By Ryan Moore
A former Lamar County Sheriff's
deputy and Hattiesburg police lieutenant has been charged with one count of
forcible rape.
Averal "Junior"
Burnett, 47, appeared before Justice Court Judge Charles Greer for a bond
hearing Tuesday morning in Lamar County. He was denied bond, as requested by
the state, due to the consideration of alleged threats to law enforcement
officers and victims along with being considered a flight risk.
During the hearing, Burnett
stated, "I have not threatened anyone, I have sweat and bled with them
(law enforcement officers present) and would never do anything to hurt
anyone." He also added, "The only thing I ever questioned was the
chain of evidence."
Burnett was taken into custody
Sunday evening by Mississippi Highway Patrol officers and transported to the
Pearl River County Jail where he was housed.
Burnett served the majority of
his 22 years in law enforcement with the Hattiesburg Police Department and
officially retired from the Lamar County Sheriff's department on May 16, 2014.
"When we became aware of
the allegations, it was reported to us that it had allegedly happened in Lamar
County. When we realized it involved a former employee, we instantly called the
Mississippi Bureau of Investigations to handle the case," said Lamar County
Sheriff Dany Rigel.
Rigel added that Burnett worked
for their department less than a year before he had his time in with the state
to retire from law enforcement.
The investigation is still
ongoing, and is being handled by the Mississippi Bureau of investigations.