COLUMBUS — A 22-year-old man was arrested Wednesday morning in Columbus on murder charges from a double-homicide inside a moving car in Mansfield in June 2023.
Ja’Vontae Jones was apprehended by members of the U.S. Marshals Southern Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team at a home on Alumcrest Lane in Columbus on the city’s southeast side.
A warrant for his arrest was issued Dec. 14 by Mansfield police. According to Mansfield Municipal Court records, his local address was 161 Arthur Ave.
Mansfield police Chief Keith Porch praised the work of his detectives, as well as the task forces involved.
“With the task given to our detective section … 12 homicides would task any homicide unit in a city our size,” he said.
“The follow-up work done by our detective section for this homicide, and all of these homicides, I feel extremely proud of the work they have done and continue to do to seek justice for the victims’ families.”
“Along with the 12 homicides, which continue to be a prime story in our community, crime doesn’t stop there in all areas of our community. It’s nothing short of a miracle what they have been able to accomplish,” Porch said.
Jones is charged with the June 8 murders of Jonathan Ash, 18, and Nathan Carroll, 18, both of Mansfield. The homicides were the sixth and seventh of the year as the city finished 2023 with 12 gun-related killings.
Mansfield police responded to reports of a vehicle crash and shots fired on West Fourth Street near North Lake Park. The vehicle ended up crashing into the 125-year-old sandstone pillar formations at the entrance to the park.
Carroll was pronounced dead at the scene and Ash died June 21 at OhioHealth Grant Medical Center in Columbus.
Witnesses told police the shootings occurred inside the car and the suspected gunman fled on foot into nearby Middle Park. Officers searched the wooded park and surrounding areas but didn’t find the suspect.
The arrest warrant was turned over to the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force for investigation into where Jones may be hiding.
Investigators found Jones was possibly living in Columbus, which led to his capture Wednesday morning.
“Our Columbus community is safer today knowing this violent fugitive is off the streets. Fugitives will not find a place to hide in Southern Ohio, they will be found, arrested and brought to justice for their crimes,” U.S. Marshal Michael Black said in an emailed press release.
Jones will remain in the Franklin County Jail until he can be extradited back to Mansfield to face the charges against him, authorities said.
“Dedicated police work by the Mansfield Police Department and outstanding teamwork across the state of Ohio is what will continue to ensure justice for the community in Mansfield as well as across the state of Ohio,” U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott said.