FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Jan. 18, 2017
FRANKLINTON—District Attorney Warren Montgomery reported that Jason Jarrell Spikes, 31, an inmate in the Washington Parish jail, was sentenced Friday (Jan. 13) to five years in prison for possession of contraband in a state correctional institution. A Washington Parish jury found Spikes guilty last Wednesday (Jan. 11) of possessing a homemade knife that was found in his bunk.
Spikes was convicted previously of three drug felonies, and he has a pending attempted murder charge, as well as other charges that stem from his incarceration in the parish jail. A hearing before District Judge William J. “Rusty” Knight on Feb. 17 will determine whether Spikes will be sentenced as a multiple offender. If so, he faces from 20 years to life in prison.
During the trial last week, security officers testified that on Feb. 27, 2016, they noticed Spikes appeared to be either sick or impaired in his cell. When officers went to check on Spikes further, they searched his cell and found a “shank,” apparently made from a broken microwave plate, under the edge of his mattress.
The jury returned the guilty verdict on the contraband charge but acquitted Spikes on a charge of possessing a synthetic cannabinoid (marijuana). Assistant District Attorney Lewis Murray prosecuted the case.