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Georgia WWII hero's grave inspires songwriter ballad decades after soldier killed in combat
FIRST ON FOX: A World War II hero from backwoods Georgia inspires Americans today even from the grave.
The story of U.S. Army PFC Ervin O. Jones is worthy of a song.
Craig Gleason, a Georgia songwriter, penned “The Ballad of Ervin O. Jones” in 2014, after he and his daughter came across the soldier’s headstone in a churchyard cemetery in the city of Alpharetta.
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“It’s a powerful story, man. It’s powerful,” Gleason said Sunday in a telephone interview with Fox News Digital.
Gleason, in turn, teaches the art of songwriting to struggling veterans who attend Warrior Week each month at Camp Southern Ground in Fayetteville, Georgia.
U.S. Army PFC Ervin O. Jones of Alpharetta, Georgia, was just 20 years old when he was killed in the Battle of Okinawa in 1945. Seven decades later, his Georgia gravestone inspired musician Craig Gleason to write “The Ballad of Ervin O. Jones.” (Jones Family/Craig Gleason)
Grammy Award-winning musician Zac Brown founded the camp in 2011. Gleason is a former coordinator for the Nashville Songwriters Association.
Gleason looked at a church cemetery near his home in Alpharetta as an opportunity to learn about, and teach his daughter, then aged 12, about local history.
“When you homeschool your children, you use real-life experiences, every place you go and everyone you meet, as a learning experience,” said Gleason.
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It’s the same skill used by songwriters to take everyday experiences and interpret them for others through the human gift of music.
“I told Audrey, you can learn a lot from these tombstones.”
The Gleasons found out about a hometown hero buried in their midst. Along the way, they earned a lesson about the grief that grips a family decades after wartime loss.
U.S. Army PFC Ervin O. Jones of Alpharetta, Georgia, was just 20 years old when he was killed during the Battle of Okinawa in 1945. His gravestone inspired musician Craig Gleason to write “The Ballad of Ervin O. Jones.” (Jones Family/Craig Gleason)
PFC Jones was just 20 years old when he was killed on the island of Ieshima during the Battle of Okinawa on April 17, 1945, as Americans forces closed in on the home islands of Imperial Japan.
Gleason was haunted by the grave and was moved to write about the soldier. But he wanted to know the real story about the young man resting under the headstone near his home.
He soon learned that PFC Jones’ younger brother, Curtis, was still alive and living nearby, in Canton, Georgia.
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“Curtis was living in a little trailer out in the woods and I knocked on his door and introduced myself,” said Gleason. “I said, ‘I’m writing a song about your brother Ervin’ and asked if we could talk.”
He added, “Curtis was like old-school backwoods Georgia. Real salt of the Earth. He invited me in and for the next three or four hours in his living room he pulled out artifacts, pictures and an old guitar that Ervin owned.”
Turns out that Gleason and the forever-young dirt-poor Georgia farmboy shared the gift of music.
Curtis Jones, now deceased, lived his adult life with the pain of his older brother’s death during World War II. PFC Ervin O. Jones was killed on the Japanese island of Ieshima on April 17, 1945. (Jones Family/Craig Gleason)
“We laughed and cried, and by the end I felt like I had become part of that family within just a few hours.”
Among other things, Gleason learned that the former stranger, PFC Jones, died a hero.
“His courage and aggressiveness in this action was truly an inspiration to the officers and men in his company,” his commanding officer, Capt. William B. Cooper, wrote in July 1945, in a letter addressed to the soldier’s mother, Jennie.
(Here’s the song below, embedded with permission from Craig Gleason, creator and copyright owner.)
One of Gleason’s most painful discoveries was that Jones’ parents never fully coped with the overwhelming grief they suffered upon learning of their son’s death.
“Granny Jennie and Papa Harmon never mentioned Ervin, and we visited them every Sunday until they passed,” PFC’s nephew and his wife, John and Judy Jones, said via text message on Sunday.
“American patriots and war heroes, much like songs, grow from the most humble circumstances.”
