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Burglary suspect accused of ruckus at the jail

A Linton woman, formerly from Bloomfield, has two criminal cases pending against her. In one, she was arrested on an accusation of burglarizing another woman’s apartment. In the second, she’s accused of battery against a jail officer and causing a ruckus after she was booked in at the jail.

Jamie Jo Staten, first arrest on August 27

Jamie Jo Staten, first arrest on August 27

Jamie Jo Staten, 54, Linton, formerly from Bloomfield, was arrested by Officer Alan Jackson of the Linton Police Department on Friday night, August 27. After Staten was booked into the Greene County Jail at 10:22 p.m., she allegedly caused incidents at the jail. The incidents were under investigation by GCSD Deputy Sgt. Jordan Allor when Staten was released from jail on a surety bond.

By the time she appeared in court for her initial hearing on the burglary charge, Sgt. Allor had completed his investigation and submitted his findings to the prosecutor’s office and a new criminal case had been filed and a warrant issued for Staten’s arrest.

When she got to the courthouse, she was taken into custody by Greene County Courthouse Security Officer Patrick Fulford on Monday, September 20. Staten was booked into jail at 1:16 p.m. with bond set at $5,500 surety with ten percent cash allowed.

Jamie Joe Staten, second arrest on September 20

Jamie Joe Staten, second arrest on September 20

In the first case involving burglary, LPD Officer Alan Jackson responded before 8 p.m. on Monday, September 27, to Allen’s Motel in Linton on the report of a theft. Officer Jackson reviewed video footage from security cameras and talked to numerous individuals including Staten.

Staten is accused of using a credit card to break into another woman’s apartment where she allegedly stole a camo duffel bag containing several items of value. Besides the bag, she allegedly took several other items from the apartment. After another person told Staten to return the bag to the apartment where she got it, Staten did return the bag but not the other items.

Evidence is reported to include Staten’s admission of breaking into the apartment and taking the items, though she said she was told to do it by another person, then returning the bag, then calling the woman who lived in the apartment and telling the woman that she had taken her stuff.     

After an interview at the police department, Staten was taken into custody and transported to jail where she was booked in at 10:22 p.m.

Around 10:53 p.m., GCSD Deputy Sgt. Allor was dispatched to the jail for an unruly inmate who turned out to be Staten.

When Sgt. Allor arrived, along with Deputies Devan Goad, Terry Wade and William C. Walker, they were told Staten had hit a female jail officer and that Staten was refusing to go into a cell. During an altercation, Staten had been sprayed with a chemical agent and had been placed in a padded cell. Sgt. Allor said while he was talking to the jail officer, he could hear Staten hitting a cell door and yelling.

When the officers let Staten out to talk to her about what had happened, she was uncooperative and hit more than one officer, but when she calmed down, she said the jail officer had battered her, had put her handcuffs too tight causing injury and that she didn’t want to live anymore.

Sgt. Allor reported video from the jail’s security system told a different story and showed Staten had pulled away from the jail officer who gave Staten several warnings before spraying her with the chemical agent. The video also shows Staten moving toward the officer at one point, grabbing the officer’s arm causing cuts and bruises to the officer’s arm from Staten’s fingernails.

After talking to Staten, when she was taken back to a cell, she continued to yell and allegedly picked up a trash can and was banging it against the cell door until it broke into pieces and struck Staten’s own wrist.

Due to Staten’s behavior and her comment about not wanting to live anymore, she was placed on suicide watch and at that time was being held in a padded cell.

In the first case, Staten is facing charges of:

  • Burglary of a dwelling, a Level 4 felony, and

  • Theft – with a prior conviction for either theft or conversion, a Level 6 felony.

In the second case, she facing charges of:

  • Battery against a public safety official, a Level 6 felony,

  • Resisting law enforcement – knowingly or intentionally forcibly resists, a Class A misdemeanor, and

  • Criminal mischief, a Class B misdemeanor.

As of late today, Wednesday, September 22, she has not yet posted bond and is still in custody.