MERIDIAN, Miss. (Queen City Newsfeed) – Authorities have formally charged a suspect in connection with an April 15 incident at the Hampton Inn in Meridian, where a weapon was reportedly pointed at a hotel employee during an altercation.
Elisha Deaton, born Sept. 19, 1994, has been charged with aggravated assault. Bond has been set at $50,000.
The incident, which occurred around noon Tuesday, prompted a large police response after a 911 call reported the disturbance. When officers arrived, two suspects attempted to flee from the back of the hotel but were taken into custody without incident.
An investigation led officers to uncover additional evidence in the suspects’ hotel room, prompting an evacuation of the building in coordination with hotel management. A U-Haul truck parked at the hotel was also searched as part of the investigation.
Acting Captain Dareall Thompson of the Meridian Police Department confirmed that warrants for two suspects were expected to be issued on Wednesday. He noted that the incident drew interest from outside agencies due to its unique nature.
Multiple agencies assisted in the operation, including the Mississippi Highway Patrol, Homeland Security, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, the Jackson Police Bomb Squad, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI, and the Meridian Fire Department.
Following the search and resolution of the situation, normal operations resumed at the hotel. The investigation remains ongoing, and additional details are expected to be released.
