Sheriff’s Report: Two murders shake county in one week span

By Ashley Crutcher
Panola County suffered two murders within six days. Ronnie Petty, 28, of Como was killed in a shoot out on Smart Road where four others were injured.
The altercation began between two individuals and escalated to the deadly shooting on Smart Road. According to the report, over 60 shell casings were found from  9mm, AR15 and  AK47. Weapons.
At 8:39 p.m. on January 20 the Panola County Sheriff’s Office received a call reporting shots fired and multiple gunshot victims.
“I observed broken glass everywhere, three pools of blood and several AR15 casings,” stated Lieutenant Emily Griffin. No charges have been made as the investigation is ongoing.
Days later on January 25 another shooting occurred at a home on Greenbriar Circle, Courtland where Alfred Nicholson was shot in the chest with a sawed off 16 gauge shotgun.
The victim’s son, Alderius D. Nicholson has been charged with the murder of his father. Deputy Britton Crawford with the assistance of other officers and a K-9 searched the wooded area behind the home and discovered the sawed-off shotgun, according to the report.
Panola County Coroner Gracie Grant Gulledge pronounced the victim dead at the scene and took custody of the body.
An earlier report from January 9 of a possible fraud occurred on Barnacre Road, Sardis where the resident reported to Deputy Jeremy Hailey she received a call from First Security Bank stating she did not sign the back of a check.
Assuming it was her husband, the resident told the caller to let the individual sign the check for her, according to the report.
The resident reported she was not missing any checks and that someone must have taken out a loan in her name. She stated she would contact the Sheriff’s Office if she received a bill.
The Panola County Sheriff Department received 39 other reports from January 17 to January 27 which required service from Panola County Deputies.
January 17
• South Quitman Ave., Crowder resident reported to Deputy Jeff Still he was struck in the face with a pistol. According to the report, the resident was transported to the Med in Memphis to be treated for multiple fractures to the left side of his face.
January 20
• Deputy Maurice Market responded to a burglary on Lamb Ext., Crowder. The resident reported some time between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. an unknown subject enter her residence through the back door. According to the report, nothing was missing.
January 21
• North Oak Emergency Room notified Panola County Sheriff’s Department in reference to a seven year old being sexually assaulted.
Lieutenant George Renfroe spoke to the mother who reported after hearing rumors of her seven-year-old son being sexually assaulted she took him to the hospital. Detective Bryan Arnold was notified of the incident.
• Lieutenant Renfroe made a traffic stop on a blue 1996 Chevy near O’Reiley’s Auto Parts due to an expired tag.
According to the report, upon approaching the vehicle Lieutenant Renfroe noticed a a stong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle.
The driver was asked if there were any drugs in the vehicle to which he replied yes, according to the report.
During a search, Lieutenant recovered a small plastic bag of a green leafy substance in a cigar pack, a grinder containing a green leafy substance and a purple colored glass pipe and a black plastic bag containing an ice-like substance from the driver, according to the report.
During a search of the vehicle, a tin container with paraphernalia was located in the toolbox. The driver and passenger were placed in custody and transported to the Panola County Sheriff’s Office.
• Ballentine Road, Sardis resident reported to Deputy Hunter Lawrence she and her husband had an altercation at their residence. Deputy Lawrence was informed the suspect was injured during the disturbance.
The suspect reported to Deputy Lawrence his wife has mean spells at random times. DHS was notified of the incident.
• Deputy Market responded to a fight on Butler road. Upon arrival, Deputy Market spoke to a resident who stated an individual came onto his property threatening to do bodily harm.
According to the report, the suspect was asked multiple times to leave. According to the report, the individuals began fighting.
Deputy Market responded to Merit Health to speak to the suspect who stated the resident hit him in the head with a steel pipe, according to the report.
• Woodruff Road resident reported to Deputy Lawrence there were two pit bulls trapped in his quail pen and asked if the dogs could be removed from his property.
January 22
• Highway 6 East, Sardis resident reported to Lieutenant Renfroe a suspect snatched her off of the bed by her arm, then knocked out the bedroom window out of anger while hollering and cussing and then threatened to get a gun and kill them both, according to the report.
