By Jeremy Pittari, Item Staff Writer
The Picayune Item
PICAYUNE —
Picayune Police officers investigated a domestic dispute case where a man held the mother of his children at gun point and a statutory rape case where the girl involved lied about her age.
The domestic dispute case began on Dec. 21 when the victim went to the Picayune Police Department’s Criminal Justice Center to file a complaint against the father of her children, said Assistant to the Chief of Police Jeremy Magri.
The complainant stated to officers that on Dec. 17, she received a call from the father of her children, 22-year-old Taylor Poole of 1405 Camellia Cove, that he had presents for their children and asked if she could come pick them up from his home, Magri said. When the woman arrived, Poole took her car keys and cell phone, Magri said, and told her she could not leave the home, the complainant told police.
Poole then produced a handgun and said he would kill her and himself as he loaded the gun, Magri said. Poole then pointed the gun at the woman and asked her if she was seeing another guy before shooting several rounds into the ceiling of the home, Magri said.
The womanhid under a table during the shots and then ran for the bathroom, Magri said. Poole continued to instruct her not to leave the home, Magri said. The woman told police that at one point during the incident Poole entered the bathroom, pulled her hair back and put the gun in her mouth, after which fired several more shots into the ceiling of the home, Magri said.
At some point during the incident the woman was able to get out of the home through a bedroom window and flee to her car, while Poole gave chase, Magri said. It was unclear why the woman waited until Dec. 21, to file a complaint, he said.
Detectives went to Poole’s home to ask him about the complaint lodged against him, at which time he denied the officers’ request for consent to search his home and denied the claims the woman lodged against him, Magri said. Detectives used the woman’s statement to obtain a search warrant from a judge, which was served the same day, Magri said.
In the search the detectives found a shotgun, a .38 Special handgun and several rounds of ammunition along with bullet holes throughout the home, including in the ceiling as described by the woman, Magri said. Spent cartridge casings were found along with hand prints on the window where the woman said she escaped the home, Magri said.
An amount of a green leafy substance believed to be marijuana also was found in the kitchen of the home, leading Poole to be charged with aggravated assault domestic violence, discharging a firearm in the city limits and possession of marijuana, Magri said.
In a separate case on Dec. 20, officers were called to a home on Bender Street in reference to an alleged statutory rape. Magri said when officers arrived they spoke to the mother of a 14-year-old girl who said she had walked into the bedroom to find 18-year-old Radon Ray of 8465 Harrison St., Bay St. Louis in bed with her daughter. Officers transported all parties involved to the Criminal Justice Center in order to conduct interviews, Magri said.
Magri said during those interviews it was determined the 14-year-old girl invited Ray to her home and into her bedroom where they fell asleep. When Ray awoke the two had sexual intercourse until the mother walked in on them, Magri said. Ray said the girl told him she was 16-years-old, not 14, Magri said. Interviews with the girl confirmed she had lied about her age, Magri said. The mother filed charges leading Ray to be charged with statutory rape, Magri said.
