employment.
Seasonally adjusted payrolls grew in April in sectors including manufacturing; financial services; trade, transportation and utilities; education and health services and leisure and hospitality. Payrolls fell in professional and business services, construction and government.
George County High graduates Class of 2012
LUCEDALE, Mississippi — George County High School will conduct its 2012 graduation exercises at 7 p.m. today at the Gill-Martin Stadium.
Meredith Gabrielle Moody, 2012 George County High salutatorian
George Edward Moore II, 2012 George County High valedictorianLUCEDALE, Mississippi — George County High School will conduct its 2012 graduation exercises at 7 p.m. today at the Gill-Martin Stadium.
The stadium is at 9284 Old 63 South in Lucedale.
The George County High School valedictorian is George Edward Moore II, son of George Edward Moore Sr. and Anita Gale Moore.
The George County High School salutatorian is Meredith Gabrielle Moody, daughter of Paul and Sherry Moody.
Here are the 2012 candidates for graduation from George County High School:
Alexis Michelle Ackeret, Annie Lynn Adams, Dustin Cole Addison, Mark Steven Alford, Carrie Mae Avery, Olivia Kristen Barrow, Austin Winter Bates, Tyler Deon Bates, Jeremiah O’Neil Beard, Destin Jack Beech;
Austin Lee Bell, Shelbi Simone Bennett, Zachary Jason Blackwell, Spencer Douglas Gregory Blair, Christopher Tyler Bond, Donald Aaron Bouler, Cayla Denise Bradley, Shyanna Leigh Bradley, Devin Laneal Brannon, Brittany Jade Brewer;
Courtney Marie Brown, Hunter Ryan Bufkin, Ashley Arlandria Burkett, Toni Alexzandria Burkett, DeAdra Marie Burns, Courtney Yvonne Butler, Sara Alisha Byrd, Seth Andrew Byrd, Stance Braden Byrd, Jeffrey Dylan Cain;
Matthew Dillion Cain, James Cleveland Campbell, Jose Justo Cano, Tyler Edward Carr, Dalton Ray Carter, Haley Danielle Carter, Holly Marie Chastain, Amber Lynn Cheatwood, Krystal Lynn Christen, Jacob Daniel Christian;
Aaron Bryant Clark, Halen Nichol Clark, Kristen Lanay Clark, Jon Rusty Cochran, Andrea Morgan Colburn, Jourdon Lee Colburn, Katelyn Rochelle Coleman, Kathryn Nicole Cooley, Kristina Nichole Cooley, Daniel Tyler Cooper;
Chasten LeeAnn Courtney, Aaron James Cowart, Shelby Marie Craft, Roman Gabriel Crews, Raina Shae Cromer, Keiton Lanier Croom, General Thomas Dailey, Kyle Hunter Daley, Conner Lane Davis, Jazmine Storme Davis;
William Travis Davis, Emily Hope Dixon, Haylee Anne Donahue, Joseph Rodriquez Dortch, Marvin Gaye Dortch, Kathryne Gail Drew, Anthony Wayne Driver Jr., Raven Gabrielle Dueitt, Taylor Marie Dufrene, Jonathan Garrett Dunn;
Dwayne Michael Dwyer Jr., Heather Marie Easley, Brittni Reena Echols, Cassie Marie Eckhoff, Emily Elise Eley, Robert Lawrence Elkins, John Thomas Erkhart, Olivia Golden Erkhart, Kasha Rochelle Eubanks, John Russell Evans;
Cadezia Leanna Fairley, Takeysha Rossell Fairley, Tiffany Leigh Fillingim, Ashley Lauren Fiveash, Jeremiah Austin Foster, Benjamin Michael Fountain, Alyse Eva Frable, Thomas Matthew Franklin, Miranda Joy Freeman, Preston Joseph Freeman;
Michael Raynor Fryfogle Jr., Yolanda Fonseca Fuentes, Scott Isaac Gaines, Edward Clarence Galloway Jr., William Blake Gandy, Dustin Tyler Gill, Octavio Gabino Gomez, Madison Michelle Gordon, Summer Nichole Goss, Jasmine Gabrielle Grant;
Joshua Heath Gray, Shelly Deanne Guy, Brooke Kassady Hancock, Courtney Grace Hancock, Jackson Howell Harlan, Tori Diondra Harwood, Akisha Danielle Havard, Harley Kaye Havard, Veronica Marie Havard, Shawn Calvin Havens;
