On Saturday, June 23, at approximately 5:37 a.m. Magee Police Department received a call from an alarm company stating that an alarm had been triggered at Eastside Grocery. Patrol officers arrived at approximately 5:40 a.m. and discovered that the business had been broken into.
Once the owner of the business arrived and was able to access the surveillance cameras, a clear picture of the suspect was taken from the cameras. Magee PD officers immediately began attempting to identify the suspect. After a positive identification was made, Derrian Jones was located and taken into custody at a residence in Simpson County. Jones was questioned by Magee Police Department Investigator Matt Gipson and subsequently charged with business burglary. This charge could carry a sentence of up to 7 years in prison upon conviction. A bond was set Monday morning for Jones in the amount of $25,000.
Investigator Gipson and Chief Crawford said they would like to express appreciation for the assistance they received from the Simpson County Sheriff’s Department along with the residents of the community.
“A special thanks to Sgt. Jones with Magee PD and Deputy Payne with Simpson SO for their diligent work in locating our suspect. This is another example of departments and the community working together to resolve crimes in our city by taking a suspect into custody approximately 11 hours after the crime was committed,” said Chief Crawford.
“It should be noted and remembered that in all instances, those charged with crimes are presumed innocent until proven guilty,” he added.
