Telford Pleads Guilty In 2023 Fatal Shooting
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Ja’Quin Telford’s 2023 mug shot
WATER VALLEY – Nearly two years after a fatal shooting in Water Valley, Ja’Quin Telford has pled guilty to heat of passion manslaughter in Yalobusha County Circuit Court. Telford entered the plea on August 26 in Water Valley, and sentencing is scheduled for September 18.
The case stemmed from a Sept. 14, 2023, shooting that claimed the life of 20-year-old Jarion Jones. Telford, who was 17 at the time of the incident, was originally charged with first-degree murder. He surrendered to police on Sept. 18, 2023, after authorities had been searching for him on an arrest warrant.
Officers had been dispatched to a residence in the 900 block of Stephens Street at 11:26 p.m. on Sept. 14 and discovered Jones deceased from multiple gunshot wounds. Yalobusha County Coroner Ronnie Stark confirmed Jones was pronounced dead at the scene. Jones was a 2022 graduate of Water Valley High School.
In other law enforcement news, officers have responded to multiple calls and made several arrests in Water Valley during the last week including:
• On August 25, officers were dispatched to Manor Apartments after reports of someone sleeping in the lobby for several days. They found a makeshift bed with blankets and cans of food. The suspect, identified as Percy L. Phillips Jr., 66, of Waterloo, Iowa, initially claimed he had only been there a few minutes. Officers, however, recognized the same items from earlier in the week, and determined he was not a resident. Phillips, who Chief Mangrum said was uncooperative and likely homeless, was arrested for trespassing.
• On August 24, just after 1:30 a.m., officers stopped 18-year-old Jarett Patterson of Water Valley for failing to use a turn signal and driving erratically. Officers smelled marijuana and found a black bag containing three smaller bags of alleged marijuana and a pipe. A bong was also discovered in the vehicle. Further investigation indicated Patterson had smoked marijuana and was under the influence. He was charged with DUI-other, possession of marijuana, and possession of paraphernalia. According to police, Patterson has received 14 traffic citations in the city since 2021.
• In another case, Rose Johnson, 46, of Water Valley, was charged with DUI and driving while her license was suspended after officers found her lying in the roadway at Highway 7 and Wise Street. Johnson was unconscious when officers arrived, but when she came to, she stumbled toward her car, telling officers she was “going home.” She admitted to “drinking and drinking and drinking,” according to the police report. Officers noted her vehicle was parked nearby with tree limbs hanging from it. “They handled it well,” Mangrum said of his officers. “This was a little unusual.”
• On August 19, officers responded to the Valley Motel after a call from a concerned party about a disturbance in one of the rooms. Police encountered Amy Bell, 43, of Vancleave, and a male victim who was bleeding and bruised. Investigators said the altercation started after the victim received a phone call from his ex-wife, which enraged Bell. She allegedly began striking him and shut a door on his face. Bell was charged with domestic violence. She appeared in court on August 21, pled guilty, and was sentenced.
