Former lawman charged with rape in south Mississippi

PETAL, Miss. – A former law enforcement officer has been charged with rape in south Mississippi.

WDAM-TV reports 47-year-old William Harold Brown was arrested Monday in Petal.

A judge Wednesday set Brown's bail at $750,000 despite a recommendation from a Petal city prosecutor that bail be denied.

It's unclear if Brown has a lawyer.

Forrest County sheriff's investigator John Tryner says Brown formerly was a Forrest County sheriff's deputy and Petal police officer.

The sheriff's office fired Brown in 2017, saying he sent sexually explicit images to a minor.

Purvis police charged Brown with one felony count of computer luring of a person under 18 for sexual purposes in April 2017. District Attorney Hal Kittrell said Tuesday his office didn't find sufficient evidence to send that case to a grand jury.

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Information from: WDAM-TV, http://www.wdam.com