Jackson County deputies on gang documentary

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Jackson County deputies to be featured on Discovery Channel's gang documentary
April M. Havens | gulflive.com By April M. Havens |
on December 02, 2012 at 12:08 PM, updated December 02, 2012 at 12:36 PM

PASCAGOULA, Mississippi -- Two of Jackson County Sheriff Mike Byrd's investigators will be featured in a Discovery Channel documentary this week.

Lt. Chad Heck and Deputy Brad Lewis, with the Criminal Investigation Division, spent 2 weeks with a Discovery Channel film crew this summer to provide material for an hour-long feature on the Dixie Mafia.

The show, which airs at 9 p.m. on Tuesday and 11 p.m. on Wednesday, showcases how Jackson County investigators are trying to crack down on gang activity, particularly with the Simon City Royals, a street gang that began in Chicago in the 1950s and whose largest membership is on the Gulf Coast.

The Royals is the most prevalent gang on the Gulf Coast, the sheriff said, and its members are heavily involved in dealing illegal drugs, armed robberies, burglaries and aggravated assaults, especially in the prison systems.

They wear royal blue clothing, have numerous tattoos and have a secret code that must be followed, he said.

Heck and Lewis rounded up about 100 warrants that needed issuing or were outstanding for Royals members and served them as the film crew captured each moment.

"It gave us the opportunity to show the citizens in Jackson County and the nation that the Simon City Royals is an increasing threat not only along the Gulf Coast, but in the United States," Heck said. "We were able to arrest numerous Simon City Royals who had active warrants ranging from misdemeanor charges to felony offenses."
chad heck.JPG Lt. Chad Heck

"In the recent years the gang activity on the coast and in Mississippi has grown tremendously," Lewis said, noting the department has began arresting more and more gang members.