Louisiana pair suspected of Mississippi drive-by shooting nabbed in traffic stop

Published 9:22 pm Friday, February 5, 2021

Two people suspected in a drive-by shooting in Mississippi have been arrested in Louisiana.

The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office said Sophia Henderson, 19, and Jude Rhodes, 19, both of Slidell, were picked up Thursday during a traffic stop near the intersection of Highway 11 and Interstate 12.

The deputy stopped the vehicle, a silver Pontiac GTO, because it matched a description listed in connection with a recent drive-by shooting that occurred in Pearl River County, Mississippi, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

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“If you think you are going to commit dangerous crimes in another jurisdiction and then come to St. Tammany to hide, you are mistaken,” Sheriff Randy Smith said. “We are more than happy to help our neighboring jurisdictions to see that dangerous criminals are taken off the streets.”

Henderson and Rhodes are being held at the St. Tammany Parish jail as fugitives. They’re wanted in Mississippi on charges of felony malicious mischief, the sheriff’s office said.

A third occupant in the car, Martin Minks, 35, of Pearl River, was arrested on one count of resisting an officer by providing a false identity. He also is being held in the St. Tammany Parish Jail.

It was unknown if any of the suspects has an attorney who could speak for them.