“The pain of the loss of their firstborn son Ervin never went away and they grieved until they died.”
Gleason learned one other lesson — a powerful lesson he said he tries to pass on to aspiring musicians, veterans, everyday Americans and the people for whom he performs “The Ballad of Ervin O. Jones.”
He learned that American patriots and war heroes, much like songs, grow from the most humble circumstances.
Army PFC Ervin O. Jones was killed on April 17, 1945, during the Battle of Okinawa. His Georgia grave inspired musician Craig Gleason to write “The Ballad of Ervin O. Jones” seven decades later. (Jones Family/Craig Gleason and Will Lester/MediaNews Group/Inland Valley Daily Bulletin via Getty Images)
He writes, and sings, in the last lines of the ballad: “From the lowlands to the highlands / Across every stick and stone / Came heroes who gave and lost their lives / Heroes like Ervin O. Jones.”
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A former Louisiana mayor is on trial after prosecutors allege her teenage son caught her having sex with one of his 16-year-old friends at a booze-filled pool party.
Misty Roberts, 43, the former mayor of DeRidder, is facing charges of carnal knowledge of a juvenile and indecent behavior with a juvenile, according to KPLC. She has pleaded not guilty.
Roberts’ second trial is underway after the first case resulted in a mistrial due to judicial issues in nearby Beauregard Parish, the outlet reported.
The charges stem from a 2024 late-night gathering at Roberts’ home.
Misty Roberts, 43, the former mayor of DeRidder, is facing charges of carnal knowledge of a juvenile and indecent behavior with a juvenile, according to KPLC. (Louisiana Highway Patrol)
Last week, Roberts’ children and her ex-husband took the stand in her trial, along with a DoorDash driver, family friend and multiple teenagers who were present at the party, according to KPLC.
Jurors were shown a video interview of Roberts’ son, taken last year, in which the teenager reportedly told authorities he witnessed his mother having sex with his friend through a crack in a window during the party.
However, upon taking the stand last week, the teenager reportedly told jurors he was not certain of what he actually saw that evening.
Roberts’ defense attorneys have disputed the recording, telling jurors that part of the interview could have been improperly transcribed.
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Prosecutors allege Misty Roberts had sex with her son’s 16-year-old friend at a booze-filled house party in 2024. (Misty Roberts/Facebook)
Text messages between the mother and son were also shown to the jury, with the pair discussing what type of alcohol the teenagers wanted for the party.
In another exchange, Roberts’ son warned her of the victim’s age, texting her, “He is seventeen,” according to the outlet. The victim was 16 years old at the time of the alleged incident.
Additional text messages from the night of the party show Roberts’ son calling the situation “crazy” and telling her that his younger sister was emotional.
Upon taking the stand, Roberts’ daughter told the court that she witnessed her mother and the victim “on top of each other” the night of the party,” KPLC reported.
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Following the alleged encounter, prosecutors reportedly said the victim’s mother texted Roberts to confirm she was not pregnant.
Roberts replied that she was on birth control, and later screenshotted the messages and sent them in a separate group chat while suggesting she would take an emergency contraceptive known as “Plan B.”
Jurors also heard from a DoorDash driver who testified that he fulfilled an order from “Misty C” to purchase the emergency contraceptive and leave it at the front door of the home, the outlet reported.
The driver added that he later heard rumors about the alleged incident and believed his delivery was connected.
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Roberts’ nephew also testified that he attempted to see what was happening in the room during the party by using his phone’s camera, but was unsure if he recorded any footage and did not send anything to anyone following the alleged encounter, according to the outlet.
The nephew also admitted to deleting his Snapchat memories before investigators took custody of his phone because he did not want to get in trouble over photos of underage drinking, adding he did not intend to delete evidence.
Another member of the victim’s friend group also told jurors that he witnessed Roberts flirting with the victim on the night of the party, while revealing the boy appeared to be drunk and vomited later that night, KPLC reported.
On Saturday, Roberts’ ex-husband, Duncan Clanton, reportedly testified that Roberts confessed to having sex with the teenage boy and that the couple’s children had caught them in the act.
