By Josh Troy
Clarksdale Advocate
A reduction in bond for a Clarksdale woman charged with two counts of attempted murder was granted in Coahoma County Circuit Court on Monday morning after discussion about her case circulated on social media throughout the weekend.
Shareka Jurden, 33, was picked up by the Clarksdale Police Department on Aug. 9, 2020, and has been in the Coahoma County Jail ever since. It was alleged that she had a mental breakdown and, in the process, injured her children by throwing them out the window.
Jurden’s bond was initially set at $150,000, but Circuit Judge Hunter Nowell reduced the bond to $15,000 since her trial was delayed to July 10. She was expected to be released from jail Monday afternoon.
Nowell stated that Jurden is not to have any contact with her children, must maintain appointments with her mental health provider, and cannot use drugs, alcohol, or deadly weapons.
Jurden will be staying with her cousin, Shequita, until the trial. Her children are with her older brother, Jeremy.
Both Shequita and Jeremy Jurden testified in Circuit Court on Monday.
Attorney Wilbert Johnson represented Shareka Jurden, and attorney Terry Wallace represented the Assistant District Attorney’s Office.
Shequita Jurden made a post about the case on her Facebook page Thursday that has currently been shared approximately 1,600 times.
The post reads: “My cousin Shareka Jurden is sitting in the county jail 6 months pregnant!! Somebody tell me something! My cousin has been locked up almost 3 years! A low life has taken full advantage of her! Don’t anyone dare tell me to take this down. Coahoma County Sheriff Department was fully aware and tried keeping this on the hush hush… no, not my cousin… not my family… everyone involved is going down, you better believe that!! So share this post! Spread this post! Because I’m not going to stop until business is handled!”
The issue of Shareka Jurden’s pregnancy was not raised in court on Monday, but county officials did provide responses.
Sheriff Charles Jones responded to the accusations on Friday in an interview with the Clarksdale Advocate but did not specifically address Shareka Jurden’s case.
“Yesterday, there were some reports that were put on Facebook that were completely false,” said Jones on Friday. “We just want to make sure that the citizens, the law-abiding citizens, the family, friends, and supporters stay positive. Don’t allow this negativity to manifest and get to a point where it has everyone entertaining that kind of behavior with.”
Jones also claimed lies were coming from people trying to discredit him.
Public Information Officer Will Rooker, also a chief deputy, provided a formal response in a video on the Coahoma County Sheriff’s Office page on Saturday. The video has been shared 158 times.
“Now, typically, we don’t respond to social media,” he said. “But due to the seriousness of the accusations that have been made, we felt as if this needed to be addressed. A social media post was made involving a female inmate who’s been in our custody for the past three years and was allegedly five months pregnant. Now I can tell you that she is not pregnant as alleged. She’s had two pregnancy tests from two different facilities with negative results.
On Dec. 9, 2022, the Coahoma County Sheriff’s Office entered into a contract with Urgent Primary Care to be the onsite medical service provider for inmates at the adult detention facility. Any inmate that complains of an illness is allowed the opportunity to be seen within the facility. If a major illness is discovered, the recommendation from Urgent Primary Care is followed to ensure health needs are met.
The Coahoma County Sheriff’s Office has always maintained its integrity and does not tolerate employee misconduct. When this complaint was received, an immediate investigation was launched. At this point, it has been determined that the pregnancy allegations made are false. Every employee of the Coahoma County Sheriff’s Office is held accountable for their actions. This investigation is ongoing, so limited details can be discussed at this time. However, we felt it was important to share this information with the citizens of Coahoma County.”
