Parish residents indicted by grand jury
Published 5:00 am Wednesday, June 14, 2017
Two Franklinton residents were among four indictments returned last Thursday by a St. Tammany Parish grand jury, according to information from District Attorney Warren Montgomery’s office.
William Thomas Jones, Jr., 44, of Franklinton, the former evidence custodian for the Causeway Police Department, was indicted on the charges of malfeasance in office, of theft of items valued at more than $5,000, and two counts of theft of a firearm.
According to Montgomery’s office, Jones is accused of stealing controlled dangerous substances under his custody between Oct. 4, 2011, and Nov. 28, 2016, taking cash, valued at between $5,000 and $25,000 from evidence collected by the department, and taking two firearms — a Smith and Wesson 40-caliber handgun and a Taurus 38-caliber handgun — that were in the department’s custody.
Also indicted was Margaret Stockstill, 32, of Franklinton, of second-degree murder in the death of Cody Couch.
St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office officials said that deputies responded to a 911 call on Friday, April 14, in reference to a man who had been shot at a Tantella Ranch Road residence in Folsom. The victim was identified as Couch, 27, who was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
According to the STPSO, two women remained at the scene of the shooting. One of them was Couch’s fiancée and the other was Stockstill, a friend of Couch’s. Stockstill reportedly told deputies that she shot Couch with her handgun, claiming self defense.
At some point in the evening, Couch, his fiancée and Stockstill began arguing, STPSO officials said. The argument allegedly became physical, at which point, Stockstill armed herself with a .22-caliber revolver and shot Couch once in the lower abdomen.
Although Stockstill was initially booked on a charge of manslaughter, her indictment was on the charge of second-degree murder.
The other returned indictments were:
- Jake Mills, 20, of Mandeville, of second-degree murder in the death of Vincent A. Cuccia around March 18.
- Craig Marquez, 54, of Abita Springs, of aggravated first-degree rape of a victim under 13. Marquez is accused of raping a girl, who was 8 years old when the abuse started in 2013.