Grand jury indicts stabbing suspectCity man is accused of stabbing ex-girlfriend on crowded casino floor

Published 11:35 pm Friday, August 3, 2012

A Vicksburg man will stand trial for aggravated assault in November for the stabbing of his ex-girlfriend on the floor of a busy casino.

Clarence Jones, 23, 506 Kirkland Road, appeared before Circuit Court Judge M. James Chaney Friday afternoon to be arraigned after an indictment by the Warren County grand jury for aggravated assault with extreme indifference, aggravated domestic violence with extreme indifference and burglary in two altercations that ended with his ex-girlfriend, Jordan Melton, being hospitalized.

Handcuffed and in an orange jail jumpsuit, Jones did not speak during the hearing and his attorney, Alfred Rhodes, entered a plea of not guilty.

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Jones, who has been in the Warren County Jail without bond since his arrest July 21, was given a Nov. 12 trial date by Chaney. If convicted, Jones could be sentenced to 20 years on each of the assault charges and 25 years on the burglary charge.

Police have said that Jones, who was under a court-ordered restraining order to stay away from Melton, stabbed her with a pocket knife multiple times in the back and torso as she was working on the crowded floor of Ameristar Casino.

Melton suffered a collapsed lung and cuts over most of her body.

In April, Jones was arrested and charged with aggravated domestic violence and burglary for breaking into Melton’s home and choking her unconscious, according to court records.

In another arraignment Friday, a man police have said has been involved in nearly 20 gun-related crimes will go to trial in February.

Eric Wallace, 30, 7160 Warriors Trail, was arraigned on counts of shooting into a motor vehicle and malicious mischief related to a drive-by shooting March 31 at LD’s Kitchen on Mulberry Street.

Wallace, who is confined to a wheelchair because he was the victim of a drive-by shooting, has been held without bail since his arrest. The shooting was the 19th gun-related crime since 2005 that Wallace has been a suspect in, police Chief Walter Armstrong said.

Wallace is represented by James “Buck” Penley Jr.

Also indicted was Sunflower mayor Michael Pembleton Jr, 25, 417 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Sunflower. Pembleton waived his right to arraignment and did not appear in court. Chaney set trial for Nov. 26 for Pembleton, who is accused of taking 23 designer purses with a combined value of $7,185 from Dillard’s where he worked as an assistant manager.

The grand jury considered 100 cases against 118 defendants, returning 98 indictments and six no-bills.

Other indictments, including name, age, address, the charge and arrest dates, released by the DA’s office following arraignments Friday are:

• Alonzo Adams, 35, 904 Polk St. — sale of a controlled substance, Nov. 22.

• Franklin Bailey, 45, 2033 Warrenton Road — grand larceny, Feb. 5.

• Jalila Barnes, 1512 Spring St. — larceny of a motor vehicle and escape from confinement, May 18.

• Marlin Bibbs, 35, 487 Glenco Drive, Jackson — grand larceny, Jan. 31.

• Debra Brooks, 38, 1513 Spring St. — malicious mischief, July 5.

• Charles Marvin Bush, 40, 1307 Lodema Lane, Duncanville, Texas — possession of a controlled substance, April 10.

• Robert Butler, 26, 5628 Gibson Road — burglary, July 6.

• Antonio Calvin, 30, 2715 Halls Ferry Road — aggravated assault, April 25.

• Megan Sheree Clanton, 19, 171 Falk Steel Road, uttering a forgery, March 14.

• Cassandra Clark, 38, 780 U.S. 61 North — malicious mischief, June 1.

• Lakeisha Clark, 34, 780 U.S. 61 North, Apt. 12F — malicious mischief, June 1.

• Bettie Craig, 56, 1414 Greenhill Drive — possession of a stolen firearm, April 4.

• Matthew Dill, 30, 114 Hawkins St. — felony shoplifting, July 5.

• Cleo Dotson, 44, 818 Meadow St. — possession of a controlled substance, sale of a controlled substance and possession of a weapon after felony conviction, March 7.

• Joseph A. Friley, 21, 100 Jones Road, Lot 3 — domestic aggravated assault, March 5.

• Ethan Fraizer, 19, Bradford Drive Lot 16 — vehicle burglary, Nov. 18.

• Comelia Floyd, 26, 5636 Gibson Road — burglary, July 6.

• Adrian Gaines, 34, 4516 Haley Point — aggravated assault with extreme indifference, Dec. 20.

• Brian Keith Greer, 33, 1073 Clubhouse Road, Port Gibson — felony shoplifting, May 19.

• Daniel Gross, 54, 1203 Lamar Ave., Yazoo City — attempted armed robbery, April 16.

