Editor, the News-Herald:

It grieved me as I watched my friend and my attorney Johnnie Mizelle escorted by police officers on Channel 13 to be arrested for allegedly committing assault and propositioning a client for sexual favors in exchange for legal fees. This well planned and devious scheme shows that it was not planned by the alleged victim but rather by persons with knowledge of law and police work with the expressed purpose of not seeing that justice is done but rather destroying Johnnie Mizelle. Considering the service Mr. Mizelle has performed for his family, his church, his race, and the city of Suffolk, he deserves much more than this and consideration should be given to him. This man served honorably on city council as a councilman and mayor of the city of Suffolk. He serves on several boards of the city, is an officer in his church and gives freely of his time for community work.

I know no one should be above the law but the application of the law should be applied equally. I doubt very seriously

if any of the white attorneys were charged with a similar offense, the press would be notified beforehand and be there when he is escorted to the police station. I believe that an attorney would be notified by telephone of the accusations and be given a chance to turn himself in at the police station.

An attorney in the pursuit of his duties creates both friends and enemies. Some friends may stand by his side but others may not because of fear of retaliation on the job or profession. His enemies, most of them with police records with nothing to lose, will do anything to hurt him even to the point of saying he propositioned her to generate additional information asked for by the police in this newspaper.

I don’t know if Mr. Mizelle is guilty or innocent but according to my understanding or American Law, a person is innocent until proven guilty. However, the television and news coverage of Mr. Mizelle’s arrest had done irreparable damage to his reputation and to his ability to make a livelihood even if he is prove innocent.

Albert Jones Jr.

Suffolk