In the photo above, Timothy J. Jones, the individual being held as a person of interest in the MDCC arson investigation is handcuffed next to his vehicle at an Indianola residence, after leading officers on a chase that began in Moorhead. (Photo by Recardo Thomas)
The suspect being held as a person of interest in the December 14 arson and robbery incident at Mississippi Delta Community College fled officers on Friday after previously agreeing to an interview with officials.
Timothy J. Jones was arrested at an Indianola residence on Friday afternoon after leading officers on a chase that began in Moorhead. Jones is currently being held at the Sunflower County Sheriff’s Office.
Jones is the owner of TJ’s Photography, a business located at 224 U.S. 82 in Indianola. He is also a freelance photographer with multiple outlets, including The Enterprise-Tocsin.
The E-T witnessed Jones’ Friday arrest, as well as multiple warrants being served on Jones’ Augusta Street residence and his business.
On the morning of Dec. 14, firefighters responded to a report of a fire on the campus at MDCC. They arrived to find the Stauffer-Wood Administration Building, which houses the office of college President Larry Nabors and the communications department, ablaze.
Later, investigators would discover a missing MDCC vehicle, which had been burned and abandoned, about a quarter of a mile from campus.
Additionally, several thousand dollars in equipment was found to be missing once investigators were able to enter the building after the fire.
The vehicle that was stolen and torched was declared a “total loss” but the college is still waiting on the final report from the insurance company as to whether the administration building was also a total loss or could be renovated for future use.
Surveillance video was recovered from the building’s cameras, which appear to show a single individual walking through the building on the morning of the incident. The person in the video is later seen pouring a liquid substance from a cup before lighting a fire in the building.
Nabors said during an early January meeting with the MDCC Board of Directors that the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation and the State Fire Marshal were called in to lead the investigation early on because investigators had reason to believe someone with inside knowledge of the building was behind the crimes that took place.
According to a statement released by MDCC today, Jones had agreed to an “interview with officials” at the Moorhead campus of MDCC, but upon arriving at the college, he fled officers before the interview could begin.
Officers pursued Jones from Moorhead back to Indianola, where he was taken into custody at a residence. Out of respect for the homeowner, The E-T is not releasing the address where the apprehension took place, at this time.
"We at MDCC are grateful to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation and the State Fire Marshal’s Office for their hard work and ongoing partnership with our campus police department,” said Nabors in the statement.
According to the release, the investigation is ongoing, and charges against Jones are pending.
Nabors, who had announced plans to retire in June, rescinded his resignation during the January meeting and has decided to stay on for at least one more year to see the college through this crisis.
Nabors took over as MDCC’s president in 2013 and immediately spearheaded the construction of an 11,400-square-foot student union building, as well as other capital projects.
Anyone with information regarding the arson or the items stolen from the college are asked to contact investigators by calling toll-free at (833) TIP-MDCC or (833) 847-6322. Mississippi Delta Community College and the State Fire Marshal’s Office are offering a reward totaling $30,000 for information leading to a conviction.
A press conference will be held in the upcoming weeks on the Moorhead campus of MDCC.
More details will be available at that time.
