A Jones County man pleaded guilty to assault with intent to commit a kidnapping.

According to court documents, in July of 2023, Tyreese Khalia Kejuan Smith, 23, assaulted an adult female in the Bogue Homa Community of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.  Smith was indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2023.

Smith is scheduled to be sentenced on April 30, 2024, and faces up to ten years in prison. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The conviction was a result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Safe Trails Task Force which is comprised of officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Choctaw Police Department, Jones County Sheriff’s Department, and various state and local law enforcement agencies.

U.S. Attorney Todd Gee and Acting Special Agent in Charge Rebekah Day of the Federal Bureau of Investigation made the announcement.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin J. Payne and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian K. Burns prosecuted the case.