Prosecutors are pressing for a higher bond for Jeremiah Jonnell Sanders, the Tennessee man currently awaiting trial for a 2025 homicide, following his arrest last month on vehicle burglary and drug charges.
Court records show that a Montgomery County grand jury indicted the 20-year-old in February on charges of first-degree murder and employing a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony. The charges stem from an Oct. 1, 2025, shooting near 501 Franklin St. that resulted in the death of 22-year-old Jayden Ruggles.
Clarksville Police Department officers responded to the shooting scene at approximately 10 p.m. Ruggles was transported to a hospital with gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead upon arrival.
Detectives with the Clarksville Police Special Operations Homicide Unit arrested Sanders the following day. At the time of the arrest, CPD spokesperson Scott Beaubien stated that the homicide was “the result of relationship-related conflicts.”
While released on bond following his murder indictment, Sanders was taken into custody again on Oct. 12 on unrelated charges, according to court documents. He now faces accusations of simple possession, possession of unlawful drug paraphernalia, and two counts of vehicle burglary.
According to an arrest warrant, a vehicle parked at an Ashley Furniture store was broken into on Oct. 8, and more than $600 in cash was stolen. Investigators allege that on the night of Oct. 9, Sanders entered another vehicle in the same parking lot and removed a bag containing various items, some of which were recovered the next morning on a nearby business property.
Surveillance footage from the parking lot reportedly captured Sanders wearing a black hoodie with an arched letter pattern on the front and red pants. A separate warrant alleges that on the night of Oct. 12, Sanders was captured on video entering another parked car at the same location and pulling on the door handles of three additional vehicles.
Authorities stated that a witness contacted law enforcement after observing someone pulling on multiple vehicle door handles. Officers subsequently arrested Sanders while he was wearing an ankle monitor and matching the clothing seen on surveillance footage.
During a search incident to the arrest, officers reportedly recovered a gold THC vape, a plastic bag containing approximately 6.9 grams of a substance that field-tested positive for THC, rolling papers, and a green-and-white bottle containing green leafy residue.
Assistant District Attorney Chris West, who is prosecuting the murder case, confirmed that the state has filed a formal motion to increase Sanders’ bail. That motion is scheduled to be heard on Nov. 12 at the Montgomery County Courts Center.
Meanwhile, defense attorney Mark Scruggs, who represents Sanders in the murder proceedings, has not yet commented publicly. Sanders also has a General Sessions trial hearing scheduled for Nov. 18 at the Montgomery County Courts Center to address the newer charges.
