Hancock narcotics commander embroiled in fraud investigation over DNA test has been fired
Hancock County Sheriff’s narcotics commander Ben Taylor was fired Friday as a criminal investigation continues into allegations that he manufactured and produced fraudulent DNA test results to deny fathering a girlfriend’s child in a child support case.
Sheriff Ricky Adam said Friday that Taylor had been fired because of findings in an internal investigation into allegations that the officer committed fraud in paperwork submitted in the child support lawsuit in Harrison County Chancery Court.
“He has been terminated, effective today,” Adam said. “In light of everything that has come out and is going on with Mr. Taylor, this is something the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office doesn’t want to be associated with. It’s in our best interest that we part ways and move forward in a different direction.”
Taylor, who is married, is accused of falsifying DNA test results to deny he fathered the little girl with longtime girlfriend Branissa Stroud, so he would not have to pay child support. The child lives with her mother.
The Sun Herald has repeatedly reached out to Taylor for an interview to get input on the allegations against him, but he has not returned calls.
Taylor had been on unpaid administrative leave in Hancock County pending the outcome of the internal investigation. He had worked at the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department for about two months.
Taylor had previously served as a longtime supervisory agent in Homeland Security Investigation within the U.S. Department of Immigration and Customs before his abrupt departure in the aftermath of a federal investigation into the same allegations.
The federal agent, Donald Smith, confirmed the DNA tests Taylor produced were fraudulent and tried unsuccessfully to get U.S. Attorney’s Office to pursue a criminal indictment against Taylor in June 2021, according to records filed in the child support case by attorney Michael Holleman.
Taylor is now the subject of an ongoing criminal investigation by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation.
The sheriff said he would be surprised if the case didn’t result in a criminal charge.
In addition to his service at HSI and the Sheriff’s Department, Taylor served in other law enforcement capacities, including as a police officer in Bay St. Louis.
In December 2020, the non-profit Waveland Community Unity Organization awarded Taylor the officer of the year award for his service in the Bay and surrounding areas.
Taylor had also made a name for himself in Diamondhead, where he lives. As a resident, he has served in various capacities, including as a board member for the Diamondhead Water and Sewer District.
