Attorney requests withdrawal from attempted kidnapping case
A local attorney representing a onceprominent Starkville man accused of attempted kidnapping and numerous other charges has officially filed to withdraw from the case, according to court documents entered earlier this week.
In a motion filed Tuesday in Oktibbeha County Circuit Court, Starkville attorney Charles Yoste cited a long list of reasons for withdrawing as the legal counsel for John Bruce Arnold, Jr., who faces two counts of attempted kidnapping, a single count of attempted escape and one count of simple assault on a law enforcement officer.
Arnold is accused of going to multiple area schools in an attempt to check out a child that was not his. After he was charged following the incident in February 2018, Arnold also attempted two separate escapes, one of which resulted in the injury of an Oktibbeha detention officer.
Yoste claims in Tuesday’s filing that a conservatorship petition was filed in Oktibbeha County Chancery Court requesting a conservator be appointed for Arnold of both his person and his estate.
The court documents go on to say on or about July 24, 2018, Arnold’s father — John Bruce Arnold, Sr., of Baton Rouge, Louisiana — was appointed as his son’s conservator.
Yoste claims his former client’s father has failed to file an inventory of Arnold’s assets and liabilities as ordered by the court.
The attorney also requested reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses and attorneys fees for the time expended representing Arnold on the attempted kidnapping charge.
Yoste claims since Arnold’s father qualified as the conservator, no action has been taken on his requests for payment.
He went on to say that John B. Arnold, Sr. would be “highly unlikely” to ever file an inventory for this conservatorship, due to the belief that Arnold, Jr. is not thought to have any known assets other than small personal items.
Yoste also said Arnold has legal judgements against him in Louisiana in excess of $2 million.