Jones County teen locked up following basketball game chaos

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The wheels of justice are beginning to turn after a teenager pulled out a handgun and fired one shot in the air at Saturday night's Baldwin High/Jones County High basketball game over in Gray.

That split-second decision sent fans scrambling for the doors, and the rest of the boys game was cancelled. Jones County Sheriff Butch Reese told Baldwin2k News yesterday that an argument began in the concourse of the Greyhounds' gym between a group of teens from Baldwin and a group of teens from Jones. At some point, a punch was thrown and "a young man from Jones County fired one shot in the air."

That young man from Jones County – 17-year-old Jailan Lester – is now behind bars and charged with aggravated assault, possession of a firearm by a minor, disrupting a school event, fighting/affray, disorderly conduct and possession of a firearm on school campus. He was denied bond. 

In the moments following the incident, a JCSO deputy pulled over a vehicle of interest near one of the exits of the school parking lot. Added the press release: "Deputies Jeff Sullivan and John Kile detected the odor of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle. A search of the vehicle revealed a quantity of marijuana and a loaded pistol. Several subjects in the vehicle were identified as the individuals from Baldwin County who were involved in the fight inside the gymnasium. The subjects were taken to the Jones County Sheriff’s Office and interviewed by members of the Jones County Sheriff's Office and Gray Police Department."

All four occupants of the car were arrested and charged with possession of a firearm on school campus, misdemeanor possession of marijuana, possession of a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a school zone, possession of a firearm by a minor, as well as party to a crime. Three were under the age of 17, while the fourth was identified as Dewayne Russell, 17.

"This investigation is ongoing and more arrests are expected," according to the press release.

Reece, with a reputation as an especially tough-on-crime sheriff, told Baldwin2k News on Sunday morning that he's "already been in touch with the District Attorney's Office" and plans "to prosecute those involved to the fullest."