A Newton County grand jury has indicted at least 16 more people during its September session.
All of the cases will be tried by Circuit Judge Mark Duncan.
Among the indictments was Jaquavious Townsend, who was charged with statutory rape. He is being held in the Newton County Jail on a $50,000 bond.
According to the indictment, Townsend was charged with “willfully, unlawfully and feloniously have sexual intercourse” with child under the age of 14 years old when the suspect was at least 24 months older than the child and was not married to the victim.
In an unrelated case, Bryan Williams charged with aggravated domestic assault. He is being held in the Newton County Jail on a $50,000 bond.
According to the indictment, Williams strangled a woman with whom he was dating at the time “by placing his hands around the throat” of the victim, “thus restricting her flow of blood or oxygen.”
Other indictments are as follows:
• Alongo Mortrez Fielder and Rolonda Kidd were each charged with burglary of a camper and were given bonds of $20,000 each. The charges stem from a January 5, 2019, incident where the suspects allegedly broke into a camper on the property owned by Bubba Cochran.
• Luther A. Ward was charged with possession of methamphetamine-habitual offender and was given a $25,000 bond. On April 3, Ward was caught with between 0.1 and 2 grams of meth. He was previously convicted in June 2009 in Neshoba County and August 2014 in Newton County.
• William Cumberland was charged with burglary of a dwelling and was given a $25,000 bond. He is accused of breaking into a dwelling owned by Tracy and Carol Huggins and took property from the house.
• Angelica Lejeune was charged with auto burglary and is facing a $10,000 bond. On March 23, she was accused of breaking into a 2007 Toyota Camry owned by Laya Vaughn and took property belonging to Matt Vaughn. Another suspect’s name was redacted on the indictment at press time Tuesday.
• Sarah Marie Ward was charged with possession of methamphetamine and is facing a $5,000 bond. On March 4, 2018, Ward was accused of having between 0.1 and 2 grams of meth.
• Joshua Earl Wilkerson and Thomas Shelton Strickland was charged with possession of methamphetamine and are facing a $25,000 bond each. On March 9, 2019, the suspects were accused of having between 0.1 and 2 grams of meth.
• Randall Joe James was charged with failure to stop a motor vehicle and is facing a bond of $25,000. On June 30, 2018, James is accused of failing to stop his vehicle after Union PD officer Steven Bell activated his emergency lights upon suspicion of committing a crime.
• Kenneth Paul Ainsworth and Jesse Lee Nelson were charged with burglary of an unoccupied dwelling. Nelson is also facing habitual offender status. Ainsworth was placed in jail on a $25,000 bond, while Nelson has a $35,000 bond. On November 19, 2018, the two are accused of breaking into a building owned by Thomas and Janice England and took property owned by Gerald Mills. Nelson was previously convicted in April 2009 (burglary of a motor vehicle), March 2013 (grand larceny, two counts) and August 2014 (grand larceny).
• Nelson was also charged with burglary of a storage shed-habitual offender status and has another $35,000 bond. Between January 1 and 5, he is accused of breaking into a shed on John Horn’s property and took some of the owner’s property.
• Christopher Vashun Evans a.k.a. “Candy Man” was charged with two counts of possession of methamphetamine, possession of cocaine, possession of marijuana and second drug offender with habitual offender status on all charges. He is in jail on a $45,000 bond. On May 2, he was found to have between 10-30 grams of methamphetamine, 2-10 grams of cocaine, two doage units of meth but less than 2 grams, between 30-250 grams of marijuana and was found to have previous drug convictions between 2003 and 2018.
• Ryan Anthony Jackson was charged with burglary of a dwelling and facing a $35,000 bond. On March 3, he was accused of burglarizing a dwelling and taking property owned by Paula Doggett.