Joseph Killian Hayes, Alayna Jayde Hearndon, Jonathon Chase Hempstead, Andrew Colby Henderson, Sheldon Bryce Herrington, Alyssa Marie Hester, Megan LeAnn Hickman, Wesley Tyler Hilbun, Deanna Roxanne Hill, Dallas Marie Hobby;
Mitchell Ray Holifield II, Brandy Latesha Holley, Tiffany DeeAnne Holley, Leeanna Chantel Holliman, Kimberly Kay Horsley, Gregory Austin Howard, William Aaron Howard, Dalton Patrick Howell, Haley Diane Howell, Caitlyn Michelle Hubbard;
Justin Tyler Huber, Ryan Joseph Hudson, Erica Hope Hyatt, Amber Nicole Jenkins, Demetrius Javon Johnson, Erica Paige Johnson, Maxine Lynette Johnson, John Dakota Johnston, Austin Hunter Jones, Natasha Marie Jones;
Brian Alan Jordan II, Christina Rose Jordan, Richard Aaron Joyner, Hunter Anton Kaplan, Tommie Khalyb Kyle, Marissa Lois Landon, Tyler Duran Landrum, Deborah Annette Lang, Cammie Niccole Law, Charles Michael Lawler;
Austin Blake Lee, Haley Brooke Littlefield, Ashleigh Marie Lorge, Reese Haddox Lott, Randall Tereall Love, Trevor James Luce, Andrew Tyler Lucius, Erica Renee Luke, Joshua Keith Mallett, Britney Reenae Mannon;
Kenneth Dillon Mannon, Edward Brock Maples, Lindsey Marie Maples, Taylor Jordan Maples, Jacob Paul Martin, Courtney Ann McCall, Delaney Jewel McDonald, Lauren Siera McLeod, Robin Delanna McLeod, Sierra Montana McLeod;
Heather Leann McRae, Adam Delane Merritt, Justin Allen Miller, Jimmie Douglas Mixon, Aubrey James Mizell, Fallon Danielle Mizell, Alexandria Nicole Monson, Dominique Conelia Moody, Meredith Gabrielle Moody, George Edward Moore;
Jordan Tyler Moore, Kaitlyn Victoria Morgan, Kristin Alexis Moss, David Wayne Nance, Alexandrea BriYanna Neal, Quinton Terome Nix, James Farrell O’Neil, Jonathan Thomas Olsen, Lena Danielle Osborne, Jenna Elyse Parker;
Blake Edward Phillips, Kristain LaRhea Pierce, Patrick Ryan Pitts, Richard Alan Pribanic, Mona Lakehia Pritchett, Kayla Demaris Radcliff, Jacob Andrew Rasberry, Jessica Lynne Rasberry, Emily Michaela Read, Robert Ford Renfroe;
Jessica Susan Rhodes, Robert Shalem Rice, Amber Danielle Ring, Chantel Monique Rivera, Tara Lenae Roberts, Brian Hugh Rogers, Katlin DeShay Rogers, Makayla Mae Rogers, Cotie Amber Rouse, Moriah Jewel Rouse;
Hayden Laurell Scott, Rorye Deondre Scott, Joshua Stacy Shows, Morgan Irene Skidmore, Charles Dylan Smith, Josiah Stephen Smith, Leland Taylor Smith, Mandy Selena Smith, Austin James Smoak, Jeffrey Lee Storey;
Kristyn Diane Strahan, Tyler Jack Strahan, Keera Regine Street, Joshua Randolph Strickland, Mary Monittie Stringer, Jamie Roy Stumph, Cassidy Renae Sullivan, Raymon Tanner III, Ashley Lauren Tatham, Elizabeth Louise Tatham;
Emily Katherine Taylor, Jonathan James Taylor, Julia Lannie Tilley, Justin Everett Todd, Park Austin Tritle, Tatiana Marie Tritle, Jim Phillip Underwood Jr., Cyle Mason Vines, Kierra Elnora Nicole Vinson, James Benjamin Walley;
Casey Fletcher Walters, Michelle Nicole Waltman, Savannah Brooke Waltman, Miranda Cherie Ware, Shianna Marie Ware, Haley Deanna Washington, Cody Michael Watson, Deanna Jordan Welford, Michaela Dawn Welsford, Jarod Alexander Wescovich;
Derrick Manson Whittington, Cody Ray Wilkerson, Hannah Dawn Williams, Kristina Dianne Williams, Leslie Nacole Williams;
Mattison Kizar Williams, Brandon Scott Woods, Lauren Nicole Woytek, Kelsea Cheyenne Wright, Lisa Marie Wright; Miranda Marie Wynn and Nicole Elizabeth Yates.
