Barrett-Simon Robbery Update

WLBT reports: A $200,000 bond has been set for John Mangum Jr, accused of robbing Jackson Councilwoman Margaret Barrett-Simon and her husband.

The Clarion Ledger reports: "Margaret Barrett-Simon said Thursday she never positively identified John Wayne Mangum Jr. as the person who robbed her and her husband outside their Belhaven home June 9. She said she told authorities the person in the picture had facial features similar to the robber. Barrett-Simon said neither she nor her husband has been asked by police to come down and try to identify Mangum, who was arrested Tuesday on two counts of armed robbery. 'We believe if we see him in person, we could tell if he is the one,' Barrett-Simon said. Barrett-Simon said also the person who robbed them appeared to be about 5-foot-10 in height, whereas Mangum appears to be shorter from what she has seen in television reports....Police are looking for another suspect who may have been involved in the robbery, Scott said Thursday."

But another Ledger report says, "Jackson police say they have enough evidence against the suspect in the robbery of City Councilwoman Margaret Barrett-Simon despite her statement she never positively identified him. Police Department spokesman Sgt. Jeffrey Scott said the reason Barrett-Simon is uneasy is because the man she chose in the photo lineup, John Wayne Mangum Jr., had just gotten a haircut. 'At the time of the robbery, he had an Afro,' Scott said. 'But when he found out we were looking for him, he went into a barber shop.'