Hancock County prosecutor back at work after arrest at Ole Miss game

Hancock County prosecuting attorney Olen Anderson faces prosecution on misdemeanors after his arrest during Saturday's football game at Ole Miss.

Anderson, 45, was arrested on charges of public drunkenness and simple assault.

He prosecutes misdemeanors in Hancock County Justice Court.

The Ole Miss University Police and Campus Security Office website shows his arrest came in response to incidents at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium about 3:51 p.m.

Deputies with the Lafayette Sheriff's Office were assisting with law enforcement on game day and detained Anderson, a campus police employee said. Campus police filed the public drunkenness charge and a private individual signed a simple assault complaint against Anderson.

Campus police took Anderson to the Lafayette County jail.

He didn't get to see the end of the game against Arkansas, a 53-52 overtime loss for the Rebels.

He was jailed about 5 p.m. and was released on a $275.25 bond about 9 p.m.

A sheriff's office employee referred the Sun Herald to campus police for questions about the assault charge.

The assault complaint was not handled by the university, a spokeswoman said.

Anderson's court date was not immediately available.

He was in court handling his work in Bay. St. Louis on Tuesday. He did not return phone calls for comment.

Anderson has been an attorney for 20 years. He owns a law firm in Bay St. Louis and works for the county in a part-time capacity.

In most counties, the prosecuting attorney is an elected position. In a few, including Hancock County, the prosecuting attorney is appointed by the county Board of Supervisors. Anderson also handles probable-cause hearings in justice court on felonies before those cases are forwarded to the District Attorney's Office for a grand jury review.

State law has provisions to remove an elected official after a felony conviction, said Rachel Ring of the Mississippi Attorney General's Office. The removal law applies to a guilty plea, a conviction or a ruling of mental incompetency.

The charges he faces do not violate state laws on ethics in government, said Chris Graham, an attorney for the Mississippi Ethics Commission.

The Mississippi Bar Association generally does not disbar or suspend attorneys over an off-duty misdemeanor arrest.

Wesley Muller, Sun Herald staff writer, contributed to this report.

This story was originally published November 10, 2015 at 5:00 PM with the headline "Hancock County prosecutor back at work after arrest at Ole Miss game ."