The non-profit philanthropic group that made a sizable donation to area district attorneys Tuesday is no stranger to Jones County.

The Asbury Foundation of Hattiesburg, Inc., announced a $200,000 contribution to district attorneys in four judicial circuit court districts. Due to budget cuts, assistant district attorneys and investigators throughout the state were going to be placed on furlough in May and June of this year.

With Tuesday’s funding announcement, those officials in the 12th, 13th, 15th and 18th (which includes Jones County) districts now don’t have to worry about any forced unpaid time away from work.

But, district attorneys are not the only ones who are praising the Asbury Foundation for their efforts. The organization has granted approximately $747,598.38 to Jones County Junior College since 2002.

According to Teresa Martin, JCJC media and public relations, the Asbury Foundation originally granted $225,894 in 2002 to establish the Diagnostic Medical Sonography program at the school. A $394,619 in 2004 also established the first digital radiography program in south Mississippi at the time.

In addition to those funds, the Asbury Foundation has given $110,000 in scholarship money to Jones County Junior College.

“We wouldn’t have a sonography program or state-of-the-art digital radiography program without them, let alone students,” Martin said. “Their whole mission is to help the medical community. By putting money back in, they are preparing our students for a good medical community.”

Bill Ray, president and chief executive officer of the Asbury Foundation, said the decision to fund the district attorneys’ offices was made after viewing the state of the economy.

“We saw what was going on in the country was not getting any better,” Ray said. “DAs were going to be hit and hit hard. Unless crime is processed through the court system, it certainly bogs that system down.”

Ray said the decision was made to distribute $200,000 between the eight counties it works with as a means to alleviate the budgets there.

“Our gifts will certainly not defray a great deal of their budget,” he said. “But, if economy makes any turn at all, maybe this will get them over the hump. It will certainly help.”

Ray noted that the money is being given as an unrestricted gift and won’t have to be returned regardless of the state legislature’s funding decisions.

“It’s not Haley Barbour’s fault,” he said. “He is mandated by law to work with the budget set by the legislature. It’s not a problem with just our economy, but the national economy.”

Jon Mark Weathers, district attorney for the 12th judicial circuit court district, said he was “very pleased” about the money his office will receive. However, as president of the Mississippi Prosecutors Association, he remains worried about the other district attorneys in the state.

“I’m still very concerned about the other 18 district offices that doesn’t have this help,” he said. “People will be going home earlier than we anticipated if the legislature and governor don’t do something.”

Weathers said assistant district attorneys and investigators would only be allowed to work 72 hours in May and 40 hours in June in budget cuts already announced some months ago.

“With this additional cut of 3 percent, that’s probably going to either reduce the hours in May and probably spill on over until at least April,” he said. “I do anticipate that it’s obviously going to exacerbate that.”

In addition to what he called severe economic impact on those workers, Weathers said the furlough would also disrupt the criminal justice system.

“Most offices have cases set in April, May, June and July that are all serious cases,” he said. “The DA won’t have anybody to help him. It will be impossible to manage a case load. It will shut the grand jury system down and cause a lot of havoc if they don’t get it straight.

“I’m hopeful that they will,” Weathers added. “I’ve spent a good bit of time in the legislature and talked to leaders in both houses. All those folks say they understand the problem and are doing everything they can to find the money to fix it. I hope they’re able to.”

Weathers said he feels for those counties who are not getting relief from organizations such as the Asbury Foundation.

“In Forrest County, we’re in a perpetual term down here,” he said. “We have 30 to 40 cases set every week. Had it not been for the gesture on the part of the Asbury Foundation, we would have been in trouble big time. There’s no way I could have done it all by myself. Nobody can.”

Weathers said it was demoralizing to assistant district attorneys and investigators who won’t be paid if the legislature doesn’t act soon.

“Most of them are working paycheck to paycheck,” he said. “They’ve got mortgage payments like everybody else. To go home and not get paid a salary really causes problems. It’s just disrupting everything, and hard to get them to focus on anything else.”

Tony Buckley, district attorney for the 18th judicial circuit court district, which includes Jones County, was also pleased.

“The worry and headache has gone,” he said of the $25,000 this area will receive. “If the legislature does restore the money, we can keep it until we need it. It will be our own rainy day fund.”

Buckley said he will continue to fight for funding for the state’s other district attorneys.

“Obviously, I’m really grateful for them (the Asbury Foundation) stepping up,” he said. “I’m hopeful and I know that people are in support of the prosecutors during these times. I hope the legislature and governor’s office steps up for the other DAs.”

Dennis Bisnette, assistant district attorney in Jones County, said the state prosecutors’ budget only comprises about 1 percent of the total budget.

“It doesn’t make a lot of sense to step in and endanger the public (on 1 percent),” he said.

Bisnette noted that there are a number of bills pending in both the House and Senate regarding district attorneys using other funds to be able to keep their assistant district attorneys and investigators working.

Buckley countered that all four of those bills are currently in committee, adding, “Saying they’re in committee is like saying the check’s in the mail.”

“They’re pretty much parallel bills so who knows,” Bisnette said. “But, I don’t think schools and public safety is where you should be trimming money.”