Jones County’s Grand Jury convened for the final time in 2025 and were presented with 24 cases by the Ocmulgee Circuit District Attorney’s Office, the Jones County Sheriff’s Office, Gray Police Department and Georgia State Patrol.
Jury members met Dec. 5 and true billed each of the 24 bills of indictment they considered. A true bill finding means there is sufficient evidence to formally charge the person named in the indictment with a crime.
The Grand Jury presentments were published in Jones County Superior Court Dec. 11 and received by Superior Court Judge Amanda Petty.
The cases vary, containing charges that include aggravated assault, drug possession, firearms, traffic charges and burglary.
Shooting
Kenneth Don Kitchens Jr. was indicted for aggravated assault in connection with a shooting that took place in October.
The cause of the shooting, according to investigators, was an ongoing feud. Kitchens, 30, was arrested Oct. 16.
Jones County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Crystal Murphy said the controversy between the two men had been going on for a while, but the circumstances of the shooting seemed to be random.
Murphy said Kitchens’ motorcycle was broken down at the intersection of Morris Stevens Road and Griswoldville Shortcut, and the victim happened to pass by. She said from that point the stories from the men are different.
Kitchens is claiming self-defense, and the victim said Kitchens shot him for no reason.
The victim was transported by EMS to Atrium Health Navicent and was treated and released.
Attempts to elude
Three cases include charges of fleeing from law enforcement officers, a decision that never has a good outcome.
Pedro Lopez, 36, was indicted for charges of fleeing and attempting to elude and more. He was arrested Sept. 30 by a Georgia State Patrol trooper following his attempt to escape arrest. His charges started with alteration of tags, no insurance, expired registration and a suspended license in addition to all the charges related to fleeing and eluding.
Tyrone Deshawn Jackson and Anthony Israel Banks both tried to outrun officers with the Gray Police Department and are facing felony charges for it.
Banks is indicted for felony fleeing and eluding as well as expired tag, suspended license and revoked registration. He was arrested by GPD officer Michael Holloway Sept. 25, after a chase through a Gray neighborhood that ended with him driving over a concrete block and disabling his vehicle.
Jackson was indicted for theft by receiving stolen property and obstruction in addition to fleeing and eluding. He was arrested Nov. 1 by GPD Officer Dylan Joiner. A report of the arrest states the encounter began when Joiner was notified of a vehicle stolen out of Bibb County.
The officer spotted the Nissan Versa and attempted a traffic stop. Joiner said the vehicle slammed on brakes and appeared to intentionally cause a collision. When that did not work, the driver, later identified as Jackson, accelerated.
The chase headed toward Macon at times on the wrong side of the road. Following an attempted PIT maneuver to stop the car to avoid endangering motorists, the chase headed toward Milledgeville.
Joiner said several attempts were made with the assistance of other officers to stop Jackson, but he continued on Highway 22, reaching speeds of 110 mph in a 55 mph zone. The time of the chase was 10 p.m., and the Nissan was without headlights or taillights.
The officer said there were more attempts of sudden braking to cause a collision with patrol cars. He said Baldwin County officers were contacted and placed spike strips at Brown’s Crossing. The spikes deflated the tires of the Nissan, but it continued on, albeit at a much slower speed. With the help of GPD Officer Michael Holloway and Baldwin County officers, the vehicle was forced to the shoulder of the road and stopped.
Jackson did not comply with officer commands, and tasers were deployed several times before he could be removed from the car.
Stolen vehicle
Jerry Rainey was indicted for two felony charges of theft by receiving stolen property and criminal use of an article with an altered identification mark.
A report of the Nov. 5 arrest of Rainey by JCSO Deputy Jason Douglas states he was dispatched to Woodall Drive for a stolen vehicle reported by a rental company. Douglas found the Dodge Charger with an Illinois plate parked in front of the residence.
He said several men were working on the house. The deputy said he asked them about the car, but they denied knowing anything about it. Tools in found in the car belonged to Rainey, who was one of the men working on the house.
Rainey at first denied it but ultimately admitted the tools were his and was taken into custody. Douglas said the suspect told him he had a gun in his pocket, and it was retrieved in addition to a small bag of marijuana.
The gun had its serial number scratched off.
An inventory of the Charger found another gun, and the key to the car was located in a closet inside the house.
A complete list of the indictments can be found on the open records on page C6 in this edition.