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Misty Roberts is currently on trial in Beauregard Parish for allegedly having sex with her son’s 16-year-old friend at a house party in 2024. (Google Maps)
Jurors were also shown text messages between the married couple, in which Clanton told Roberts, “I would deny what happened if you’re approached by anyone at the meeting,” on the day of a city council meeting.
In another exchange, Clanton reportedly testified Roberts texted him, “I need you to deny it, please.”
Clanton added that while he refused to deny the allegations, he avoided talking about the incident.
“I can’t keep hurting others, friends and family. Lord knows I’ve done enough,” Roberts reportedly texted Clanton, according to KPLC.
On cross-examination, when Roberts’ defense attorney asked Clanton if he felt as though Roberts was a good mom, the father reportedly answered, “No.”
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Roberts resigned from her position as mayor just days before her arrest in 2024. She was initially prohibited from making contact with her children without permission from Clanton and the court revoked child support.
Roberts’ defense attorney did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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Florida man who wrestled cop’s gun away and killed him, executed after final appeals rejected
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A Florida man who prosecutors say wrestled a police officer’s service weapon away during a 1991 traffic stop and fatally shot him was executed Tuesday evening after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected his final appeals.
Billy Leon Kearse, 53, is set to receive a three-drug lethal injection beginning at 6 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke.
Kearse was sentenced to death in 1991 after being convicted of first-degree murder and robbery with a firearm. The Florida Supreme Court later ruled that jurors were not properly instructed on aggravating circumstances and ordered a new sentencing hearing. He was resentenced to death in 1997.
Kearse’s execution would mark the state’s third in 2026, following a record 19 executions in 2025.
Clouds hover over the entrance of the Florida State Prison in Starke, Fla., Aug. 3, 2023. (AP)
Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed more death warrants last year than any Florida governor since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. Before that, the highest number in a single year was eight in 1984 and 2014 under governors Bob Graham and Rick Scott, respectively.
Court records show Fort Pierce Police Officer Danny Parrish stopped Kearse in January 1991 for driving the wrong way on a one-way street. After Kearse failed to produce a valid driver’s license and resisted being handcuffed, a struggle broke out.
During the confrontation, Kearse grabbed Parrish’s firearm and fired 14 shots, striking the officer nine times and hitting his body armor four times, prosecutors said. A nearby taxi driver heard the gunfire and used Parrish’s radio to call for help.
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This photo shows a gurney used in giving lethal injections to convicted death row inmates. (Sue Ogrocki, File)
Parrish was taken to a hospital, where he died from his wounds.
Investigators used license plate information Parrish had radioed in before the struggle to identify Kearse’s vehicle and home address. He was arrested shortly afterward.
Last week, the Florida Supreme Court denied Kearse’s appeals, in which his attorneys argued he was deprived of a fair penalty phase and that his intellectual disability made him ineligible for execution. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected his final appeal Tuesday without comment.
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. (Octavio Jones/Getty Images)
A total of 47 people were executed in the U.S. last year. Florida carried out the most, outpacing Texas, South Carolina and Alabama, which each conducted five executions.
Two more executions are scheduled in Florida this month. Michael Lee King, 54, is set to be executed March 17. James Aren Duckett, 68, is scheduled for March 31.
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Duckett, a former police officer, was convicted in 1987 of raping and murdering 11-year-old Teresa McAbee. At the time, he was working for the Mascotte Police Department when McAbee was last seen getting into his patrol car outside a convenience store. Her body was later found less than a mile away in a lake. Authorities said she had been sexually battered, strangled and drowned.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Violent repeat offender accused in Charlotte knife attack was free despite decade-long rap sheet
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A North Carolina man accused of stabbing another individual in broad daylight has faced more than 18 criminal charges over the past decade, including assault-related cases and a domestic-violence conviction, before the latest violent incident, court records show.
Micah Emmanuel Ragin, 31, was charged with assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury after a Feb. 28 altercation in east Charlotte.
According to police, officers responded to a 911 call reporting an assault involving a knife. When they arrived, they found a man with a stab wound to a knee. Investigators say the suspect discarded a bag and the knife into a nearby creek and then boarded a city bus as it left the area.
Authorities later located the bus and identified Ragin as the suspect after reviewing transit security footage. Officers recovered a kitchen knife from the creek in the area shown on video. During an interview, police said Ragin admitted to being involved in a physical altercation but did not acknowledge the stabbing.
Micah Emmanuel Ragin, 31, was arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury in Charlotte, N.C. (Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office)
A review of North Carolina court records shows Ragin’s interactions with law enforcement date back to at least 2015 and span multiple counties.
In 2016, he pleaded guilty to violating a domestic violence protective order, receiving a 24-day jail sentence and a court-ordered no-contact condition.
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In prior years, he was charged in separate cases with assault on a female, assault on a campus police officer, communicating threats and resisting a public officer. Several of those cases were ultimately dismissed, including multiple charges in 2019 that court records state were “unable to prosecute due to COVID-19 court closures.”
Records also show misdemeanor drug and trespass convictions.
Altogether, court records indicate Ragin has faced more than 18 charges in several counties over multiple years before the current felony accusation.
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The alleged stabbing comes months after the fatal killing of a young woman aboard a Charlotte light rail train, a case that drew national attention and intensified debate over repeat offenders and pandemic-era criminal justice policies.
Iryna Zarutska cowers as her attacker towers over her. (NewsNation via Charlotte Area Transit System)
That earlier case involved a defendant who was under state supervision at the time of the attack and prompted scrutiny of a 2021 COVID-era prison settlement negotiated during former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s administration. The agreement authorized the early release or transition of approximately 3,500 incarcerated individuals. Republican officials claimed the agreement released dangerous offenders, while state officials have said the settlement primarily targeted medically vulnerable and nonviolent inmates.
State corrections officials have also said the light rail defendant was not released early as a result of that settlement and had completed his mandatory minimum sentence, though his name appeared on a settlement-related list due to retroactive eligibility criteria.
Republican officials have argued the cases reflect broader concerns about repeat offenders cycling through the system, while Democrats have defended pandemic-era decisions as necessary public health measures.
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Republican Michael Whatley, left, and Democrat Roy Cooper (Getty Images)
“Micah Ragin was arrested and let back onto the streets 18 times too many — including under then-Governor Roy Cooper’s COVID mass inmate release,” Rep. Mark Harris, R-N.C., said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“Have Charlotte’s pro-crime Democrats learned nothing from Iryna’s tragic murder? How many victims will it take to finally keep criminals behind bars? The Queen City has been stained by crimes that are preventable — they are lucky this wasn’t the next Iryna Zarutska.”
Nick Puglia, regional press secretary for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, echoed similar criticism.
“Yet again, Roy Cooper’s soft-on-crime policies allowed a violent career criminal to roam free, resulting in a vicious attack. Cooper coddles criminals and North Carolinians pay the price,” Puglia said.
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Michael Whatley criticized what he described as “soft-on-crime” policies.
“Criminals belong behind bars. As a senator, I will always back the blue and fight to keep our communities safe,” Whatley said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
Cooper, who previously served two terms as North Carolina’s governor and is now running for the U.S. Senate, has defended his record on public safety and pushed back on Republican criticism.
“Violence of any kind is unacceptable, and we must keep North Carolinians safe,” a spokesperson for Cooper’s campaign said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “These Republican attacks are false – Roy Cooper is the only candidate who spent his career prosecuting violent criminals and keeping thousands of them behind bars as attorney general, and signing tough-on-crime laws and stricter pretrial release bail policy as governor.”
Cooper’s campaign has previously defended pandemic-era decisions as necessary public health measures and has denied that COVID-related policies led to the early release of dangerous offenders.
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Ragin’s felony case is pending, and officials have not announced a trial date.
Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send story tips to stepheny.price@fox.com.
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