A Thursday drug arrest turned into a game of hide and seek for officers with the Columbus-Lowndes Metro Narcotics Unit, the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office and the Lamar County Sheriff’s Department.
Metro agents, along with the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, were attempting to serve a warrant for conspiracy to distribute more than a kilo of cocaine on Larry Jones Jr., at his 198 Gregory Road home.
Jones fled the scene in a white Honda and officers pursued in a high speed chase on Highway 69 South to Chandler Road and into Alabama.
Officers lost sight of Jones, but later found his vehicle in a wooded area, behind a house — at 310 August Landing — owned by Sammy Jeffries. Jeffries denied seeing Jones, who was found hiding under a bed in Jeffries’ house.
Jones was arrested and charged with conspiracy to distribute more than a kilo of cocaine and fleeing law enforcement, a felony charge. He is being held in the Lowndes County Adult Detention Center, pending bond and an initial court appearance. Jeffries also was arrested and charged with obstructing justice for hiding Jones in his home.
“This is definitely a significant arrest,” Lowndes County Sheriff Mike Arledge said. “Jones is considered a big drug dealer in Lowndes County. We’ve been targeting some of the larger drug dealers lately. We’ve had some extremely large busts recently.”
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