PANOLA COUNTY, Miss. — The FBI spent the morning rounding up suspected gang members.
There is a total of 17 people facing charges under Operation Bite Back.
Nine people were picked up Tuesday.
The others were already in custody on other charges or had been arrested under this operation and bonded out.
FBI agents targeted suspected members of the Black Gangster Disciples, Vice Lords, and Sipp Mob street gangs.
“The charges range from drug, weapon, child endangerment, counterfeiting, et cetera, so it’s a variety of charges,” said Special Agent in Charge for the State of Mississippi Donald Alway.
The Jessica Chambers murder investigation tipped off investigators to gang issues in Panola County. A year-long investigation into gangs led to Operation Bite Back.
“We started the deep interrogation with the Jessica case, and people began to volunteer information to us and things like that, and we realized right away that something had to be done,” said District Attorney John Champion.
Panola County Sheriff Dennis Darby stressed that the suspected gang members’ charges have nothing to do with the Chambers case but agreed that her case encouraged investigators to dig into Panola’s gang issue.
Most of Tuesday’s suspects were found in Batesville.
Federal and state prosecutors worked together to determine which charges would face the stiffest penalties and charged them accordingly.
Major @FBIJackson Operation underway in N. Mississippi targeting suspected street gang members. pic.twitter.com/tJjAumuUMo
— JPackPIO (@JPackPIO) December 15, 2015
These are the individuals facing charges:
Lyndon Mosely, Jr., 24
Edward House, 39
Joshua Cannon, 25
Anand Vijay Shegog, 39
Mondarious Armstead, 23
Gregory B. Andrews, 22
D’Irian Case, 18
Janicholas Vankeith Scott, 34
James Mosely, Jr., 26
George Todd, 23
Dedrick Ivery, 39
Antonio Johnson, 28
Xavier Hooks, 25
Kevin Windfield, 37
Elgin Lamar, 38
Deon Smith, 20
Stanley Coleman, 40
