Jones sheriff not letting go

Five months later, the Jones County Sheriff's Office has arrested eight more people in connection with a deadly house party near the Jones/Wilkinson line. 

However, none of the eight men were arrested for their direct involvement in the murder. Instead all eight were arrested for violating the Georgia Street Gang Terrorism Act and other non-violent charges. Seven of the men were from Milledgeville: 

• Zakerius Wright, 19, of Milledgeville, Arrested and charged with Possession of Marijuana and Violations of the Georgia Street Gang Terrorism Act
• Navin Little, 20, of Milledgeville. Arrested and charged with Possession of Marijuana and Violations of the Georgia Street Gang Terrorism Act
• Layto Hill, 38, of Milledgeville. Arrested and charged with Possession of Firearm by Convicted Felon and Violations of the Georgia Street Gang Terrorism Act 
• Krishun Williams, 31, of Milledgeville. Arrested and charged with Possession of Firearm by Convicted Felon and Violations of the Georgia Street Gang Terrorism Act 
• Xavier Dixon, 29, of Milledgeville. Arrested and charged with Possession of Firearm by Convicted Felon and Violations of the Georgia Street Gang Terrorism Act
• Jabrial Jackson, 19, of Milledgeville. Arrested and charged with Affray and Violations of the Georgia Street Gang Terrorism Act 
• Adrian Moore, 20, of Milledgeville. Arrested and charged with Reckless Conduct and Violations of the Georgia Street Gang Terrorism Act

Pictured on the top row, at left, is Hill. Pictured on the top row, at right, is Dixon. Pictured on the middle  row, at left, is Little. Pictured on the middle row, at right, is Wright. Pictured on the bottom row, at left, is Williams. Pictured on the bottom row, at right, is Jackson. Pictured immediately below, meanwhile, is Moore.

The Jones County Sheriff's Office and Sheriff Butch Reese, already with a reputation as law enforcement hardliners, issued a press release on Wednesday.

"Criminal gang activity is not something that will be tolerated within the Middle Georgia area, and especially not in Jones County," wrote Reese in the release. "We ask that anyone with information regarding the party or the murder of Jada Simmons please contact the Jones County Sheriff’s Department. I would like to thank all of these agencies for their hard work in keeping our communities safe, and also give a special thanks to the Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office Prosecuting Attorneys Council of Georgia for their guidance and support in this investigation."

Added the release: "Over the last two weeks, the Jones County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force, Milledgeville Police Department, Baldwin County Sheriff’s Department, Wilkinson County Sheriff’s Department K9 Unit, Greene County Sheriff’s Office, and Georgia Department of Community Supervision, served several arrest warrants in the Milledgeville area after a lengthy investigation into gang activity involving members of the PIRU street gang. The Jones County Drug Unit and Criminal Investigation Division, in cooperation with the Milledgeville Police Department’s Specialized Patrol Unit and the Georgia Department of Supervision, began an investigation into gang activity following a murder which occurred at a house party in Jones County in May 2021. Those arrested acted together at this party committing several crimes, including reckless conduct, affray, drug offenses, weapons offenses, and violations of the Georgia Street Gang Terrorism Act."

All eight arrests stem from the original incident during the early-morning hours of May 16 in rural Jones County. At the time, investigators described the scene as "a house party" for "members of the Piru Blood gang from Milledgeville." 

"Complete chaos" is how Reese described the scene. Gunfire erupted after a skirmish between two females. Many party-goers were sent scrambling, some taking cell phone videos of the incident while running away. Those cell phone videos, along with other evidence, pointed to Jeremy Butts, a Baldwin County native who attended Georgia Military College prep up until 2013. Jeremy Butts, who turned 26 earlier this year, had no previous criminal history. Later arrested was Butts' sister – Cierra Simone Butts – who later was indicted on August 2 in Jones County on one count of hindering the apprehension of a fugitive, with the District Attorney's Office accusing her of helping her brother flee the state.

Jeremy Butts stands accused of fatally shooting 20-year-old Milledgeville woman Jada Frances Simmons during a late-night house party near the Jones/Wilkinson county line on May 16. Jeremy Butts then fled to El Paso, Texas, where he'd previously been stationed in the Army. Cierra Butts is accused of driving her brother to the Hartsfield-Jackson Airport.