Case dismissed against Perkinston farmer accused of threatening USDA agent

GULFPORT -- A criminal complaint that accused a Perkinston farmer of threatening a U.S. Department of Agriculture agent with a metal pipe he held like a baseball bat has been dismissed without prejudice.

Dismissal without prejudice means a complaint could be brought back to court.

Harvey "Dale" Parden, 48, was accused of ordering a federal agent off his property June 9 and raising a 4-foot-long pipe to intimidate him. Court papers say the agent had gone to Parden's farm headquarters on Paramount Church Road with a show-cause order for Parden's son, Arizona Lee Parden. His son was accused of converting to his own use a $32,000 loan to plant soybeans and peanuts. The agent pulled his weapon after Dale Parden became irate, the complaint said.

Dale Parden was released on bond and a grand jury review was ordered. A check of court records Friday showed the government agreed to dismiss the complaint. No indictment appears in court records. Magistrate Judge John Gargiulo signed the dismissal order Aug. 31.

The federal government had filed a petition against Arizona Parden on June 4. The civil complaint said Arizona Parden had agreed to repay his farm loan after he sold his crops but had not repaid the loan two years later. A judge signed a petition to enforce an administrative subpoena and ordered Parden Farms to turn over its records for review.

After a series of court hearings and motions over six months, Chief U.S. District Judge Louis Guirola Jr. dismissed that case Nov. 23, noting Arizona Parden had "substantially complied" with his obligations.

This story was originally published December 23, 2015 at 3:51 PM with the headline "Case dismissed against Perkinston farmer accused of threatening USDA agent ."