Gautier Crime, May 17, 2012
Gautier Police Department reported the following incidents from May 17.
Gautier Police Department reported the following incidents from
May 17
Gautier Vancleave Road,Chrissie Elliott Tillman, 31, 12509 Meadowglen Road, arrested on an outstanding warrant for contempt of court.
MGCCC, Julian Terrell Plainer, 26, 5048 Maid Marion Drive, Pascagoula, arrested on outstanding warrants for simple assault, obscene phone calls, and speeding.
Ladnier Road, Joshua Tyler Cumbest, 20, 2605 Tampica Road, arrested on outstanding warrants for no driver’s license, careless driving, and contempt of court.
Ladnier Road, Courtney Marcell Moore, 23, 5506 Orleans Circle, Pascagoula, arrested on outstanding warrants for speeding, no insurance, and suspended driver’s license.
Ladnier Road, Germany Chavontez McMillian, 20, 3010 Bartlett Ave., Pascagoula, arrested on an outstanding warrant for possession of a stolen firearm.
Ladnier Road, Dwayne Tyrone Williams, 41, 2405 Linwood Drive, arrested on outstanding warrants for contempt of court, child restraint law, seat belt violation, no driver’s license, speeding, suspended drivers license, and no proof of liability insurance.
U.S. 90, Quilesha S. Cooks, 34, 4925 Kreole Ave., Moss Point, arrested on outstanding warrants for disobeying a traffic control device, suspended driver’s license, and no proof of liability insurance.
Gautier Vancleave Road, Juanita Gail Edwards, 36, 1712 Timberlane Drive, arrested on an outstanding warrant for expired driver’s license.
3329 U.S. 90, Willie Marvin McCann Jr., 35, 1601 Timberlane Drive, arrested on an outstanding warrant for contempt of court.
Ladnier Road, Thomas Eugene Thomas, 58, 2606 El Mundo, arrested on outstanding warrants for no license tag and suspended driver’s license.
U.S. 90, Sonic, accident reported.
South Haven, juvenile arrested on an outstanding warrant through the Hall County Sheriff’s Department.
2200 Westgate Parkway, Cynthia Screws reported her 1996 Lincoln has not been returned after loaning it out.
1409 U.S. 90, Michelle Sabrina Shepherd reported a house fire.
Ladnier Road, Joshua Stephen Hammond, 24, 2637 Ridgeway Drive, arrested on allegations of suspended driver’s license, no liability insurance, and possession of paraphernalia.
Southern Drive, Patrick Quinn McVeay, 45, 1409 U.S. 90, Lot 252, arrested on allegations of seat belt violation and possession of Schedule II drugs.
U.S. 90, Shelia Renee McGee, 41, 2101 Ladnier Road, arrested on allegations of disorderly conduct, public drunk and public profanity.
CCA sponsors Live Catch Speck Tournament
BILOXI, Mississppi — The Coastal Conservation Association Mississippi is sponsoring a Live Catch Speckled Trout Tournament Friday and Saturday at the Biloxi Boardwalk Marina.
