Mollie Bryant

The Clarion-Ledger

A Clarion-Ledger investigation found that 18 percent of inmates in Hinds County’s jails were not indicted within three months of their arrest. Some were not indicted by a Hinds County grand jury for a year or longer, while others weren’t indicted at all.

Over the last few years, at least 24 inmates spent so long in custody they were released from jail on their own recognizance. Of those who were released, some were never indicted and never received another criminal charge. Some were released and went on to commit other crimes.

Here is a close-up look at some of the inmates’ stories beyond the data, based on court and jail records.

In August 2013, Ivory Robinson was arrested and charged with business burglary. He was released from jail four months later and was never indicted on that charge. About a year later, he was arrested and charged with business burglary for a second time. By February 2016, Robinson had spent a year and almost three months – 440 days – in jail without ever being indicted on either burglary charge. Former Hinds County Assistant Public Defender Andres Wallace filed a writ of habeas corpus, which Circuit Court Judge Bill Gowan never responded to, and in March, Circuit Court Judge Tomie Green filed an order to release him on his own recognizance. At that point, Robinson had spent 467 days in jail without being indicted.

Montravies Shelby spent almost a year – 341 days – in jail on drug charges without being indicted. In January, Green ordered him to be released immediately on his own recognizance. Three months later, Shelby was indicted on drug charges. One indictment was connected to his alleged possession of 196 dosage units of the opioid dilaudid two years earlier. His second indictment involved meth and cocaine that he’d possessed more than a year before the grand jury took action. He has been in custody since September.

In December 2015, Green filed a motion to reduce the bond for Montreal Anderson, who had spent 167 days in jail without being indicted on stolen property and escape charges. He was released and five months later was charged with three counts of auto theft. He has not been indicted on any of these charges.

Johnny Lee Ames spent 11 months in jail on a grand larceny charge without indictment. Assistant Public Defender Lynn Watkins filed a writ of habeas corpus on Aug. 5 alleging his unlawful imprisonment, but jail officials said he had already been released on Aug. 4. Court records unsealed this month show he was indicted on Aug. 5, raising questions about the timing of his indictment and release. His capias warrant was not served until Oct. 11, and jail records show that he is not in custody

Even those accused of high-profile crimes have waited extended periods of time in jail for an indictment. After a spate of high-speed police chases from other jurisdictions into the Jackson city limits, a chase involving Clinton police led to a car accident and the death of a bystander. Clinton police chased Donnell William Johnson, suspected of shoplifting from Wal-Mart, into Jackson, where the pursuit led to a crash and the death of Lonnie Blue. Johnson was charged with second-degree murder for Blue’s death. He wasn’t indicted until he’d served about four and a half months in jail.

Contact Mollie Bryant atmollieebryant@gmail.com. Follow @MollieEBryant on Twitter.

Database: In jail without indictment