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The president of Jackson State University in Mississippi resigned Monday after being arrested in a prostitution sting that also saw the director of the university’s art galleries charged along with 15 other people.
William Bynum Jr., president of Jackson State since May 2017, was arrested and charged with procuring the services of a prostitute, false statement of identity and simple possession of marijuana, according to The Clarion-Ledger. Police also arrested the director of JSU Art Galleries, Shonda McCarthy, and charged her with procuring services of a prostitute and possession of marijuana while operating a motor vehicle.
A city spokesman told The Clarion-Ledger that a two-day sting came after police contacted those arrested online on sites on the dark web. The city’s police chief raised the possibility of a multistate prostitution ring but said the sting did not reveal evidence of human trafficking.
Bynum, 57, was president of Mississippi Valley State University for four years before becoming Jackson State's president. He is married with six children, The Clarion-Ledger reported.
The Mississippi Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning, which governs the state’s public institutions, released a statement Monday saying Bynum had tendered his resignation. It also held an emergency meeting to name an acting president. Thomas Hudson, who was special assistant to the president and chief diversity officer at Jackson State, will be acting president. He has been with Jackson State since 2012.
