The FBI executed sealed search warrants at the offices of Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens and a business owned by Owens on Wednesday morning. The agents were stationed outside of Owens’ DA offices at the Hinds County Courthouse, as well as at the Downtown Cigar Company and the Downtown Daiquiri and Pizza. The businesses were taped off with crime scene notices, while federal agents surrounded the offices.
The FBI Public Affairs Officer, Marshay Lawson, confirmed that officers were executing federal search warrants at multiple locations in support of an affidavit that had been sealed by the court. She emphasized that there was no threat to public safety, but declined to provide any additional details about the reason for the raid.
When contacted, spokespersons for the Attorney General’s office and the Department of Public Safety had no further information to share regarding the matter. A request for comment from the U.S. Attorney’s office also went unanswered at that time.
Jody Owens, who was elected as Hinds County District Attorney in 2019 and re-elected in 2023, has not provided any comments on this matter. Prior to his role as DA, he served as Chief Policy Counsel and Managing Attorney of Southern Poverty Law Center’s Mississippi Office and worked as a legal intern for Senator Thad Cochran’s U.S Senate Appropriations Committee office before serving as an Intelligence Officer in US Navy Reserves with rank of Lieutenant.
