Judge’s decision to dismiss most charges raises some eyebrows

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Accusations of police brutality abound after a video circulating on social media showed investigators wrestling with a Laurel man who appeared to be resisting.

In November, Porsche Moore filmed her husband Dezsie Moore being wrestled to the ground by Laurel police investigators Josh Freeman and Seth Crabtree after they matched his description to that of an armed robber. The video circulated widely on social media before judge Kyle Robertson found Dezsie Moore not guilty of resisting arrest and public profanity but guilty of failure to comply with police. Now, Jackson attorney and Grenada judge Carlos Moore will represent the couple in a lawsuit he plans to file against the City of Laurel, he said.

Several sources reported that Robertson told the court that he had enough evidence to convict Dezsie Moore of all the misdemeanor charges after his rough brush with the law, but found him guilty of only one. The judge’s statement didn’t sit well with law enforcement officials and supporters who heard it, but none would talk about it to a reporter. Judges and police typically do not go on the record about ongoing litigation. Robertson didn’t respond to repeated messages for comment.

Though Dezsie was found not guilty, one source close to the matter clarified a few facts about police procedure:

• If an officer is acting in an investigative capacity, a person is required to follow orders;

• Police have the right to temporarily detain someone without probable cause in the course of an investigation.

Dezsie Moore could have easily been mistaken for the armed robbery suspect, who was described as having braided shoulder-length hair and a tall, muscular build, the source said. Comparison photos of him and the actual suspect show that the mistake would have been “easy to make,” especially from a distance, the source added.

Attorney Moore said his client didn’t recognize Freeman as police because he was wearing plain clothes and driving an unmarked car. Dezsie Moore argues he didn’t know he was being followed by police until he reached his back porch and Freeman ordered him to stop.

The police report states Dezsie Moore looked back over his shoulder multiple times at Freeman’s vehicle before breaking into a run and appeared to be trying to “elude” the investigator.

It was at this point Porsche Moore began filming, and investigator Crabtree soon arrived as backup. Crabtree can be seen pushing Porsche Moore’s phone camera away, which attorney Moore said is a violation of her right to speech.

Dezsie Moore and Porsche Moore will file a joint lawsuit against the city in March claiming wrongful arrest/false imprisonment and assault and battery, their attorney said.

“He was jogging home as he normally does,” he said, “and when he got to his back door, someone not in uniform grabbed him out of his house.”

Porsche Moore did have a right to film, her attorney added.

“She was not impeding the arrest and all she was doing was videoing,” he said. “It’s beyond bizarre. It’s why they’re filing a joint lawsuit. They will fight for total justice.

“A man is the king of his castle and this should not happen in a civilized society.”

The attorney said he believes the family’s civil rights were violated, adding, “Personally, I don’t believe this would happen to white citizens.”

Questions were raised in court about why she was shooting video of the incident instead of trying to help her husband if she thought he was being attacked by a private citizen, but that wasn’t addressed, a source said.

More details are expected to come out after the lawsuit is filed. Body-cam footage of the incident is unavailable to media because of the likelihood of litigation.

Attorney Moore is known throughout the area because of his involvement in a high-profile case in which a local woman was thought to be missing following her arrest and release after she alleged her parents sent her racist texts.

Kaileigh Schmidt, a former Jones College student, initially faced two felony counts of posting electronic messages for the purpose of causing injury after she published the alleged texts and her parents started receiving threats. The charges were reduced and eventually dropped.

The attorney appeared on the Jones County Justice Court steps alongside Javaron Buckley of Chicago to address questions about the unusual case that made national headlines. The attorneys called into question Schmidt’s whereabouts and said her arrest was unconstitutional; the Jones County Sheriff’s Department had said she was safe in an undisclosed location.

The U.S. Court of Appeals found that Schmidt’s felony charges were unconstitutional.

Cody Abadie, a family member, claimed Moore was “showboating for money.”

“That’s why the country is in so much turmoil right now, because people like you are lying,” Abadie told attorney Moore at the courthouse. “Prove me wrong. That’s why the system is so screwed up.”

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