• Jon Gross, 22, 1203 Lamar Ave., Yazoo City — attempted armed robbery, April 16.

• Angela Hagen, 30, 5612 Gibson Road — felony child neglect, April 8.

• Edward Dawson Harris, 36, 1112 Grammar St. — grand larceny, Jan. 17.

• Michael Henderson, 32, 5212 Gibson Road — sexual battery of victim under the age of 14 and statutory rape of victim under the age of 14, April 8.

• John Michael Hicks, 29, 2055 Skyfarm Ave. — two counts of receiving stolen property, June 20.

• Omari Moyenda Howard, 37, 1923 Baldwin Ferry Road — sale of a controlled substance, April 9.

• Andrew Dustin James, 21, 47 Timber Bluff Drive, Lumberton — three counts of vehicle burglary, Oct. 22.

• Chad Everett James, 33, 1550 Culkin Road — possession of precursor substances, Dec. 16.

• Donna Kaye Jackson, 37, 2725 Birdsong Road — shoplifting, third offense, June 18.

• James Jefferson Jr., 30, 1201 South St. — domestic violence, third offense, July 3.

• Jekeitha Jones, 20, 20 Water Well Road, — shoplifting, third offense, June 21.

• Larry Johnson, 48, 35 Smith Road — burglary, grand larceny, larceny of a motor vehicle, April 22.

• Jason Donnell Lane, 25, 400 Mission 66, Apt. B1 — felony shoplifting, burglary and grand larceny, May 12.

• Willie Lyons, 18, 1210 Jackson St. — robbery, May 20.

• Samuel Matthews, 22, 204 Kendra Drive — possession of a controlled substance, Feb. 3.

• James Miles, 46, 126 Post Oak Lane — four counts of grand larceny, March 23.

• George Myles, 31, 801 Clay St., Apt. A-2 — embezzlement, May 18.

• Johnny Nevels, 42, 100 Chickasaw Road — malicious mischief, May 9.

• Brian Willis Odom, 22, 225 Steve Road — three counts of vehicle burglary, Oct. 22

• Desmond Parker, 19, 1005 Stadium Drive — possession of a controlled substance, Feb. 3.

• Larry Parson, 35, 2909 Arcadia Place — possession of a controlled substance and sale of a controlled substance, Feb. 16.

• Tommy Reeves, 32, 604 Roosevelt St. — larceny of a motor vehicle and sale of a controlled substance, May 15.

• Linda Robinson, 31, 823 Meadow St. — shoplifting, third offense, May 16.

• Ida Russell, 59, 2535 Oak St. — grand larceny, July 2.

• Money Sanders, 44, 4755 Lee Road — failure by a sex offender to notify of an address change, March 10.

• Melvin Shupert, 39, 75 Erves Lane, Lot 4 — uttering forgery, April 24.

• Maurice Shy, 26, 2519 Washington St, Apt. C — malicious mischief, May 23.

• Brian Smith, 25, 211 Miller St. — possession of weapon after felony conviction, July 16.

• Jason Stevens, 19, 4405 Halls Ferry Road — burglary of a vehicle, Feb. 18.

• Terris Stevenson, 39, 2909 Oak St. — domestic violence, third offense, April 1.

• Robert Stout, 54, 1155 Fisher Ferry Road — possession of a controlled substance, April 9.

• Michael Thomas, 24, 102 Elm Lane — receiving stolen property, June 26.

• Franchesca Thompson, 21, 816 Meadow St. — three counts of credit card fraud, Sept. 26.

• Jessie Watson, 31, 1310 Bowmar Ave. — aggravated assault with extreme indifference, May 27.

• Milton Weeks, 47, 110 Melissa Drive — possession of precursor chemicals, Dec. 16.

• Algeron Williams, 27, 308 Pleasant Valley Road — sale of a controlled substance.

• Jamaal Patrick Williams, 21, 1325 Jackson St. — possession of a controlled substance, March 9.

• Joshua Decarlos Williams, 23, 1325 Jackson St. — possession of a controlled substance, March 9.

• Matilda Williams, 22, 320 Fisher Ferry Road — embezzlement, May 24.

• Greggory Wilson, 28, 400 Mission 66, Apt B2 — forgery of a counterfeit instrument, April 24.

Receiving a no-bill, meaning there was not enough evidence to go to trial, and the original charges against them are:

• Claude Vinson — grand larceny

• Willie Peoples — aggravated assault

• John Hart — shooting into a dwelling

• Keith Craig — aggravated assault

• Ditanum Craig — aggravated assault

• Cedric Dillard — uttering a forgery