Mississippi Sheriff’s Controversial Attempt to Subpoena Girlfriend’s Phone Records

• Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey is never short on controversy.
• Baily has overseen a department known for its violent attacks on Black men.
• And now new evidence shows that Bailey may have illegally subpoenaed his own girlfriend’s records.

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Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey is no stranger to controversy.

The sheriff, who is currently running unopposed for re-election in November, has been in charge of a department that has gained notoriety for its violent attacks on Black men. Known as the “Goon Squad,” five deputies have been convicted of torturing Black men by using excessive force.

In addition, the department has been involved in a series of deaths following violent interactions with deputies. Over an eight-month period in 2021, five individuals died after encounters with Rankin deputies.

A new development has now emerged, suggesting that Sheriff Bailey may have illegally subpoenaed his own girlfriend’s records. The incident reportedly took place in 2014 and was investigated by the local district attorney at the time, Rep. Michael Guest.

According to an investigative report obtained by The New York Times in partnership with the Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting at Mississippi Today, Guest launched an investigation into allegations that Bailey had used illegal subpoenas based on a tip.

The report reveals that Bailey had requested subpoenas against his girlfriend, Kristi Shanks, seven times in 2014, all for her phone records. Shanks was an administrative assistant in the sheriff’s department and had entered into a relationship with Bailey while still being married.

Upon discovering the potential illegality of the subpoenas, Guest decided to further investigate the case for a possible conflict of interest. However, no charges were pursued by the former Mississippi Attorney General, Jim Hood.

Fred Shanks, Kristi Shanks’ ex-husband, shared his experience with The Times, stating that he started dating Kristen Liberto, an investigator in the Rankin Sheriff’s Office, after his relationship with Kristi ended. Liberto alleged that she was harassed at work and found a tracking device on her car. In October 2015, Bailey allegedly gave her an ultimatum to either resign or face arrest for falsifying time cards.

After resigning, Liberto claimed that Bailey asked for the return of the tracking device he had placed on her car.

Fred Shanks mentioned that he has recently been interviewed by the FBI regarding these matters.

Insider reached out to the Rankin County Sheriff’s Office for comment but did not receive an immediate response.

History of violence in Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey’s department

The department headed by Sheriff Bailey has a disturbing track record of violence.

In August 2023, five deputies from the Rankin Sheriff’s Department, who referred to themselves as the “Goon Squad,” pleaded guilty to federal charges related to an attack on two Black men. The officers unlawfully entered the home of Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker in Braxton, Mississippi, where they beat and sexually assaulted the victims. One officer, Hunter Elward, then shot Jenkins in the mouth.

In a separate incident, the Sheriff’s Department is currently facing a lawsuit from the family of Pierre Woods, a Black man who was shot to death by deputies outside his home in February 2019. Elward and another convicted “Goon Squad” officer, Christian Dedmon, were present during Woods’ shooting, according to the lawsuit.

Earlier this year, Insider reported on the deaths of Damien Cameron, Cory Jackson, and Trevor McKinley. Cameron died in July 2021 while in custody of the sheriff’s department. His mother claimed that he was beaten, tased, and suffocated by the police. Jackson died in May 2021 after being arrested by a sheriff’s deputy while experiencing hallucinations. McKinley, a high-school classmate of Cameron, was shot by deputies inside his grandparents’ home in August 2021.

In December 2021, Robert Rushton was shot and killed by deputies while responding to a drug overdose call. Police stated that Rushton was armed with two knives. Another man, Adam Coker, died in the Rankin County Jail in September 2021.