Two new inmates face charges in jail fight

Published 7:31 pm Tuesday, January 9, 2018

Two additional inmates have been charged following a fight that occurred at Warren County Jail Dec. 27, which was live streamed on Snapchat and widely shared on Facebook.

Ladarius Butler, 21, is charged with possession of contraband in a correctional facility in connection with the cellphone and SIM card used to film and share the fight. Butler was being held in Warren County Jail on charges of convicted felon in possession of a firearm and burglary.

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Tarontate Deshaun Crockett, 39, was charged with simple assault for his role in the fight. Crockett was being held in Warren County Jail for a probation violation.

“They are at the Warren County Jail, but housed completely separately from the young man they assaulted,” Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace said.

The fight occurred around 4 p.m. Dec. 27 when Denzell Watts was attacked by multiple inmates in their shared cellblock. Watts was being held in Warren County Jail after allegedly injuring five people during a Christmas Eve shooting at L.D.’s Lounge in downtown Vicksburg.

Watts was treated at the Merit Health River Region emergency room before being returned to the jail, Pace said.   

Pace said following the fight that indications were the attack “stemmed from an ongoing issue that had nothing to do with anything that took place in the jail.”

Gerald Vaughn, 39, Anfernie Rashad Chiplin, 19, and John Shelby, 26, were all previously charged with simple assault for their role in the fight. Chiplin received an additional charge for possession of contraband in a correctional facility for his connection to the cellphone.

Pace said they believe the investigation into the fight is nearing completion, but he would not rule out more charges being filed.