Bond $250,000 for VHA worker on drug charge

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Bond for former Vicksburg Housing Authority maintenance supervisor Charles Jones Jr. was set at $250,000 by Justice Court Judge Richard Bradford III Monday afternoon.

Bradford also ordered Jones to relinquish his passport and remain in Mississippi if released on bond. As of this morning, Jones remained in the Warren County Jail, where he has been since Friday.

Jones, 45, 924 Bowmar Ave., was arrested after picking up a package containing 2.2 pounds of cocaine that was delivered through the mail to him at the VHA administrative office at 131 Elizabeth Circle, police said. At $100 per gram, the street value would have been about $100,000.

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VHA executive director Jim Stirgus Sr. said Jones was immediately fired from his position. Jones was pulled over in a VHA vehicle and arrested shortly after police say he accepted the package. That vehicle — as well as five others, a dune buggy and motorcycle owned by Jones — have been confiscated by the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics and could be seized. Thousands of dollars worth of unopened merchandise have also been confiscated from Jones’ home, said Vicksburg Police Chief Tommy Moffett, who also said he’s trying to determine if Jones stole the items from the housing authority or fraudulently purchased them as a VHA employee. Additional charges could be filed against Jones, said Moffett, and the investigation is ongoing.

Attorney Mike Bonner, a former assistant district attorney, represented Jones on Monday. When asked if he would be representing Jones in the future, he said “possibly.”

Jones had worked for VHA since 1983 and had been in charge of maintenance, purchasing and receiving since 1991. Moffett said he believes Jones was selling cocaine to residents of housing authority properties, which include about 430 apartments in Waltersville Estates, Valley Court, Urban Court and Cedars Estates.

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Contact Steve Sanoski at ssanoski@vicksburgpost.com.