Jarred Harrell (mugshot)

Jarred Harrell, a person of interest in the Somer Thompson murder, was extradited over night from Mississippi to Florida.  He is expected to make his first court appearance this morning to face charges of child pornography. Last Thursday, Florida Governor, Charlie Crist requested the extradition, and Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour granted the request.  According to a press release from the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, “Because the safety of all law enforcement officers involved and the successful extradition of this individual are of upmost importance, our agency will not reveal the exact date and time of the planned extradition.  In addition, if members of the media are able to obtain Harrell extradition timeline information from sources other than the CCSO, our agency will not respond to those related inquiries and will neither confirm nor deny the information.  Our agency will not divulge what law enforcement officers are part of the Harrell extradition process until after the process is complete. Once Jarred Harrell is safely transported to our jail facility here in Green Cove Springs, the media will be notified via an emailed release.  You will be provided ample notice post-arrival so that coverage arrangements can be made with the Clay County Clerk of Court for whatever court appearances may follow in the Clay County court system.  Our agency does not orchestrate “perp walks” of any kind and we have an enclosed sally port area through which defendants enter the jail.” Although we do not know the specific date Harrell will make an appearance in Florida, thankfully investigators are one step closer to possibly learning what happened to Somer.   Harrell has not yet been charged with Somer’s death.“