BILOXI, Mississppi — The Coastal Conservation Association Mississippi is sponsoring a Live Catch Speckled Trout Tournament Friday and Saturday at the Biloxi Boardwalk Marina.
One goal of the tournament is replenish the spawning stock of seatrout, stated a news release from the CCA.
A mandatory captains meeting is scheduled at 6:30 p.m. today to assure that fish are handled in a manner that will allow their ruse in the research project.
The research and stocking project is through the state Department of Marine Resources and the University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast Research Laboratory. The Spotted Seatrout Population Enhancement Consortium at the DMR/GCRL has released fingerling speckled trout in Mississippi waters since 2006.
Entry into the tournament is free, but participants must be CCA members. Membership forms and registration for active members will be available at the Friday captains meeting.
Fishing is scheduled from first light to noon on Saturday, limited to the Biloxi Bay area, and landed at the marina live.
Divisions for men, women and youth, 17 and under, will vie for three place prizes with each entered fish giving the angler a chance to win a 45 quart Yeticooler.
Food and drink will be available at both the captains meeting and weigh-in.
Spectators are welcome to view the processing of the live catches on Saturday morning with scales closing at noon.
The tournament is sponsored by Biloxi Bay, Horn Island and Ship Island chapters of Coastal Conservation Association Mississippi .
For more information, go to www.ccamississippi.org or
www.facebook.com/ccamsississippi.
Mississippi to arrive in Pascagoula May 25
PASCAGOULA , Mississippi — The Navy's newest warship is due at the Port of Pascagoula next Friday for its commissioning ceremony on June 2, said Rear Adm. Rick Breckenridge, commander of Submarine Group Two.
View full sizeRear Adm. Rick Breckenridge. (Harlan Kirgan/Press-Register)
PASCAGOULA , Mississippi — The Navy’s newest warship is due at the Port of Pascagoula next Friday for its commissioning ceremony on June 2, said Rear Adm. Rick Breckenridge, commander of Submarine Group Two.
Breckenridge was on the coast Thursday “just to continue to build on this wave of excitement” as the service moves toward the commissioning of Mississippi, a 377-foot-long Virginia-class nuclear attack submarine (SSN 782).
It is tentatively scheduled to arrive in Pascagoula between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., he said.
In an interview Thursday, Breckenridge said he had toured Ingalls Shipbuilding, met with port officials and some of the key volunteers helping plan the events leading up to the commissioning.
Breckenridge called commissioning the “peak event” in the new submarine’s life. It was christened by sponsor Allison Stiller, deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for ship programs, at General Dynamics Electric Boat on Dec. 3, and has been through sea trials.
“We go out and we operate the ship right from the get-go to its maximum design limits,”
Breckenridge said, “which is another incredible thing. If you look at the many complexities of a submarine like the Mississippi it is on the same order of magnitude of complexity as the space shuttle.”
Breckenridge said Mississippi “operates like a finely tuned Swiss watch.”
“For me,” he added, “it is sort of unfathomable that we can take something right out of the box, out of the wrapper, and then go operate it and have it work in such magnificent order.”
The $2.6 billion Mississippi, the ninth in the Virginia class, was completed a year early and $60 million under budget, officials said.
Commissioning is a time when the ship and its state form a relationship, Breckenridge said.
“I just got to tell you that the response we’ve had from Mississippi has just been enormous,” he said. “This is really true excitement here that is recognized outside the confines of the state’s boundaries.”
Breckenridge said the commissioning committee has done a phenomenal job preparing for an event that should draw 7,500 people.
Breckenridge said the submarine is to arrive today at Port Canaveral where guests, including Stiller, are to be taken aboard for a trip.
With a crew of about 130 officer and sailors, the submarine carries torpedoes and Tomahawk missiles, and can be configured to carry Navy SEALs.
Electric Boat and its major subcontractor, Huntington Ingalls Industries-Newport News, have received contracts to build the first 18 submarines of a planned 30-ship Virginia Class.
