Smith Indicted by Toombs County Grand Jury

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Marquis Javon Smith was indicted on charges of Fleeing/Attempting to Elude a Police Officer, Interference with Government Property, and DUI by the Toombs County Grand Jury, which met on September 6 and returned 10 true bills. Smith’s indictment comes several months after he led Vidalia Police Officers and Toombs County Sheriff’s Deputies through a high-speed chase throughout the city.

On January 2, 2023, the Toombs County 911 Dispatch received a call regarding the theft of a vehicle. The victim, Billy Batay, told dispatchers that a black male had stolen a black Ford F-150 from his residence, located at 3910 Highway 297. Batay said that he en- continued from page

tered his garage and found an unidentified black male standing next to his vehicle. After Batay confronted the man and yelled for him to leave the garage and property, the suspect entered the truck and left with it, traveling south on Highway 297 towards Vidalia.

As deputies attempted to intercept the suspect, assistance was requested from the Vidalia Police Department (VPD). A VPD officer intercepted the stolen vehicle on McIntosh Street and attempted to conduct a traffic stop, but the suspect fled and the chase began. During the pursuit, the suspect stopped the vehicle he was driving and intentionally backed up, striking the front of the VPD patrol car front and causing damage. Although the vehicle was damaged, the officer did not sustain any injuries and the car was not disabled. The officer continued the pursuit.

Later in the chase, deputies took the lead in the pursuit, as the VPD continued to assist. The chase continued west on North Street near its intersection with Orange Street. As the suspect passed the intersection of North Street West and Dixon Street, he began to travel in the eastbound lane, eventually crossing the sidewalk and entering onto the property of Ferrell Gas Company. Once entering the property, the suspect made a u-turn on the west side of the business and began to travel east toward the parking lot where a deputy patrol truck awaited.

The suspect struck a power pole, causing damage to the vehicle’s rear passenger side truck bed, before continuing to travel forward and striking the front passenger side of the parked patrol truck. Upon striking the patrol truck, the stolen vehicle’s air bags deployed, causing the driver to stop the chase. Law enforcement officers approached the driver’s door to take the suspect into custody, but the suspect began actively resisting the officers, causing one deputy to deploy a taser to immobilize the subject. Once immobilized, the suspect was safely placed into handcuffs.

Smith faces one count of Fleeing/Attempting to Elude a Police Officer, to separate counts of Interference with Government Property, and one count of DUI Less Safe (Drugs). Now that he has been indicted, he will begin the process of issuing his plea.

Other arraignments included: • Tereso Hinojosa Ramirez – Sale of Methamphetamine • Milton Smith, Jr. – Aggravated Assault (Family Violence) • Jennifer Christine Roy – Aggravated Battery, Escape, Obstruction of an Officer • Demario Andron McCloud – Aggravated Assault (Family Violence) • Jesse James Trujillo – Theft by Shoplifting • Felicia Marie Lugo – Possession of Methamphetamine • Antonio Devon Knowles – Criminal Attempt to Commit Rape, Aggravated Assault, Burglary in the First Degree • Tiger Taquan Rober son – Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon • Kamil Russel Ran som – Aggravated Assault, Cruelty to Children in the First Degree, Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon