The Selma Times-Journal

A Sardis woman who got into an alleged shootout with a repo agent who came to her home to take a vehicle has been indicted by a Dallas County grand jury.

Lametrius Dillard was indicted on charges including shooting into an occupied vehicle and assault first degree after she allegedly shot repo agent Julie Mosely. According to Dillard, Mosely drew her weapon and fired first.

The August 2006 incident touched off protests and cries of racial discrimination since Dillard is black and Mosely is white.

Dillard’s attorneys April Albright and J.L. Chestnut Jr. said they felt repo agent should have been arrested for reportedly firing into Dillard’s home where her child was sleeping. Attorneys said they had attempted to file for an arrest Mosely, “but the computers in the (circuit) clerk’s office were down.”

Mosely was arrested and charged with discharging a firearm into an occupied dwelling and released from the Dallas County Jail on $5,000 bond, according to court records.

Protests were stirred after

Mosely was not initially arrested for firing into the home on Dallas Co. Rd. 899 in the Sunshine Village community near Sardis. Residents from the community packed the Dallas County Commission chamber airing their complaints.

Mosely’s case will be presented to the next grand jury, according to Michael Jackson, district attorney.

“There is a rule against cross warrants,” Chestnut told a group of Dillard’s supporters following her September 2006 court appearance. “Otherwise, it’s a race to the courthouse.”

Chestnut said that in the interest of saving taxpayers’ money, they hoped to waive going before a grand jury if Mosely’s attorney agrees, and get the matter before a circuit judge “because that’s where the case is going to end up.”

“The reason for this is so the court won’t have to sit and hear the same case twice,” Chestnut said. “The cases are similar. They come out of the same fact situation.”

Dillard claims a repo agent came to her residence to tow her vehicle when she attempted to tell them they were making a mistake, and they left. The agent returned with Mosely and Dillard asked them to leave. Dillard then said Mosely called her a nigger and fired a pistol at her. Dillard said she fired back and called the police. When the sheriff’s deputies arrived, Dillard was arrested.

Mosely was apparently injured in the shootout and the sheriff’s investigator said he decided at that time to arrest Dillard.

Dallas County sheriff’s deputies were back in Sunshine Village two days later, arresting Dillard’s brother, Derrick White, on drug trafficking charges. Members of the Dallas County Narcotics Unit said Dillard videotaped them. A tape recording of narcotics officers was played over a local radio station.

Area residents claim officers were rude and went beyond their responsibilities. Wayne Odom, assistant chief deputy and head of the narcotics unit, said they were executing a search warrant when neighbors began to interfere.

Authorities said White had a previous record and had been “a person of interest for quite some time.” He was still in the Dallas County Jail and was being held without bond after a search by

sheriff’s narcotics officers uncovered about 10 pounds of marijuana and an undetermined amount of powdered cocaine and crack cocaine.