LEFT: Sen. Jeremy England, R-Vancleave, (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) RIGHT: Rep. Mike Ezell, R-Miss, (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Nolan Wells was found dead two days after disappearing on July 4, following a boat trip to Horn Island. The people he traveled with, namely, white young men, returned safely. Even Nolan’s phone and car keys made it back, but the 18-year-old did not. More than two weeks later, results from a second, independent autopsy his parents ordered came back “inconclusive.” It also noted missing organs and parts of the throat, details that caused an internet uproar. Meanwhile, there’s still no word on when the first autopsy results will be public. A toxicology report is also pending. Amid public criticism about the investigation’s pace and rumors of a cover-up, two Mississippi officials are weighing in.State Sen. Jeremy England said Mississippi won’t be pressured to rush the investigation. Additionally, Congressman Mike Ezell expressed “full confidence” in Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter‘s leadership.
Speaking to Fox News Digital, Sen. Jeremy England responded to comments from NAACP President Derrick Johnson about officials’ handling of the case of Nolan Xavier Wells. At a press conference on Wednesday (July 22), Johnson said the people calling for justice are not yet accusing any individuals. Instead, he and others standing by Nolan’s family are blaming “the state of Mississippi and local officials.” He added, “We’re alleging they have failed in their duties” and also described them as being “derelict.”
Johnson made these comments at the same conference in which Ben Crump announced the inconclusive findings from the second, independent autopsy of Nolan Wells. Colin Kaepernick reportedly covered the costs of the procedure, which took place in Washington D.C.
Following the independent autopsy conference, Sen. Jeremy England pushed back against the allegations from Derrick Johnson. England, per Fox News, represents a portion of Jackson County. He said Johnson’s comments were uncalled for and represented an “unfair characterization.” Also, he said the officials leading the Nolan investigation are being “unfairly attacked.”
“Our sheriff and our district attorney here in Jackson County, our DPS commissioner over the state of Mississippi law enforcement, our crime lab, the offices they put together, I know many of them personally and professionally, and they have the utmost integrity and they want to get the facts correct and get out there. You know, they understand they’re under a microscope at this point in time, but they’re being unfairly attacked,” Jeremy England told Fox News Digital. “For no reason other than people trying to make shocking claims and get people to think something nefarious has happened or is going on.”
Sen. England defended the officials involved, calling them “good people” who are “being dragged through the mud, especially by the NAACP president.” He said Johnson had no facts and no reason to drag Mississippi officials.
“…If this ends up being another case of a tragic accident of a drowning out at our Mississippi barrier island, there’s going to be people feeling like that justice isn’t service…but if this was an accident, who do you blame? There’s not always someone to blame,” he said.
Additionally, England suggested public pressure won’t have an effect on the pace of Nolan Wells’ investigation. No matter how hard the push. He claims their process is out of respect for “the family and the entire community.”
“And here in Mississippi, we don’t have and we don’t follow what you see in some other states and some other communities where you have activist district attorneys and activist sheriffs, and they’re listening to the public and they’re wanting to respond to the public.”
“Our leaders, the people in that office, they don’t do that. They take their time, they make sure they get it right, and they’re doing that out of respect for the family and for the entire community at this point,” Jeremy England also said.
Mississippi Congressman Stands By Jackson County Sheriff
As mentioned, Congressman Mike Ezell also stood by Mississippi law enforcement officials working on the Nolan Wells case. He, too, told Fox Digital News that Sheriff Ledbetter has his full confidence.
“I have full confidence in Sheriff Ledbetter and all of our law enforcement officials as they are working hard to do a thorough investigation. As a former sheriff and police officer, I know firsthand the demands and pressure of their job, and I know they will handle this matter with integrity,” Ezell shared.
