Date of Offense
Offense(s)
Statement
The following information within public records, media broadcasts, and municipal meeting records concerning former Pelahatchie Police Chief Joseph Daughtry, Jr. This disclosure is made in accordance with Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83 (1963), and its progeny, to ensure the disclosure of potential impeachment or bias evidence that may reflect upon the witness’s administrative oversight, personnel management, or relationship with municipal authorities during his tenure in Pelahatchie, Mississippi.
1. Administrative Suspension for Insubordination (September 2019)
In August and September 2019, a public dispute arose between Pelahatchie Mayor Ryshonda Harper Beechem and Chief Joseph Daughtry regarding delayed municipal payroll that left several police department employees unpaid over multiple pay periods.
On August 29, 2019, Mayor Beechem formally suspended Chief Daughtry under an allegation of "insubordination." The suspension followed a heavily publicized verbal exchange outside City Hall captured by local media (WAPT-TV), where Chief Daughtry publicly confronted the mayor regarding the city's failure to pay his officers.
Under Mississippi municipal structure, the authority to terminate or permanently discipline a police chief rests with the Board of Aldermen. The Pelahatchie Board of Aldermen subsequently overrode the mayor's executive suspension, restoring Chief Daughtry to his position.
2. Personnel Misconduct and Courtroom/Boardroom Demeanor Oversight (December 2020)
On December 7, 2020, during a formal Pelahatchie Town Board meeting regarding administrative suspensions and department scheduling, an officer under Chief Daughtry’s direct command, Officer Kendrell Canada, engaged in a highly volatile, profane, and insubordinate verbal altercation with Mayor Beechem and members of the board.
Video documentation ("Protect The Mayor - Police Officer Kendrell Canada Curses At Mayor") demonstrates Officer Canada repeatedly shouting, disrupting the meeting, slamming the podium, using profanity toward the mayor, and refusing to step down when ordered. While another officer eventually stepped in to de-escalate and escort Officer Canada out, the event highlights severe internal friction, scheduling disputes, and structural breakdown within the department's hierarchy at the tail end of Chief Daughtry's administration. (Note: Chief Daughtry transitioned out of the department to accept the Police Chief position in Natchez shortly after this period in December 2020).
This incident reflects upon the internal culture, disciplinary enforcement, and behavioral management of personnel operating under Chief Daughtry’s command.
The US Citizen Reporters are a group of public and private defense advocates that scour the internet for documented incidents of police misconduct that have eluded accountability.
