By Jason C. Mattox and Billy Davis

Mississippi state troopers assigned to Troop E in Batesville, joining with other troopers across the state, issued more than 7,000 citations over the New Year’s weekend.

Of those approximate 7,000 citations, 661 were written within Troop E, said MHP spokesman Sgt. Leslie White.

The New Year’s enforcement follows a December crackdown that concluded with 563 citations handed out by Troop E. A total of 6,039 tickets were written statewide.

Troopers beefed up their enforcement at noon on New Year’s Eve and worked through midnight Sunday.  

Seventeen DUIs were written in Troop E over the New Year’s weekend, White reported.

“We were hoping that the number of DUIs would be down this year,” he said. “We had 150 DUIs statewide, and we want to see more people be more responsible.”

Panola County’s jail log showed two DUI arrests over the weekend.

Batesville police arrested one driver, and charged her with DUI-first, during a traffic stop Sunday.

White said the MHP investigated 123 accidents across the state of which two had fatalities.

“We had fatal accidents in Greenwood and Hattiesburg,” he said.

Two fatalities and 34 injuries were recorded during the Christmas crackdown.  

“All the extra time the troopers and other members of law enforcement put in really paid off, and we hope the numbers will continue to improve,” White said.