By Billy Davis

The unlicensed transport of manufactured homes, which is now illegal in Panola County, has led to a second arrest in as many weeks.

Brian Marco Windless, of Sledge, is facing several charges after he allegedly lost control of a mobile home he was pulling with a tractor, said authorities.

 “A wheel came off and the axle started eating into the pavement,” said Michael Purdy.

Windless was paid to transport the single-wide mobile home from Macedonia Road to Sledge, Purdy said. The Case tractor veered into a field after the wheel came off.

Windless is facing charges for improper equipment and destruction of public property, and for hauling the mobile home without a proper license. He will appear in justice court.

The charges against Windless come after Derrick Dewayne Sanford, of Courtland, was found guilty for lacking a proper license.

Purdy said an investigator with the State Fire Marshal’s Office filed charges after Sanford was paid to set up a mobile home.

“Mr. Sanford wasn’t licensed to set it up. And when he did, he didn’t set it up right,” Purdy said.

The State Fire Marshal’s Office oversees safety regulations, known as MH-5, for manufactured homes. The state office also oversees licensed transporters in Mississippi.

Sanford was fined $500 at a September 14 appearance in justice court, said a court spokesman.

The recent crackdown comes after Panola County government this summer adopted stricter standards for manufactured housing.

The requirement for a licensed transporter and installer is included among other rules, such as a 20-year age limit for new homes, and water and electrical hook-ups that meet county codes.