ROSEDALE – Authorities said a man that allegedly held his girlfriend hostage for 17 hours in a bathroom, earlier this month, is waiting for his day in court. Latidus Jones, 38, is facing local and federal charges for the alleged assault and kidnapping of 41-year old Loretta Jones.
Chief Investigator Charlie Griffin, with the Bolivar County Sheriff’s Department, said the stand-off began on Feb. 1, after Jones and Loretta argued while visiting his relatives in Rosedale. Griffin said the situation escalated and Loretta ran to Jones’ sister’s house to get away from him.
“His sister was home with her kids,” Griffin said. “And when Loretta ran in, the sister locked the door, and he broke the window out and kicked it in. We received a call at 7:49 p.m. saying that a female subject was being held at gunpoint and they needed some assistance.”
Police arrived and Jones’ sister and her children immediately exited the home without incident. Griffin said attempts by local authorities to talk Jones out of the bathroom failed and federal agents in Jackson were asked to help with negotiations.
“We tried talking to Jones and we believed they could help,” Griffin said. “And they basically advised him that he didn’t need this trouble and they wanted to help him. They were good and they were experienced. This was one of the first times that I saw FBI negotiations at work and the two agents that came out were very good.”
Griffin said during the standoff, Jones asked for food and water, which authorities promptly gave him. And around 12:47 p.m., the next day, Jones released Loretta and turned himself in. Jones was taken into custody and Loretta, who had been beaten while held in the bathroom, was taken by ambulance to a local hospital.
Jones, who was already on federal parole for robbing a bank and possession of a firearm, was charged with burglary, kidnapping, aggravated domestic violence and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
His bond was set at $100,000.
Jones remains in jail where is awaiting a hearing in federal court for violating his parole, as well as a court date in Bolivar County for his current charges.
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