The suspect reported he was arguing with the resident because she gave him “the clap.”
• Atkins St., Sardis resident reported to Deputy Jeff Still that a suspect came to her apartment to pick up her child.
According to the report, when the resident brought the child to the door the suspect attacked her by pulling her hair and punching her in the head.
The resident stated the child was left there by her boyfriend, the child’s father.
• Highway 51 South, Pope resident reported to Deputy Britton Crawford that the rear glass of their automobile had been broken.
• Wilson Road resident reported to Lieutenant Griffin that a suspect began harassing her after she cancelled a date with him.
According to the report, the suspect continuously called and text messaged her cell phone along with sending her multiple messages on Facebook Messenger. The resident stated he told her she would regret blocking him on Facebook.
January 23
• Herron St., Courtland resident reported to Deputy Hailey she came home from work and her husband started arguing with her.
According to the report, the resident stated he became aggressive and hit her in the chest. She stated she tried to leave but her husband told her the house would not be there when she got back.
The resident continued to state the suspect started yelling in her face and threw her coffee table across the room, according to the report. The resident stated she did not want to press charges.
• During patrol Deputy Market noticed a gray Ford parked in a field in the Hwy. 51 area of Pope.
According to the report, Deputy Market could smell marijuana coming from the vehicle and at that time the driver fled in the vehicle.
Approximately four miles down Pope Crowder Road the suspect jumped from the vehicle. The incident is under further investigation.
• Henry Heafner Road, Sardis resident reported to Lieutenant Chuck Tucker a suspect, who lives upstairs from her, came down to her apartment hollering and threatening her, saying she was gonna “beat the hell out of her” for putting a note on her door, according to the report.
• Wilson Road resident reported to Deputy Bill Furniss she went on a blind date with a suspect and advised that he was acting strange and that she did not want to have another date or anymore communication with the suspect.
According to the report, the resident stated since the date the suspect will not stop texting and has threatened to call her work place and come to her residence.
• Old Crenshaw Road, Crenshaw resident reported to Deputy Hailey a bag of tools and his mother’s medicines were taken and the tools were later returned to his front porch.
• Investigator Terry Smith responded to a fire on Crump Street in Sardis. Upon arrival, a man who was staying at the residence came by intoxicated and said he left to go up the road and later the house was on fire.
According to the report, the home didn’t appear to have power. A propane tank and a lawnmower were located inside the home. The incident is under further investigation.
•Mimosa St., Pope, resident reported to Investigator Danny Beavers her daughter told her she was going to a friend’s house in Water Valley on January 20 and has not heard from her since.
According to the report, the daughter is reported to have left with a 20-year-old male in a 2002 white Ford Expedition.
January 24
• Investigator Arnold spoke to a Bethlehem Road resident who reported he was treated at Merit Health on January 21 for injuries he received during a robbery on that date.
According to the report, the resident did not file a report due to him being sedated. The resident stated the suspect hit him in the back of the head with a pipe and stole $160 from him.
• Annie Herring Road, Courtland resident reported she was cleaning out some items from her residence and noticed she was missing $450 in assorted cash and dimes, 3 portable stereos and a 13” Sanyo flat screen TV.
• John Branch Road resident reported noticing approximately $1,970 worth of property missing from his residence.
• Teasdale Road, Enid resident reported to Deputy John Still an unknown person used her Miss. Child Support card at a service station in Sunrise, Fla. for $40.32.
• Al Johnson’s Road, Como reported to Deputy John Still someone stole her mailbox.
• Hughes Road, Courtland resident reported to Investigator Danny Beavers someone used debit card at the Wal-Mart in Hernando and made a purchase in the amount of $900.
• Deputy Mark Allen responded to an assault on Belmont Road, Sardis. The caller reported that the neighbor was mad at her for getting a divorce and had her dogs barking at her.
According to the report, the caller stated the neighbor had a gun and shot toward them and was threatening to shoot them.
