Naylor still on  payroll, future with department uncertain

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HATTIESBURG — A Laurel police officer pleaded guilty to driving drunk and two other misdemeanors in a short proceeding in Forrest County Justice Court on Wednesday morning.

Raven Naylor, 28, was being represented by attorney Tracy Klein as she appeared before Judge Gay Polk-Payton. Her case — like the others before hers — was handled at the judge’s bench, out of earshot of the audience in the courtroom.

Naylor pleaded guilty to DUI-first offense, disorderly conduct-failure to comply and disturbing the peace and was fined a total of $1,542, according to court documents. Charges for driving the wrong way and with no proof of insurance were apparently dismissed. The charges stem from a traffic stop in October, when the Mississippi Highway Patrol reportedly stopped her for driving on the wrong side of Highway 98 and fighting with law enforcement officials before being booked into the Forrest County Jail for DUI and four counts of disorderly conduct.

Naylor continued working with the department in a “non-law enforcement role” while LPD Chief Tommy Cox and others in leadership positions awaited the outcome of the case. 

“Officers are rightfully held to a higher standard, but they are subject to making mistakes under the stresses of life, just like everyone else,” Cox said. “Police are human beings.”

Now that Naylor’s case has been resolved in court, “the matter will be reviewed” by LPD leadership to determine if she will remain with the department, Cox said.

“It’s a personnel matter, so I can’t say much more than that,” he said.

Naylor was arrested for DUI in December 2018, but she was hired by the department 18 months later and was recognized for winning the Top Physical Training Award after going through the training academy at the Southern Regional Public Safety Institute at Camp Shelby. That DUI charge was apparently expunged from her record after taking steps to get that done.

She was hired in May 2020 and sworn in during a ceremony in September 2021. Naylor received a commendation last April for being the first woman to make the LPD’s Special Response Team. 

“I hope that I inspire a lot more women to join the police force,” she said at the time. “We need more women on the force.”

Cox sang her praises after that, saying, “Maybe there is a young girl out there who sees Raven’s accomplishments and wants to do the same thing.”

Naylor’s mother is Laurel City Councilwoman Andrea Ellis.

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