Barrow County Man sentenced for Kidnapping Ex-Girlfriend 

Ralph Haywood Jones, Jr., has been sentenced after shooting two women on June 10, 2019, including his ex-girlfriend – the mother of his children – whom he shot, kidnapped, and drove to South Carolina where he abandoned her in a parking lot without seeking medical attention. Jones left the other woman, a friend of his ex-girlfriend, lying in a driveway in Winder, Georgia, and bleeding from a gunshot wound to the abdomen.  “Jones’s horrific violence resulted in significant trauma to his victims, their families, and his children,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan.  “Fortunately, the quick response of our local law enforcement partners prevented the victims’ deaths.  The intersection of domestic and firearms violence poses a serious risk to public safety and remains a top priority for our office and federal, state, and local law enforcement.”  According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: On June 10, 2019, Ralph Jones and his ex-girlfriend were scheduled to visit their children during a supervised visitation. His ex-girlfriend asked a friend to accompany them on the trip because she did not want to be left alone with Jones during the car ride.  As the trio prepared for the drive, Jones shot the friend of his ex-girlfriend in the abdomen and left her lying in a driveway in Winder, Georgia.  He also shot his ex-girlfriend in the back of the neck. Jones drove his ex-girlfriend to Fair Play, South Carolina, where he abandoned her, along with his car, in a store parking lot.  Officers found her bleeding and incoherent from the gunshot wound.  Jones was arrested hiding in bushes near the store.  Ralph Haywood Jones, Jr., 30, of Winder, Georgia, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release.  Jones pled guilty to kidnapping on April 18, 2022.  This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Winder Police Department, and the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office in South Carolina.  This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). In keeping with the Attorney General’s mission to reduce violent crime, the Northern District of Georgia’s PSN program focuses on prosecuting those individuals who most significantly drive violence in our communities, and supports and fosters partnerships between law enforcement and schools, the faith community, and local community leaders to prevent and deter future criminal conduct.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Keen prosecuted the case.