Reward goes to ministries

On Aug. 9 at 1:15 p.m. Choctaw County Sheriff Cloyd Halford arrested James Stacy Fondren. Fondren was arrested on charges in Choctaw, Rankin and Warren Counties and the Mathiston Police Department. He was wanted on eight felony violations from these jurisdictions. Fondren's arrest came as a result of an 18-hour manhunt that initiated on Aug. 8 at 10 p.m. after a pursuit that started in Mathiston and ended in northeast Choctaw County. Fondren ditched his car and ran into a wooded area south of Crossroads Church Road, in Choctaw County. Law enforcement officers from Choctaw and Webster Counties and Mathiston Police Department were involved in the pursuit of Fondren. He was located on Sunday, Aug. 9 at 1:15 p.m. by Sheriff Halford and was arrested without incident. Fondren is currently being held at the Choctaw County Jail on charges of felony fleeing a marked police vehicle and felony possession of a firearm. He is also being held for other jurisdictions on numerous felony charges. A $1,000 reward was paid for the capture of Fondren by the bonding agency that wrote his bond in Rankin County. The reward was paid equally to Broken Wings Ministry and Christian Way United here in Choctaw County at Sheriff Halford's request.