The Yalobusha County Sheriff’s Department is issuing a strong warning against harassing and assaulting utility employees working to get power restored in the aftermath of Winter Storm Fern.
Law enforcement officials in the area reported that a call was made to the Tallahatchie Valley Electric Power Association, with the person on the other end of the line reportedly levying a threat toward a lineman. While the incident was isolated, there have reportedly been other instances of threats toward linemen across north Mississippi. Details on these alleged threats were not provided.
“This incident, along with reports of threats in other counties in North Mississippi, led to our decision to notify the public and the linemen working in Yalobusha County that we will not tolerate such behavior, and we will hold accountable anyone who threatens harm to the utility companies working here,” a statement from the Yalobusha County Sheriff’s Department reads.
The sheriff’s department elaborated, saying that the punishment for in-person, phone, or even online threats directed at utility workers will result in prosecution and felony charges.
“There will be no, ‘I didn’t really mean it.’ You make the threat, you pay the consequences. YOU WILL BE PROSECUTED,” the statement continued. “Don’t let your fingers or mouth make you a felon, because that’s exactly what you are going to get.”
Instead of harassing those working to restore power where outages have persisted, the Yalobusha County Sheriff’s Department encourages the public to take a deep breath and extend grace during what has been a trying time. As of late Friday morning, around 19,000 residents and businesses remain without power statewide, and the storm’s death toll is at 28.