Here’s a list of the most wanted criminals in South Mississippi
A 19-year-old man is sought on charges including murder in a shooting that killed one man and wounded another at a public park in Bay St. Louis.
Three other men are wanted in two different armed robberies. One of them is accused of robbing a woman in her 80s in Biloxi. Two of them are accused of holding up a woman at a Gulfport apartment complex.
They top the list of most wanted criminal suspects in South Mississippi.
Area law enforcement agencies and Mississippi Coast Crime Stoppers have provided details on the region’s most wanted criminal suspects.
The 20 people listed in this installment are sought on charges alleging crimes of violence, property crimes, and firearm and sex offender violations. Mugshots were not available for two of them.
More than 176 fugitives spotlighted in the Sun Herald’s most wanted series have been taken into custody since the series began in 2007.
Law enforcement agencies and Mississippi Coast Crime Stoppers have credited the series with encouraging people to call in tips that lead to arrests, and in some cases, qualify for rewards.
One of those captured after the most recent installment is Thomas Elliot Stafford, accused of killing Jerry Floyd Kirkendall and stuffing him in a freezer at his home in Jackson County’s Latimer community. Stafford, 41, had allowed the 65-year-old Kirkendall to move in with him. Federal marshals found Stafford in Portland, Oregon, in January. He has been indicted on a murder charge.
The top of the list
Topping the latest list is the case of a 19-year-old D’Iberville resident suspected in a deadly shooting and robbery that claimed a man’s life at Martin Luther King Jr. Park in Bay St. Louis. The shooting was June 6 and another man was wounded. Police want help to find the suspect.
Xavier Lamar Simmons, of D’Iberville, is accused of killing 23-year-old D’Ante Washington — the father of a 1-year-old and a rapper nicknamed Tae Spitta — in the Bay park shooting. Washington died of a gunshot wound to his head. A second suspect, Armon Joseph Crawford, 19, turned himself in to police in July.
In one of the armed robbery cases, Douglas William Falls is accused of holding up an elderly woman in Biloxi. He is a con man who had befriended the woman in her 80s and he may be looking for other victims, Biloxi police Maj. Christopher De Back said. Falls, 56, was driving the woman to Walmart when he robbed her on Jan. 23, 2014, De Back said.
The woman told police that Falls had picked her up at her home. She reported they were in the area of Walmart when Falls pulled out a gun and demanded money. Falls had been staying at a local motel but fled before police went there, and he may now be out of state, De Back said.
In the other armed robbery, two young men are sought in the holdup of a woman at Gulf Mist Apartments on Pass Road in Gulfport. Tomon Devora Clark, 20, and Deqwaevious Marwqrel Jones, 21, robbed the woman on Sept. 4, and at least one of them knows her or knows of her, according to Gulfport Police Sgt. Clayton Fulks. (The names are spelled as investigators provided them.)
Crime Stoppers for years has offered rewards of up to $1,000 for information leading to a felony arrest. In August, the non-profit group announced it now offers rewards of up to $2,500, mostly for unsolved murders or missing person cases. You can give a tip to Crime Stoppers and remain anonymous, even while receiving a reward.
To give a tip on one of these suspects, you can call Crime Stoppers at 1-877-787-5898 or the law enforcement agency listed.
South Mississippi’s Most Wanted
Hancock County
Bay St. Louis
- Xavier Lamar Simmons, 19, wanted on charges of murder, armed robbery and aggravated assault. Accused of fatally shooting one man and wounding another man June 6 at Martin Luther King Jr. Park.
Call Bay St. Louis police at 228-467-9222 or Hancock County Central Dispatch at 228-255-9191.
Hancock County
- Joshua Hatten Lee, 42, wanted on a grand larceny charge in Hancock County. Accused of stealing an enclosed utility trailer and seven commercial batteries. The trailer is multicolored and used for construction.
Call Hancock County Central Dispatch at 228-255-9191.
Harrison County
Biloxi
- Tammy Lynn Dogruogullari, believed to be 39, wanted on a burglary charge. Accused of burglarizing New Life Family church on Dec. 28, 2009, and also is wanted in Florida. Call Biloxi police dispatchers at 228-392-0641.
- Douglas William Falls, 56, wanted on an armed robbery charge. Accused of robbing an elderly woman he was driving to Walmart on Jan. 23, 2014. Falls has visited several states including Florida, Pennsylvania and North Dakota. Call Biloxi police dispatchers at 228-392-0641.
Call the Biloxi Police Department at 228-392-0641.
D’Iberville
- Fallon Marie Demoruelle, 35, wanted on a grand larceny charge.
- James Alan Jeffreys, 35, wanted on a grand larceny charge.
- Della Romero, 39, wanted on a charge of credit card fraud.
Eric Christopher Rich, 40, wanted on a felony DUI charge.
Christina Samson, 32, wanted on an embezzlement charge.
Desiray Hope Wangle, 28, wanted on a charge of felony DUI in D’Iberville.
Call the D’Iberville Police Department at 228-396-4252
Gulfport
- Tomon Devora Clark, 20, wanted on an armed robbery charge from a Sept. 4 holdup at Gulf Mist Apartments across from Hardy Court shopping center on Pass Road in Gulfport.
- Deqwaevious Marwqrel Jones, 21, wanted on an armed robbery charge from Sept. 4 holdup at Gulf Mist Apartments on Pass Road in Gulfport.
Call the Gulfport Police Department at 228-392-0641.
Harrison County
- Jamie Daryl Ladner, 40, wanted on a charge of possession of a firearm after a felony conviction in Harrison County. He also has been indicted on a burglary charge.
- Clarence Elmer Lane Jr, 62, wanted on a sex offender violation in Harrison County. He was convicted on two counts of sexual battery in Harrison County on Feb. 26, 1996, and was living on Canal Road in February 2013.
- Cleadus Ray Steffey Jr, 52, wanted on a charge of failing to register as a sex offender in Harrison County. He was convicted of unlawful touching of a child in Harrison County on Sept. 8, 2011.
Call the Harrison County sheriff’s dispatchers at 228-865-7060.
Jackson County
Moss Point
Leonard Coleman, 42, wanted on a charge of grand larceny in Moss Point.
Antwaun Rayshawn Edwards, 21, (no photo available) wanted on charges of receiving child pornography and statutory rape in Moss Point.
- Deneshia Jones, 33, wanted on a charge of grand larceny in Moss Point.
- Joshua Clifton Woods, 36, (no photo available) wanted on an aggravated assault charge in Moss Point.
Call the Moss Point Police Department at 228-475-1711.
U.S. Marshals Service
- Jose Chacon-Posada, 38, wanted by U.S. marshals for failing to appear for trial in U.S. District Court in Gulfport. He had been arrested in March 2009, accused of smuggling undocumented immigrants into the U.S.
Call U.S. marshals at 228-563-1505.
Robin Fitzgerald, 228-896-2307, @robincrimenews