Teenager faces indictment for Aggravated Assault/kidnapping in Columbus
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – We are learning more about the events that led to the arrest of Jayden Rager.
16-year-old Rager was indicted by a Lowndes County Grand Jury on charges of Aggravated Assault and Kidnapping in relation to a reported attack in which he is accused of pointing a gun and threatening another juvenile.
He was also indicted on a count of Sexual Battery in a separate incident.
He was arrested earlier this week and is being charged as an adult.
Video of the reported attack quickly made the rounds on social media in August of 2025 and helped lead law enforcement to Rager.
The decision to charge Rager as an adult was determined by the nature of the charges. In the case of the Aggravated Assault, the presence of a weapon put it in the jurisdiction of the Circuit Court.
With the Sexual Battery case, the sentencing structure determined whether it could be tried in the Youth Court or the Circuit Court.
Some in the community have asked if Rager could be charged with a hate crime in the Aggravated Assault case.
“So, a Hate Crime in Mississippi, you’ve got to be able to prove that the crime itself was motivated solely by race. And, there is a component of race in this case, and the Grand Jury would have considered whether to enhance it that way, and ultimately – I don’t – I can’t say why they would have made that deliberation, but you have to show it’s completely motivated by race, and not some personal dispute going on between the subject and the victim in this case,” said Assistant District Attorney, Benjamin Lang.
Rager is in the Lowndes County Jail awaiting his initial court appearance.
