Duncs

A fellow Brit in my neck of the woods is doing ok so i suppose theres hope for all of us.

regards,

Duncan


Jones County DA has needed savvy

From England to office by way of USM, MC
By Patrice Sawyer
[email protected]

Barbara Gauntt/The Clarion-Ledger

Newly-elected Jones County District Attorney Tony Buckley remembers vividly the day he became a nationalized U.S. citizen. He recalled the many nationalities participating in the ceremony and the emotion that filled the room. Born and raised in England, he received his college degree from the University of Southern Mississippi and went to law school at Mississippi College.

The Buckley file

Fast facts about Tony Buckley, Jones County district attorney:
Age: 38
Education: Undergraduate degree, the University of Swansea in Great Britain, which included one year as an exchange student at the University of Tennessee; master's degree, the University of Southern Mississippi; law degree, Mississippi College
Family: Wife, Michelle; children, Emily, 12, Evan, 9, and Eric, 7


LAUREL — A 21-year-old man from Yorkshire County, England, stepped off a Greyhound bus in Hattiesburg 17 years ago, took a look around and thought, "What have I done?"

Tony Buckley, now 38, said the bus station wasn't located in the best part of town, and he wasn't sure what to expect when he accepted a scholarship for graduate studies at the University of Southern Mississippi. The University of Swansea in Britain, where Buckley studied political science as an undergraduate, had begun an exchange program with USM.

But that step off the bus was the beginning of a journey that led Buckley to meeting his wife, becoming a U.S. citizen and running for Jones County district attorney. He won the seat in August when he ran against incumbent Grant Hedgepeth in the Democratic primary.

Buckley, who has been on the job for three weeks, leaned forward in his office chair last week and shook his head in disbelief at where he is now.

"At 18, I never thought I'd go down that path. I count my blessings, and I realize how lucky and fortunate I am. I don't take it for granted," he said.

Buckley initially was interested in political science. A professor encouraged him to attend law school, and he went to the Mississippi College School of Law.

While at USM, he met his wife-to-be, Michelle, who's from Jones County. They married and settled in Laurel. They have two sons and a daughter.

Buckley served as Jones County public defender before law enforcement officials encouraged him to seek the district attorney's office.

Roger Williams, commander of the Southeast Mississippi Drug Task Force, said he had seen Buckley in action as a public defender and supported him in his bid for district attorney.

"He was always real good in the courtroom, and he was always real sharp. We knew he had a good moral character," Williams said. "We're just glad to have him on our side."

Jones County Assistant District Attorney Dennis Bisnette said he's known Buckley since 1992. "He's doing real well. He's got some real good ideas as far as getting cases moving," Bisnette said.

Buckley said he wants to offer first-time, nonviolent offenders a short-term sentence in an attempt to rehabilitate them. However, if they mess up, they will be expected to serve the entire term.

Buckley said he has about a half-dozen murder cases pending before a grand jury. He has been on the defense end of such cases in the past, and now he looks forward to the challenge of prosecution.

A total of 870 cases are pending without indictments; another 250 with indictments await Buckley and his two assistants.

Buckley said he's glad voters didn't penalize him because he isn't a hometown boy. "It would have been easy to vote against someone who wasn't from around here, (saying) 'He ain't even from Mississippi. He ain't even from America originally.' "

Buckley's British accent has picked up a slight Southern twang. And he says he can "y'all" with the best of them.

Buckley became a U.S. citizen five years ago. If his parents had any concerns about the change in citizenship, he said they never told him.

Buckley said he had two main reasons for becoming a citizen. The first is because his children were born in the United States. The second reason is so he could vote. "I don't miss an election. Even if it's election commissioner, I go vote for it," he said.

Back when now-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was seeking office, Buckley had predicted Schwarzenegger would win.

"Heck, I did it in Jones County," he said.

Pulaski

Hattiesburg, MI may be an armpit, but after three years in Swansea he probably thought that he had arrived in paradise!.

Franklin

Hey!!! Swansea is next to the Gower, a beautiful part of the country! Also, Swansea has a great night life!

Britfrombristol

I lived in Hattiesburg for 6 months and understand that the ratio of women to men is the largest of any University town in the US.

Single, 21 a British accent with an abundance of southern girls-I imagine it was heaven not armpit!

Pulaski

On the other hand it's in Wales!