POPLARVILLE — Tommy Duff grew teary-eyed on the witness stand Tuesday as he recalled the night in 2016 when he learned about a conspiracy to kidnap him and the ensuing effects on his life.
“Everything changed since that night. I carry a gun to open the garage door,” the Columbia businessman said. “I was getting gas at a gas station, and someone was approaching me; I tried to scramble and grab my gun. Turns out it was an employee of mine thanking me for giving him a job.”
Duff, a member of the state College Board, also said he has gotten security at night so he can sleep and worries more about his elderly mother, his children and grandchildren. He said he lives an ordinary life; he works 70 to 80 hours a week, attends church and has taught Sunday School for 25 years. “I have a normal blessed life, and it is still a normal blessed life, but it’s different now,” he said.
His testimony came during the second day of the trial for the man prosecutors say masterminded the plan that was ultimately thwarted by police: Victor Mitchell. Mitchell, who faces life in prison, contends that another man was actually the leader of the plan.
At the beginning of Duff’s testimony Tuesday, he said Mitchell contacted him in May 2016 about an accident, which had occurred in March between Mitchell’s Porsche and a truck owned by one of Duff’s companies, KLLM Transport Services. At a meeting in Duff’s office, he said he agreed to pay Mitchell, who said he was about to lose the car, what he owned on it, $18,000, as well as pay for the damages. Duff said Mitchell told him that he needed Duff to buy out his business. Duff asked him what kind of business did he have and he told Duff he had some backhoes and stuff. Duff said he was not in a position to discuss purchasing a business.
Duff said he talked to the woman in his office who handles the claims and he told her to pay for the damages for the car, pay off the car and, because he said he felt bad for Mitchell, give him an additional $10,000. Duff said after that meeting he didn’t have any further contact with Mitchell until the conspiracy arose in November 2016.
Duff testified it was a Friday afternoon when he received a call from Willie Lampley, who left a message saying it was very important for Duff to call him. Duff called him and said Lampley told him, “You don’t know me but I am supposed to kidnap you tonight.”
Duff said he was not sure if Lampley was telling him the truth, but Lampley told him all kinds of information about him, including where Duff lived, where he went to church and even his routine. Duff said he was “shell shocked.”
Duff asked him if he would talk to law enforcement and Lampley said yes. Duff said he called Marion County Sheriff Berkley Hall, and Hall advised him this was going to be a Lamar County matter. While heading to Lamar County to meet with law enforcement, Duff said two Marion County sheriff’s deputies followed him to the county line, where he was met by more law enforcement officers where they met at McDonald’s on U.S. 98 in Oak Grove with two Mississippi Highway patrolmen, two officers from Lamar County and Glenn Patterson, who works with Duff.
Once the meeting ended, Duff said he was advised to go somewhere no one would know for the night. He ended up staying at a hotel in Hattiesburg under an assumed name.
Duff said he has never actually met Lampley, only talked to him on the phone. Duff said Patterson, acting as Duff, rewarded Lampley with $2,000 and also an old work truck. Duff said he did not know of either until later but he had no problem giving him $2,000 for saving his life.
At that point, the prosecution ended their questions of Duff, and Mitchell’s attorneys began their cross examination.
The defense asked Duff how often he has met with Mitchell; Duff responded he had not seen Mitchell since that day in May 2016. He was also asked if at any time was Duff in any actual danger of being kidnapped, sexually assaulted or extorted. Duff said thanks to Lampley no.
Mitchell wanted to directly question Duff himself, but prosecutors objected. After lawyers met with the judge and the defense met with Mitchell, it was decided that Mitchell would not question him.
That ended Duff’s testimony, and the next witness called was Willie Lampley. The trial continued after press deadlines, and more coverage will be in the Saturday edition.
