Mississippi
Did a Mississippi man grow the world’s tallest pepper plant? Cayenne might break record
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Angela Peterson and Lou Saldivar, Wochit
Did a Mississippi man grow the world’s tallest pepper plant?
Henry Pope, the lead grower and plant geneticist for Mississippi Foundation for Renewable Energy, worked to cross-pollinate specific peppers for seven years. He thinks he has a world record holding cayenne and is waiting on confirmation from the Guinness Book of World Records.
Pope started the project seven years earlier and six generations of plants earlier. “The original parent plants were a variety of long cayenne produced by myself for Mississippi Foundation for Renewable Energy and a himo togarashi pepper.”
He said he spends a lot of time working in gardens, the greenhouse and a lab looking to develop open-pollinated, edible plants. Growing a record-holder wasn’t the original goal, but it became clear the opportunity was in sight with this one.
“We called it the record plant because I suppose we always assumed it would be the world’s tallest pepper plant (or I did), but that was more of a joke really,” he said.
How big is the world’s tallest pepper plant?
According to Guinness, the current title is held by Laura Liang in Irvine, California. Her cayenne pepper plant was 16 feet tall when it was two years old in 1999.
How tall is the Mississippi pepper plant?
Pope’s plant measured as almost 16.5 feet tall. If validated by the Guinness Book of World Records, it could set the new world record.
How did they measure it?
In November, four men measured and identified the plant using video and photos to record its height. Pope identified them as:
- Willie Roses (an expert in measurements).
- Willie C. R. Perteet (County supervisor in Attala County).
- Tobias Campbell (forester).
- Mark Terkanian (a plant specialist, who holds a Bachelor of Science in plant sciences from the University of Massachusetts).
They took video while one person ran a tape measure to the ground and someone held the end at soil level. In addition to continuous video, they took still camera shots at the top and bottom to verify where the tool was.
Story continues below video.
Does he have gardening advice?
For Pope, the goal is sustainable, edible plants that help people be more self-reliant. His mother was a horticulturist, and his father ran a landscaping company and exotic animal breeding operation. The combination of experiences, paired with a passion for chemistry, led him to approaching plants from a scientific angle.
“My family and I live self sufficiently and have for a very long time. The work I do now is the cumulative product of these experiences in my life,” Pope said.
If you want a mega plant, he said, start with selective breeding.
“Learn how to save seeds from your crops in a professional manner. Anyone can do this with some research or simple training. We teach people to do this almost daily. Observe your crop for plants that have certain characteristics you desire. Save seed from that plant for a successive planting. Isolate these plants from others so they don’t cross pollinate, and repeat this action for multiple generations until you have something similar to what you want,” he said.
Or people can give a lot of care to stable-variety seeds sold by existing companies.
“You can do anything you put your mind to. In my profession, I see people do just that every day in various ways,” he said.
Mississippi man isn’t done with the project
“Sometimes when you attempt to achieve one particular goal, another opportunity arises. This happens quite often really, not just in genetics, but in most scientific endeavors,” Pope said.
The plan was to develop a plant for vertical gardening, like on balconies or in small yards — or something that can be trained horizontally on a fence.
“Opportunity for creating a world record of any kind was never the goal. The goal was the same as it always is for us, to produce a natural variety of edible plant that is beneficial to those who wish to become less reliant on the grocery store, but when working with genetics observation of the characteristics you have to work with is the first step,” Pope said.
The plant submitted to Guinness is an sixth generation plant. He plans to invest several more years into the project.
“I will consider the project complete when I reach a 12th generation. I believe through further selective breeding that I can beat my own record in the future,” Pope said.
Bonnie Bolden is the Deep South Connect reporter for Mississippi with Gannett/USA Today. Email her at bbolden@gannett.com.
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Twenty people, including 14 current and former law enforcement officers, have each entered a plea of not guilty to charges in a drug trafficking scheme spanning across multiple counties in the Mississippi Delta region of Mississippi and Tennessee.
Two Mississippi sheriffs, Washington County Sheriff Milton Gaston and Humphreys County Sheriff Bruce Williams, were among those arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
In addition to the two sheriffs, those charged include: Brandon Addison, Javery Howard, Truron Grayson, Sean Williams, Dexture Franklin, Wendell Johnson, Marcus Nolan, Aasahn Roach, Jeremy Sallis, Torio Chaz Wiseman, Pierre Lakes, Derrik Wallace, Marquivious Bankhead, Chaka Gaines, Martavis Moore, Jamario Sanford, Marvin Flowers and Dequarian Smith. All were charged with drug distribution.
Of the 20 individuals charged, 19 are accused of illegally carrying a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime.
During this yearslong investigation, officers allegedly took bribes to allow or facilitate the transport of drugs. Some bribes were as large as $20,000 and $37,000. Federal authorities announced the indictments last week.
According to indictments, law enforcement officers provided armed escort services on multiple occasions to an FBI agent posing as a member of a Mexican drug cartel.
The indictments allege the officers understood they were helping to transport 25 kilograms (55 pounds) of cocaine through Mississippi Delta counties along U.S. Highway 61 and into Memphis. Some of the officers also provided escort services to protect the transportation of drug proceeds, according to the indictments.
Federal officials said the investigation began when people who had been arrested complained about having to pay bribes to various individuals.
“It’s just a monumental betrayal of public trust,” U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner said at an Oct. 30 news conference.
Charges against two people — Amber Holmes and Tyquana Rucker — who were initially named in the indictments, were dropped/dismissed.
