A branded Vivid EV golf cart linked to former Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens has triggered a financial investigation in Jackson, Mississippi. following Owens's resignation on June 29, 2026, after a federal corruption plea, current DA Brad McCullouch reported that his office cannot find any documentation regarding the vehicle's cost or origin.
The $5,000 procurement threshold in Mississippi
The investigation centers on whether the purchase of the Vivid EV cart violated state rules. According to Billy Morehead, an accounting professor and former member of the Mississippi Public Procurement Review Board, any purchase exceeding $5,000 would have required strict adherence to Mississippi procurement laws. While the manufacturer's website is currently defunct, online resellers list similar models starting at just over $8,000, suggesting the cart may have crossed that legal threshold.
Current District Attorney Brad McCullouch, who was appointed by Governor Tate Reeves, noted in September that his staff has been unable to locate any bids, invoices, or receipts for the vehicle. this lack of documentation has become a focal point for a state audit currently examining the finances of the Hinds County District Attorney’s office. McCullouch has declined to release specific records, citing an attorney general’s opinion regarding active criminal investigations.
Jody Owens’s defense of the branded Vivid EV
Former District Attorney Jody Owens has attempted to frame the vehicle as a tool for public relations rather than a personal luxury. In an August interview with Mississippi Today, Owens stated that he purchased the cart to facilitate community engagement, specifically for use in parades and during tailgating events at Jackson State University football games.
Owens emphasized that the electric cart was never intended for use on a golf course. However, the former official could not provide specific details regarding the timing of the purchase, the specific funds used to pay for it, or the total price paid. This ambiguity has left investigators questioning whether the cart was a legitimate office asset or an unauthorized expenditure.
The missing inventory logs at the Hinds DA office
A significant gap in accountability exists regarding where the cart sits on the official books. Marcy Scoggins, a spokesperson for the Mississippi Department of Finance and Administration, stated that state funds were not used for the purchase. Furthermore, the vehicle does not appear on the official inventory for Hinds County.
This leads to several critical, unanswered questions that the state audit must address.. First, if state and county funds were not used, which specific entity provided the capital for the Vivid EV? Second, why does the Hinds County District Attorney’s office lack an inventory log for the vehicle, regardless of its funding source? Finally, if the cart was purchased using self-generated revenue, what specific oversight mechanisms were bypassed?
A patchwork of state and county oversight
The golf cart controversy highlights a broader systemic issue within Mississippi's legal infrastructure. District attorney offices in the state are funded through a complex mix of state, county, and self-generated revenue, a structure that creates what experts describe as a patchwork of oversight.
As the report indicates, neither the state auditor’s office nor the Department of Finance and Administration maintains an inventory log for the Hinds DA’s office. this lack of centralized tracking means that even as the investigation into Jody Owens's corruption plea continues, the ability to monitor the day-to-day financial health of the office remains severely compromised.
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