Mississippi Supreme Court won’t reconsider Haley Barbour pardons ruling
JACKSON, Mississippi – The Mississippi Supreme Court has denied Attorney General Jim Hood's motion to reconsider a ruling that validated former Gov. Haley Barbour's pardons.
View full sizeFILE – The Mississippi Supreme Court has denied Attorney General Jim Hood’s motion to reconsider a ruling that validated former Gov. Haley Barbour’s pardons. (file photo)
JACKSON, Mississippi – The Mississippi Supreme Court has denied Attorney General Jim Hood’s motion to reconsider a ruling that validated former Gov. Haley Barbour’s pardons.
The court ruled Thursday without comment on Hood’s motion to reconsider a March 8 decision.
Barbour pardoned nearly 200 people as his second term was ending earlier this year. The total included four convicted murderers and a robber who worked as inmate trusties at the Governor’s Mansion.
Hood claimed some of recipients didn’t meet a constitutional mandate to publish notices for 30 days in a newspaper.
The court ruled 6-3 in Barbour’s favor in March, saying it was up to the governor “alone to decide whether the Constitution’s publication requirement was met.”
Hood asked the court to reconsider, which led to Thursday’s ruling.
Hood said in a statement through his spokeswoman that it was a shame that Barbour “abused the pardon power” and “even more of a tr avesty that a majority of the present Mississippi Supreme Court chose not to enforce the clear language in our state Constitution.”
Gulfport Harbor Town Casino development denied
JACKSON, Mississippi — The Mississippi Gaming Commission has asked casino developer Rotate Black to try again.
JACKSON, Mississippi — The Mississippi Gaming Commission has asked casino developer Rotate Black to try again.
The commission, in a 3-0 vote Thursday, again rejected the company’s plan for the Harbor Town Casino on the waterfront in Gulfport.
In April, the commission asked developers to add more to their proposal, hoping the additional investment would bolster coast tourism.
Harbor Town’s Jake Vanderlei says the company expanded its gaming floor by 44 percent, added 200 additional slot machines and 26 tables. He says the new proposal also added hotel rooms and a parking garage.
Executives had hoped the $6 million increase in the investment would be enough to win approval.
Rotate Black chief executive Duel Cooper says the company will consider its options.
Mississippi voter ID bill signed, awaits feds’ scrutiny
JACKSON, Mississippi — Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant on Thursday signed a bill requiring voters to show photo identification at the polls, but it's unclear whether it will become law.
View full sizeRepublican Gov. Phil Bryant, seated, hands Sen. Terry Burton, R-Newton a ceremonial pen after signing a bill requiring voters to show photo identification at the polls, Thursday, May 17, 2012 in his offices at the Capitol in Jackson, Miss. Because of Mississippi’s history of racial discrimination, the state is required to get federal approval for any change in election laws or procedures and the U.S. Justice Department has rejected voter ID laws from Texas and South Carolina in recent months. Also attending the signing were Republican Reps. Rita Martinson, left, of Madison and Bill Denny, right, of Jackson, and Republican Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann, center. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
JACKSON, Mississippi — Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant on Thursday signed a bill requiring voters to show photo identification at the polls, but it’s unclear whether it will become law.
Because of Mississippi’s history of racial discrimination, the state is required to get federal approval for any change in election laws or procedures. The U.S. Justice Department in recent months has rejected voter ID laws from Texas and South Carolina.
The state chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is asking the department to reject Mississippi’s proposed law, saying it could disproportionately create hardships for poor, elderly or minority voters who might be less likely to have a photo ID.
Legislative debates about voter ID have been sharply divided along racial lines for years. No black officials attended the bill signing ceremony in the governor’s Capitol office. Bryant was surrounded by several fellow Republicans and some tea party members.
“The legislation makes it easy to obtain a photo ID and put it in the hands of all voters,” Bryant said. “Our hope is to increase participation in the voting process. There is no one within this building that I have ever encountered that says, ‘I hope we can reduce the number of voters that are going to the polls.’ Just quite the opposite. We try and believe that it is our job to encourage this process but also bring about integrity.”