According to court records, all of those accused have waived their appearance for an arraignment and entered a plea of not guilty to all counts against them. Below is a list of those arrested and the number of counts each face as well as their employment locations at the time of the alleged crimes:
One lengthy indictment shows:
- Brandon Addison — employed first with Hollandale Police Dept. and later with Humphreys Co. Sheriff’s Office, faces 10 counts
- Javery Howard — employed first with Metcalf Police Dept. and later with Hollandale Police Dept., faces 12 counts
- Milton Gaston — employed as Washington County Sheriff, faces 3 counts
- Truron Grayson — employed with Humphreys Co. Sheriff’s Office, faces 8 counts
- Bruce Williams — employed as the Humphreys County Sheriff, faces 3 counts
- Sean Williams — employed with Yazoo City Police Dept., faces 8 counts
- Dexture Franklin — employed with Washington Co. Sheriff’s Office, faces 8 counts
- Wendell Johnson — employed with Bolivar Co. Sheriff’s Office, faces 6 counts
- Marcus Nolan — faces 4 counts
- Aasahn Roach — faces 4 counts
- Jeremy Sallis — faces 4 counts
- Torio Chaz Wiseman — faces 4 counts
- Pierre Lakes — faces 2 counts
- Derrik Wallace — faces 2 counts
Another indictment shows:
- Jamario Sanford — employed with Greenwood Police Dept., faces 3 counts
- Marvin Flowers — employed with the Sunflower Co. Sherriff’s Office, faces 3 counts
A scheduling order filed in court records state trials for both Sanford and Flowers are set for 10:30 a.m. Dec. 15, 2025, in Greenville before District Judge Debra M. Brown.
A motion to continue the trial for Sanford was filed, but no order had been filed by a judge at the time of this publication.
Other indictments, filed separately from each other, show:
- Martavis Moore — employed with Greenville Police Dept., faces two counts
- Moore faces two counts in connection with protecting the transport of illegal narcotics through Greenville. In exchange, he allegedly received $5,000 in bribe money.
- A scheduling order filed in court records state trial for Moore is set for 10:30 a.m. Dec. 15, 2025, in Greenville before District Judge Debra M. Brown.
- Marquavious Bankhead — employed with Mississippi Highway Patrol, faces one count
- Bankhead allegedly was hired by a former State Trooper, to ensure “the road was clear of MHP Interdiction Units” and others as cartel members were traveling through Greenwood and surrounding areas. He received a $5,000 bribe for his efforts.
- A scheduling order filed in court records state trial for Moore is set for 9:40 a.m. Dec. 15, 2025, in Oxford before Senior Judge Michael P. Mills.
- Chaka Gaines — employed with Greenville Police Dept., faces two counts
- Gaines allegedly received $5,000 to protect FBI agents posing as cartel members when they passed through Greenville.
- A scheduling order filed in court records state trial for Gaines is set for 9:40 a.m. Dec. 15, 2025, in Oxford before Senior Judge Michael P. Mills.
- Dequarian Smith — employed with Humphreys Co. Sheriff’s Office and the Isola Police Dept., faces one count
- Smith allegedly received a $500 to protect drug runners in LeFlore, Sunflower and Washington counties.
- A scheduling order filed in court records state trial for Smith is set for 10:30 a.m. Dec. 22, 2025, in Greenville before District Judge Debra M. Brown.
Pam Dankins is the breaking news reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Have a tip? Email her at pdankins@gannett.com.
“First and foremost, I’m proud of my young women and the effort they gave in this quick turnaround,” head coach Sam Purcell said. “Obviously, this is a game we thought we could win, but I challenged them to play to our standards and our level on the defensive side, so that’s a good win.”
Chandler Prater scored a career-high 25 points on 6-11 shooting from the floor. She knocked down four three-pointers at a 66.7 rate and went 100 percent from the charity stripe. She also collected five rebounds and five assists in the contest.
“We’re gelling really well as a team,” Prater said. “I was just able to take what the defense gave me today. It felt easy today.”
Madison Fancis picked up a career-high 17 points in the contest on 7-12 shooting from the floor. She collected eight rebounds and five blocks, her second 5+ block performance of the young season.
“Last game, I felt I was really fast paced where I should have been slower,” Francis said about her performance. “This game, I definitely took my time more and let the game come to me.”
Nataliyah Gray played an efficient 15 minutes, collecting a career-high 15 points. She freshman from Texas went 4-5 from the floor and consistently drew fouls at the basket, as she went 7-9 from the stripe.
Rocio Jimenez collected her first career points as a Bulldog. After reclassifying to join the team in December of 2023, Jimenez arrived in the States with an injury that kept her out for the past two seasons. Jimenez collected nine points on 80% shooting. She collected three rebounds and a steal as well.
“There was a lot of hard work, a lot of tears,” Jimenez said. “I feel proud for these moments. My first college game and now my first time scoring, that was cool for me.”
Favour Nwaedozi brought in a career-high 16 rebounds, with eight of those coming on the offensive glass. She picked up seven points on 50 percent shooting, as well as three steals.
The Bulldogs will be back in action this Thursday, as they welcome Jackson State to Humphrey Colisuem. Tipoff for the contest is set for 6 p.m. CT on SECN+.
Visit HailState.com for the latest news and information on women’s basketball. Fans can also follow the program on social media by searching ‘HailStateWBK’ on X, Facebook and Instagram.
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