ESTABLISHED 1879 | COLUMBUS, MISSISSIPPI CDISPATCH.COM 50 ¢ NEWSSTAND | 40 ¢ HOME DELIVERY MONDAY | AUGUST 15, 2016 FEELING THE FORCE Local victims get $60K from AG’s office Victim compensation fund in danger of chopping block DISPATCH STAFF REPORT Golden Triangle crime victims received more than $60,000 in assistance from Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood’s office during fiscal year 2015-16. The AG’s office dis- tributed more than $3.7 million to 1,163 victims Hood across Mississippi. Locally, 10 victims in Lowndes County received a total of $57,221, four victims in Clay County re- ceived a total of $18,154, and nine vic- tims in Oktibbeha County received a combined $10,000. The Crime Victim Compensation Luisa Porter/Dispatch Staff Program reimburses eligible crime Mark Hall, 2, trades his Darth Vader toy for Kylo Ren’s light saber during the Comic and Toy Expo at the Trotter victims or next-of-kin up to $20,000 Convention Center on Saturday. Mark is the son of Susan and Sam Hall of Columbus. per individual for expenses not covered by other sources, such as insurance. Compensation can be used for expens- es such as medical treatment, mental Successful comic, toy expo health services and funeral costs. The program is funded by fees as- sessed to convicted criminals, court-or- dered restitution and federal grants. sets stage for future events In order to qualify for the program, victims must report the crime to law enforcement officers within three days BY ZACK PLAIR of the incident or show good cause for
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