On June 21, their first full day in the state, the trio drove from their home base of Meridian for Philadelphia, a community about an hour from Meridian, to visit the church ruins and meet with church members. When they were driving back to Meridian, they were pulled over by Neshoba County, Mississippi Deputy Sheriff Cecil Price (a KKK member), for allegedly driving 65 miles-per-hour in a 30-mile-per-hour speed limit zone. Price arrested the three men and took them to the Neshoba County jail, where Chaney was booked for speeding, while Schwerner and Goodman were booked "for investigation". Chaney was charged a $20 fine and the three men were released around 10:30pm on and instructed to leave the county. However, while Chaney, Schwerner, and Goodman were in custody, Price contacted local KKK leader and minister Edgar Ray Killen and informed him of the three activists in custody. According to a subsequent U.S. Department of Justice investigation, Killen then gathered other KKK members and devised a plot to attack the three as they left the jail.
on june 21 their first full day in the state the trio drove from their home base of meridian for philadelphia a community about an hour from meridian to visit the church ruins and meet with church members when they were driving back to meridian they were pulled over by neshoba county mississippi deputy sheriff cecil price (a kkk member) for allegedly driving 65 miles-per-hour in a 30-mile-per-hour speed limit zone price arrested the three men and took them to the neshoba county jail where chaney was booked for speeding while schwerner and goodman were booked "for investigation" chaney was charged a $20 fine and the three men were released around 1030pm on and instructed to leave the county however while chaney schwerner and goodman were in custody price contacted local kkk leader and minister edgar ray killen and informed him of the three activists in custody according to a subsequent us department of justice investigation killen then gathered other kkk members and devised a plot to attack the three as they left the jail