Update: Lafayette County Jail Releases Mugshot of Ole Miss Fan Punched by Officer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHENIkiTPtQ

Update: The mugshot for Chris Barnes, an Ole Miss fan that was arrested after a altercation with police at the Ole Miss and LSU game in November, has been released from the Lafayette County Jail.

Controversy struck when Barnes’s mugshot was released because it was strikingly different from the picture his wife posted on social media of him after he posted bond from jail and went to the hospital. The mugshot shows Barnes’s face with just a few cuts and scrapes, whereas, Mrs. Holly Barnes’s public Facebook picture shows a very bruised and bloody version of her husband.

After Photo:

This is a photo of Chris Barnes. As you can tell from medical equipment in the background, this photo was taken in a hospital, which he was reportedly taken to after he was released from jail. Photo: Holly Barnes

Therese Apel, a reporter for the Clarion Ledger, reported on the two pictures yesterday. Apel posted her article to her Facebook page, with a public setting, for the public to read. Comments from multiple Facebook users spread speculation that Barnes’s bruises are not from the police officer that punched him, but from another prisoner he got into a fight with in the Lafayette County Jail. This has not been confirmed.

The FBI will now be investigating this case.

Statement from Chief Investigator, Alan Wilburn, of the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Departments: “On 11-23-2015 The incident with Mr. Chris Barnes at the Lafayette County Detention Center is under investigation therefore The Lafayette County Sheriff’s Department has no comment at this time. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.” 

University police department (UPD) posted on its social media that it has requested the FBI to “conduct an independent investigation of the incident involving a temporary officer and a fan during the Ole Miss – LSU football game on November 21.”

According to UPD, the FBI officials arrived on campus this Monday afternoon to begin their review. No further comments will be made until the investigation is complete.

UPD Chief Tim Potts said, “We do not tolerate violent behavior on our campus, and our request for an independent FBI investigation should make it clear that we are taking this situation very seriously.” Read the story of the weekend’s incident below.

There is a video going viral of an Ole Miss fan and a stadium police officer getting into an altercation at Saturday’s football game in Oxford, where the Ole Miss Rebels played against the LSU Tigers.

The fan, Chris Barnes, is seen talking to police officers. After a few seconds into the video, a policeman can be seen punching Barnes in the face. Now, Holly Barnes, the wife of Chris Barnes, is seeking “justice by calling out the police officer.”

Mrs. Barnes claims that her husband received a concussion from the police officers and was not given medical attention. She also said that her husband was innocent and was falsely accused. Barnes posted the video of her husband and the police on her personal Facebook page with a public viewing option along with a picture and a statement:

Chris Barnes. Photo: Holly Barnes

“My husband, a two time Veteran of the US Army National Guard, was wrongfully assaulted on campus during the Ole Miss vs LSU game by a POLICE OFFICER. He was hit twice in the face and then arrested. THEY DID NOT GIVE HIM MEDICAL ATTENTION. Four hours later once he posted bail, he asked his friends to take him to the ER. He was diagnosed with a concussion, fractures to his orbital wall and maxillary sinus and contusions to the tissues of his eyes. This all stemmed because the officers thought he did something that someone a few rows up did and blamed him and his friends. I’m disappointed in the University police department and the Oxford police department for letting this happen. YOU ARE NOT ABOVE THE LAW. THIS IS NOT OK. Please help us get justice by calling out this police officer! I want his NAME AND BADGE! Please help me get this to the media by sharing. Thank you. Pictures posted in comments.”

Hottytoddy.com reached out to Holly Barnes today to get an update on her husband and their side of the story, but no response has been returned.

Meanwhile, the Oxford Police Department and the Ole Miss Police Department said none of their officers were involved in the arrest. According to the Ole Miss Police, the officers involved are hired from other jurisdictions for extra security during games.

Ole Miss Police Department Statement from their Facebook page:

“The University of Mississippi Police Department is aware of the video of an incident taking place at the Ole Miss-LSU football game. The officers involved are not officers with the University Police Department, but are certified officers from other jurisdictions hired to work security at home football games. The University of Mississippi Police Department takes this situation seriously, and is currently investigating the incident. We encourage anyone that witnessed the event to contact the department at 662-915-7234 or email us at upd@olemiss.edu.”

Hottytoddy.com also contacted the Ole Miss Police Department for further comments or an updated statement, but there have been no changes in their statement.

“We are currently not making any other statement about the investigation from the stadium incident, other than what is on the facebook page for the department.  We hope to have a update yet today and will let you know,” Ole Miss Police Chief, Tim Potts said.

Oxford Police Department Statement from their Facebook page:

“There is a video circulating around social media right now of an incident that occurred yesterday during the Ole Miss football game. We can confirm that the Oxford Police Department was not involved in any way with this incident. Any inquiries should be directed to the University Police Department.”

Hottytoddy.com will update you as this story continues to unfold.

Emily Newton is a staff writer for hottytoddy.com and editor for Experience Oxford magazine. She is a recent graduate of the Meek School of Journalism and New Media at Ole Miss. Emily can be reached at emily.newton@hottytoddy.com.  Follow HottyToddy.com on Instagram and Twitter @hottytoddynews. Like its Facebook page: If You Love Oxford and Ole Miss…