A Justice Court judge on Aug. 5 found Lexington Alderman Charlie Earl Simmons guilty of harassing, stalking and assaulting city employees, and ordered him to pay $2,675 in fines and assessments, court records show.
Judge Abraham Gates also ordered Simmons to stay at least 100 feet away from Deputy City Clerk Brenda Powell and to stop calling her except for official city business, the records show. Simmons did not appear at the hearing, and court documents indicate he had proper notice, the records show.
Powell told the court the harassment began in 2019 and was “constant,” according to court records and testimony provided to Mississippi Today. She said the conduct forced her to take anti-anxiety medication, that Simmons filmed her from the foyer of the clerk’s office and that the city installed tint on the teller window to deter future recording, the records show.
Other city employees accused Simmons of simple assault and stalking earlier this year, court records show. Powell said she reported his behavior to city officials in 2024 and that the mayor and Board of Aldermen restricted Simmons’ access to City Hall, but that the conduct continued, according to her written testimony shared with Mississippi Today. Powell filed a criminal charging affidavit after she said earlier complaints produced no relief.
The findings come amid broader scrutiny of Lexington city government. The U.S. Department of Justice investigated the Lexington Police Department and city government for alleged civil rights violations, court records and a 2024 federal probe show. A 2022 civil rights lawsuit filed by local residents alleges Simmons asked officers to harass neighbors and retaliated against organizers; the lawsuit also says Simmons was friends with former Police Chief Sam Dobbins, who was fired by the City Board after a leaked recording, the lawsuit and court records say. Activist-attorney Jill Collen Jefferson said she hired security after Simmons allegedly harassed an organizer, and organizer Bonita Streeter said Simmons tried to run her off the road in 2022, both accounts are described in court filings and press reports.
Removing a local elected official convicted of a serious crime requires a motion from the attorney general’s office to the local circuit court under state law, the statute cited in court records says. Attorney General Lynn Fitch’s office did not immediately respond to a question about whether it will seek Simmons’ removal, the records show. Simmons did not respond to a request for comment, and Lexington Mayor Percy Washington declined to comment, according to the news outlet that reported the hearing. Powell said she worries about retaliation and that Judge Gates told her Simmons could appeal the verdict, court records show.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
