Mississippi Jail Warden Arrested After Felony Conviction Unveiled

by David Reutter

The warden of Mississippi’s Wilkinson County Jail (WCJ) was arrested and charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and filing or maintaining false public records.

Before being appointed WCJ’s warden, Roderick Frye, 28, worked at the Angola State Prison until December 2012 and prior to that, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. When applying for employment at Angola, Frye stated that he did not have any prior felony convictions.

Frye, however, was convicted in 1999 after pleading guilty to manslaughter. Frye, who was 13 at the time, fatally stabbed 14-year-old Kenneth Stampley on a school bus in Jefferson County while 30 other students on the bus witnessed the incident.

Frye was convicted as an adult and sentenced to 15 years in prison, with 7 years suspended. He was released in 2005.

The firearms charge is based upon Frye’s firearm qualification for law enforcement in 2009, 2011 and 2012. He was arrested on October 17, 2013 and released on a $40,000 bond.

Sources: Associated Press, www.natchezdemocrat.com