Have you met Jason? No? Rest assured, half the people in Belhaven have. Jason is a young, Black punk ( around 24, 5' 10", thin, goofy looking "fro", around 160 lbs ) that is becoming well known in the Belhaven area, specifically around the Fortification and North State Street area. Every business owner is familiar with Jason as he constantly panhandles customers. His favorite trick is to wait until someone is trapped in a drive-through line (especially McDonalds because that rail keeps one from pulling out or getting out of the car) and then he accosts the patrons for money. Every employee that works in the area for any length of time knows who Jason is when you ask about him.
One Sunday afternoon I saw a middle-aged woman pushing a stroller, accompanied by two small kids, back to Baptist Hospital. Sure enough, there was Jason accosting her for money. She was in no position to defend herself nor could she escape. It was obvious from her body language she was fearful. I stopped my car, got out, and made him leave. Sadly, this is normal behavior for him. Monday night I was in the drive-through at McDonalds and saw him once again pulling his crap. He crept up on the minivan in front of me (from the front), along with other vehicles, and sandwiched himself between the window (she was about to pay) and the building, trying to get money out of her. McDonald's did nothing and the employee just shook his head when I mentioned Jason.
He is banned from several area businesses. Kat's Wine Cellar has filed charges against him. The JPD will not pick him up. Yesterday morning, one of the employees at an area business told me he was passed out in the drive-through of the McDonalds, the JPD came, and would not take him in. It was rather infuriating as he is the subject of an arrest warrant yet JPD has done nothing.
What is even more outrageous is that Jason is suspected by many in the area for other activities. Jason served 5 years in Parchman for................BURGLARY!!! Since Jason has started panhandling and other forms of harassment against Belhaven residents, burglaries have increased in the area where I live. My neighbors live on Fortification Street. One night while at work, someone broke in to their house from the Fortification Street side (the front) by shattering a window, then took a dvd player along with video games and dvd's. He was really stupid because he ignored a laptop and other higher value items. He just wanted the toys. A few weeks before that, the neighbors across the street were the victims of an attempted break-in from the Fortification Street side of their house as well. A few nights later, someone tried to break into the house next door.
Needless to say, these incidents have changed things. My neighbors have now had to spend money on alarm systems. They live in fear somewhat. The people living in the house across the street were not home the night of the burglary attempt, as they were both working. However, "Sue's" mother was their watching their baby. Needless to say, she was terrified. They have since moved to Byram.
Jason is strongly suspected as being the burglar in these incidents since he served time for burglary and and these incidents began about the same time that he appeared in the area. They are in the same area he is known to frequent on a daily basis. It is stupid that someone would try to rob houses on such a busy street but Jason IS pretty stupid.
What is very outrageous is that JPD will DO NOTHING!!! He might have committed these burglaries, he might not have. However, there is no way to know if JPD will NOT PICK HIM UP, much less interrogate him. There are warrants for this punks arrest. Warrants ignored by JPD. The businesses that have tried to prosecute him are fed up as JPD has not assisted them and just chases him off when he is found. What does it take for them to do their jobs?
Meanwhile, there is a story in today's Clarion-Ledger about how crime victims are frustrated with JPD, http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071003/NEWS/710030373. One victim, Alicia Ashburn said, "Ashburn had a hard time ever getting answers, despite repeated calls to everyone from the precinct headquarters to the the mayor's office.
"It was like they were just bothered by me," she said."
I can assure you that is the attitude and reality, not perception, experienced by many people in Belhaven, as well as Jackson. JPD, get your heads out of your asses and start protecting us from these hoodlums.
note: Here is a previous post on this subject: http://kingfish1935.blogspot.com/2007/07/our-resident-tourist-editor-of-jackson.html
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
JPD and Jason? Who is the friend? Who is the foe?
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4 comments:
I have a feeling nothting will ever be done about Jason. When the Miner's were broken in to, I asked a friend of mine, who is in upper level management with JPD, to go by and check up on them. That person said they had gone. A week later, to my surprise, that person had never been seen by the Miner's. I felt really bad for them.
Sounds to me people need to fired at Jackson Police for not doing their job. A bunch of lazy cops. I would rather have a cop on the take rather than a lazy cop. Hey, Frank Where Are You.
Seems as though "Work Ethics" have gone slap down the Pearl River.
Fondren's "Jason" is Michael Johnson. He got busted a few weeks ago as part of a theft ring. Of course, I'm not really expecting him to be indicted and convicted.
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