The resident stated she let her dogs out and her neighbors were complaining about the dogs barking.
According to the report, the resident stated the neighbor started toward her home and that she fired a shot from her shotgun.
The neighbor stated the resident’s dogs have been outside barking for three hours and she asked her to put her dogs up because her son was trying to sleep before he went to work tonight.
According to the report, the neighbor stated the resident met her with cursing and made threats towards her and her grandchildren stating she would blow their heads off and then fired a shot toward them in the air.
Deputy Allen took possession of the Stevens 410 shotgun and advised her that an investigator would be in touch with them. Investigator Jason Chrestman was notified of the incident.
• Sardis Lake Drive resident reported to Lieutenant Mike Davis an 18-wheeler came through and tore down power lines causing damage to the residence. According to the report, TVEPA had to replace two poles and lines.
• Highway 6 East resident reported to Investigator Beavers he was leaving a Perkins Road residence when the suspects called his cellphone telling him they were behind him in a 2004 white Tahoe.
According to the report, three boys got out of the vehicle and began yelling at him to get out of his vehicle.
The resident stated as he tried to escape he heard what he thought was a gunshot.
Deputies attempted to speak to the occupants in the Tahoe but they attempted to leave the scene and struck a guard wire.
Deputy Steven McLarty talked with everyone involved and made everyone go their separate ways.
January 25
• Lieutenant Renfroe observed a black 2014 Chevy Camero traveling south on I-55 and initiated the stop. According to the report, a strong smell of marijuana was coming from the vehicle.
Lieutenant Renfroe asked the driver and passenger if there were any weapons in the vehicle to which each replied no.
An assault rifle was discovered in the back seat of the vehicle. The driver was arrested for suspended license.
According to the report, during the search a 9mm, cigar containing alleged marijuana, plastic sack with alleged marijuana and two sets of scales were recovered from the vehicle.
• Deputy Hailey spoke to an Oakgrove, Sardis resident who reported he was driving north on Belmont Road when a suspect approached him and came over into his lane, stopping in the road as he passed.
According to the report, the suspect got out and waved a gun at the resident.
• Lieutenant Davis was dispatched to Henry Heafner Road, Sardis where the resident reported the maintenance man cut the cable and she confronted him and he made threats towards her husband.
The resident was advised to call 911 if she felt threatened and the option to file charges were up to her.
• Carlisle Road resident reported to Panola dispatch she was assaulted and that the suspect now had a gun and was making threats towards her.
Upon arrival, the resident stated the suspect struck her on top of the head. According to the report, Deputy McLarty asked where the gun was, to which the resident replied there was no gun.
Deputy McLarty stated he was informed that she reported a gun. “Well I just said that because y’all was taking too long,” stated the resident. The resident was arrested for false report.

January 26
• Belmont Road, Sardis resident reported to Deputy Market her ex-boyfriend came to her apartment and knocked her front door off the hinges.
According to the report, she stated that he came in the residence and took items that didn’t belong to him.
• Deputy Market responded to an assault at a residence on Longtown Road, Crenshaw.
According to the report, the resident stated her husband chased her around the residence with a knife and hit her in the head with his fist.
• Investigator Beavers spoke to a Hubbard Road, Pope resident who stated her granddaughter is being harassed by a 17-year-old from Brighton, Tenn.
January 27
• Butler Road resident reported a burglary to Deputy Jeff Still where an unknown suspect broke into the residence and stole $10 in change.
•Deputy Still responded to Chuck Truck Stop on Highway 51 in Pope for an attempted burglary.
The individual reported someone stole the meter off the back of the store, his power was out and that the suspect also damaged the front door trying to get in.
According to the report, the suspects did not get inside the store.
Motor Vehicle Accident Report
• January 21, car ran off Shiloh Road. An injury was reported.
• January 22, hit and run occured at New Bethel Church.
• January 23, car hit deer on Pope Crowder Road.
• January 23, car hit deer on Pointer Road.
• January 25, car swerved to avoid hitting a deer on Pleasant Grove Road.
• January 26, car hit loose gravel and lost control on Blackjack Road.