Inmate Count At Jail Swells To 47

Inmate Count At Jail Swells To 47 

By David Howell

Editor 

WATER VALLEY – After a busy weekend, the inmate count at the county’s new jail swelled to 47 people, likely the largest number of guests in recent history. Sheriff Lance Humphreys said a flurry of drug arrests made during the last two weekends along with the regulars boosted the numbers. 

A visitor last Thursday, unaware she was wanted, is also included in the count. Humphreys said Olivia Ruis was taken into custody at the jail after coming to visit her brother, Roy Dwayne Ruis. She faces a grand larceny charge for her alleged involvement in stealing a vehicle parked at Townes Trucking on Hwy. 7 back in May.  

Humphreys said Olivia Ruis has likely been out of the state and his deputies had been patiently waiting for her return. She is also charged in Pontotoc County for possession of stolen property.

The sheriff also said the vehicle theft was part of a week-long crime spree when Roy Ruis came to the county and allegedly stole multiple vehicles before leading authorities on an intense manhunt that lasted 14 hours before he was captured. 

Roy Ruis remains incarcerated in the county jail and also faces numerous charges in Georgia and Florida after eluding authorities in both states, even escaping from the back of a Georgia trooper’s patrol car.

Also arrested in the May crime spree was a third sibling, Amanda Ruis. She was charged with accessory after the fact for her alleged involvement in the incident.