Bryant spokesman Mick Bullock said Democrats who supported voter ID were invited to stand behind the governor during the bill signing.
Supporters of voter ID say it prevents people from masquerading as others to cast a ballot. Opponents say there’s little evidence of that happening.
In last November’s general election, 62 percent of Mississippi voters approved a voter ID constitutional amendment. The bill Bryant signed Thursday is designed to put the ID mandate into law. It would require each voter to show a driver’s license, passport or other photo identification before casting a ballot.
Mississippi’s top elections official, Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann, said Thursday that he doesn’t expect the new law to be in place for the Nov. 6 presidential and congressional elections.
Hosemann said the voter ID law would need federal approval by July to give his staff time to implement the law’s requirements by the time early voting for military members begins in September.
The proposed law says Mississippi would provide free ID to any voter who needs one, but legislators this session did not set aside money to produce the cards. Hosemann said the money can be budgeted later, if the law receives federal approval.
Attorney General Jim Hood, the only Democrat in statewide elected office, submitted the voter ID constitutional amendment to the Justice Department in January. The department said it needed to see bill that accompanies the amendment.
Hosemann has said he’s skeptical that Mississippi will get fair consideration at the Justice Department. He said he might try an alternate route by asking a panel of federal judges in Washington to consider Mississippi’s proposed law.
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The bill is House Bill 921.
Lynn House to get interim state superintendent post
JACKSON, Mississippi — The Mississippi Board of Education plans to name Lynn House as interim state superintendent Friday.
JACKSON, Mississippi — The Mississippi Board of Education plans to name Lynn House as interim state superintendent Friday.
The board chose House, now deputy superintendent for instructional enhancement and internal operations, following a closed meeting Thursday. It will formally ratify the choice Friday.
House, 60, will replace Tom Burnham, who announced earlier this month that he would retire July 1. Charles McClelland of Jackson, chairman of the board, said House will not be a candidate to permanently replace Burnham.
McClelland said the board is still discussing a search process to find a new permanent superintendent and that board members want to be able to take their time to look for a new leader.
House has served in her current role since 2010.
Autopsy: Evidence of marijuana in Trayvon Martin’s blood
Medical examiners found evidence of marijuana in Trayvon Martin's system after he was fatally shot by a neighborhood watch volunteer, an autopsy report released Thursday shows.
In this undated file photo provided by the Martin family, Trayvon Martin holds an unidentified baby. An autopsy report released Thursday shows evidence of marijuana in Martin’s blood and urine.ORLANDO, Florida — Medical examiners found evidence of marijuana in Trayvon Martin‘s system after he was fatally shot by a neighborhood watch volunteer, an autopsy report released Thursday shows.
The report was included in a large amount of evidence released by prosecutors that includes many new details about the case. The autopsy says the examiners found THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, when they tested Martin’s blood and urine.
Also in the package is a photo of suspect George Zimmerman with a bloody nose taken the night of the fight. A paramedic report says Zimmerman had a 1-inch laceration on his head and forehead abrasion.
“Bleeding tenderness to his nose, and a small laceration to the back of his head. All injuries have minor bleeding,” paramedic Michael Brandy wrote about Zimmerman’s injuries in the report.
Zimmerman told a police officer that he did not have any other bruises or cuts but his back hurt, according to a police report.
Whether Zimmerman was injured in the Feb. 26 altercation with Martin has been a key question. Zimmerman has claimed self-defense and said he only fired because the unarmed teenager attacked him.
Zimmerman is awaiting trial on a second-degree murder charge. He has pleaded not guilty.
The photo and reports were among evidence released by prosecutors that also includes 911 calls, video and numerous other documents. The package was received by defense lawyers earlier this week and released to the media on Thursday.
The report by Sanford police officer Christopher Serino says Martin had $40.15, Skittles candy, a red lighter, headphones and a photo pin in his pocket. He had been shot once in the chest and had been pronounced dead at the scene.