Firefighter reinstated after sex-offender conviction

Therese Apel | The (Jackson, Miss.) Clarion-Ledger

BOGUE CHITTO, Miss. — The Lincoln County Volunteer Fire Service has come under fire after the Bogue Chitto Volunteer Fire Department reinstated a sex offender a little more than a year after he was convicted.

Brad Mercier was suspended from the fire department in this town of about 500 residents after being arrested in 2008 for soliciting minors over the Internet. He was voted back in as a volunteer Monday, officials said.

Bogue Chitto's fire chief, Sedgie Mercier, said he had no comment. He is Brad Mercier's father.

"We've talked to people about that," he said of his son's legal troubles.

Sedgie Mercier also was adamant that no story should be published on the issue.

"Don't you dare put nothing in no paper. It better get stopped," he said. "Who gave you permission to do anything with this?"

State Sen. Sally Doty, a Republican from the county seat of Brookhaven, Miss., said some firefighters came to her with concerns over the weekend.

"A recent staffing decision by one of our valued volunteer fire departments has caused concern for other fire personnel and community members who have reached out to me," Doty said. "Our fire departments provide critical and essential services to our communities. In order to maintain a high degree of public confidence, all agencies must follow consistent, transparent and ethical staffing practices."

Doty said she's not able to give out many other details.

"We are looking into this with an immediate view of determining the best way to handle the situation," she said. "I have nothing but respect for our brave and dedicated men and women who volunteer to keep us safe every day."

Members of the community, about 65 miles south of Jackson, and the fire service who contacted The Clarion-Ledger were concerned because medical calls often involve first responders making physical contact with patients, as do calls for car accidents.

Lincoln County's fire coordinator, Clifford Galey, said it's perfectly legal for Brad Mercier to be part of the fire department.

Some residents' concerns have centered around the proximity of Bogue Chitto Attendance Center, a school that houses kindergarteners through 12th-graders, to the volunteer fire department's Station 1. They are across the street from one another; Brad Mercier lives several hundred feet beyond state law's required 3,000 feet from a school or day-care center.

Lincoln County Sheriff Steve Rushing said he believes the school must be notified of the work situation. Sex offenders have to report regularly to local authorities and provide updated addresses and current photos. Brad Mercier's last check-in was May 27.

Brad Mercier cannot be on school property, said Warren Strain, Mississippi Department of Public Safety spokesman. But the fire department's location is not a problem.

No law restricts a sex offender from public service, he said.

"It depends on whatever the court ordered at the time of his conviction," he said.

No county rule bans convicted sex offenders from county departments, Galey said.

"That's all through Bogue Chitto," he said. "I told Sedgie, 'Whatever y'all decide to do, make sure you're following all the laws.' "

Brad Mercier grew up in the department. His entire family is in the department, and he was known to respond to medical calls as well as drive the fire engine and fight fires before his arrest.

He was convicted in March 2014 of two counts of indecent behavior with a juvenile after settling on a plea deal with officials.

In 2008 in the initial investigation, Brad Mercier faced at least one count of computer-aided solicitation for sexual purposes and one count of pornography involving juveniles for his suspected courting of an undercover Kenner, La., police detective posing as an underage girl in an online chat room, according to The (New Orleans) Times-Picayune. Using the screen name "brad_mercier2000," he asked the detective posing as an underage girl to have sex with him.

Later, Brad Mercier contacted the woman via telephone and touched himself during the conversation, Lt. Wayne McInnis, a spokesman for the suburban New Orleans police department, said at the time. Brad Mercier also asked the poser to send naked photos of herself.

Kenner detectives said they had a similar month-long encounter in an online chat room in May 2007.