WALTHALL — A former Eupora police officer has been sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to aggravated domestic violence. A Webster County grand jury had indicted Phillip Wayne Miller on Dec. 12 on two felony counts: aggravated domestic violence and kidnapping. He pleaded not guilty when arraigned Dec. 19 and Circuit Judge Devo Lancaster set bond at $100,000, which Miller posted. The count charging Miller with aggravated domestic violence states he hit Heather Patterson in the head with a closed fist, fracturing her orbital bone. This occurred June 26, 2023, when the two had a current or former dating relationship, according to the indictment. The kidnapping charge accused Miller of seizing and confining Patterson against her will between June 26 and June 27 of last year. The case had been set to go to trial Tuesday with seven witnesses subpoenaed to testify on behalf of the state. However, Miller pleaded guilty to aggravated domestic violence on Monday, June 24, in Webster County Circuit Court. Circuit Judge Joseph Loper Jr. dismissed the kidnapping charge. Loper ordered him to serve a term of 20 years in the custody of the M i s s i s s i p p i Department of Corrections. Upon completion of eight years of the sentence, Miller is to be released on postrelease supervision for 12 years. He must also pay court costs, fees and assessments. The judge remanded Miller to the custody of the sheriff and he was booked into the county jail that day to await transportation to the MDOC. Miller, 48, of Sturgis, was represented by attorney Rodney Ray of Columbus. Sheriff David Gore had arrested Miller on June 27, 2023, on an original misdemeanor charge of simple assault/domestic violence. He was employed as a full-time officer with the Eupora Police Department at the time but was not on duty when the offense occurred. He was placed on administrative leave without pay after being charged and was not rehired with other city employees last July. Miller’s original misdemeanor charge is still pending in Justice Court and is set to come up July 19, when it is expected to be dismissed. D e f e n d a n t s arraigned in Court Arraignments were held May 29 before Loper. Those arraigned were indicted by the Webster County Grand Jury on May 21. These defendants entered pleas of not guilty to the felony charges for which they had been indicted, according to records in the Circuit Clerk’s Office: Darnell Cortez Campbell, first degree murder. Attorney Payne Horan was retained as counsel and bond was set at $75,000. His case was later continued until the next court term. As reported May 31, Campbell, 41, was indicted in last July’s
