Timothy Dewayne Taylor was found guilty Friday by a Jefferson Davis County jury. Taylor, 42, of Prentiss, was charged with attempted murder of Jefferson Davis County Sheriff’s Deputy Pat Barnes in May 2019. He was also charged with possession of methamphetamine and possession of cocaine. The trial began Thursday and concluded Friday morning.

The jury, made up of eight men and four women, took less than 15 minutes to deliberate, finding Taylor guilty of all charges.

On May 3, 2019, around 9 p.m., a Jefferson Davis County deputy Pat Barnes responded to a call of a disturbance on Duckworth Lane just outside of Prentiss.

When the officer arrived, he encountered the suspect, Taylor, who retrieved a firearm and shot Deputy Barnes hitting him in the leg.

The deputy was transported to the Jefferson Davis Community Hospital by another deputy who was also responding to the call. He was then airlifted to Forrest General Hospital.

The scene was surrounded, and negotiations began in an attempt to resolve the situation peacefully.

Early in the standoff, the suspect opened the front door of the trailer and shot at officers. Officers returned fire, but no one was injured.

Entry was made in the front of the trailer by an armored truck brought to the scene by the Jones County SWAT team. Another round of shots was fired at officers by the suspect, but no shots were returned. Negotiations began again and the suspect was taken into custody without incident.

Taylor had an initial appearance the following day and was not given a bond. He remained in the Jefferson Davis County jail until the time of the trial. Immediately after sentencing, he was transported to Rankin County.

Assisting the Jefferson Davis County Sheriff’s office with the incident were Forest County Sheriff’s Department, Marion County Sheriff’s Department, Simpson County Sheriff’s Department, Magee Police Department, Covington County Sheriff’s Department, Mississippi Highway Patrol, Lamar County Sheriff’s Department, Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department, Prentiss Police Department, MBN and MBI.

Taylor was sentenced by Circuit Court Judge Prentiss Harrell to serve 26 years in the Mississippi Department of Corrections.  He received 30 years for attempted murder, 20 to serve and 10 post release.  He was given three-year sentences for each of the two possession charges.

“I would like to thank the Jefferson Davis County jury for this just verdict,” said 15th Circuit Court District Attorney Hal Kittrell. “We were able to take a violent individual off the streets and show that there are severe consequences for those who do harm to others in Jefferson Davis County. We appreciate the investigation on this case by the Jefferson Davis County Sheriff’s Department.”