McComb selectman Donovan Hill announced Monday that he was dropping his legal action against McComb High School athletic director Malcolm Jones.
Hill had been pursuing charges of disturbing the peace against Jones since the two had an argument at a high school basketball game in December.
Hill’s move came as a surprise, considering a judge ruled last Thursday that probable cause for the charges existed, clearing the way for Hill to advance his case through McComb municipal court.
At an early-evening press conference on the steps of city hall, Hill said he had come to his decision after considering possible outcomes and seeing no result but divisiveness in the community.
“If I win, if Malcolm Jones wins, our city is divided. McComb loses,” he said. “What is gained from this?”
In discontinuing his legal action, he said, “I am devoting my time towards major issues our citizens are facing.”
He singled out unemployment and infrastructure as areas in need of attention.
However, by dropping his legal efforts, Hill did not absolve Jones of wrongdoing.
“I am relying on our parents, school board and superintendent to investigate Malcolm Jones, with his unprofessional performance,” Hill said.
Acknowledging Jones’ accomplishments in the athletic realm, Hill said, “He has elevated our sports programs and I thank him for this,” adding, “but we cannot allow situations like this to keep occurring.”
Hill laid out the background of the trouble between him and Jones.
He said following the Dec. 30 argument he “tried every channel before filing charges.”
Individuals he would not identify but whom he described as “key people within our city who had nothing to do with the conflict” called him asking him to drop the matter.
Hill said he advised them that it was Jones who should be calling him, and if that had happened the two men might have been able to work through their differences.
Hill later asked to speak to the McComb school board about Jones but was “stopped dead in my tracks” by Dr. Cederick Ellis, the superintendent, and not allowed to address the board. It was only then, having given Jones what he described as ample time to reach out, that he decided to pursue charges.
Because Jones is a school official, a judge’s determination of probable cause was necessary for Hill to proceed.
Asked why he changed his mind just days after the encouraging court ruling, Hill said cryptically that “witnesses decided to change their minds about telling the truth.” He did not specify who he meant, but three security officers who had seen the December confrontation testified at last week’s hearing.
Echoing his earlier comments about division within the community, he added, “People taking sides is not what our city needs right now. We need unity.”
Jones was not available this morning for comment.
