Mayor Arrested After Council Argument

CENTREVILLE, Ala. (AP) - Centreville's mayor is facing charges
of harassment and disorderly conduct after being accused of
threatening to burn a cross in the yard of a city councilwoman.
Mayor Dalton Murphy turned himself in Wednesday, posted $500
bail on each misdemeanor charge and spent no time behind bars.
Councilwoman Linda Renn-Pierce, who is white, says during the
council meeting Tuesday, Murphy threatened to burn a cross in her
yard. The two were arguing about the firing of three black city
workers.
The mayor, who is white, says he fired the workers because they
were not watering plants in the town square.
Renn-Pierce says that was not true and that the mayor frequently
uses the N-word and talks about his Ku Klux Klan meetings. Murphy
declined comment.


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