By Tom Henderson • Staff Writer • 

Homeless man's body found near river

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Comments

myopinion

I recognize his name from the inmate roster. Too bad he didn't receive (or accept) help during his battle.

Sponge

His lengthy criminal history has come to its ignominious end. I feel sorry for his family, and for his victims.

bonnybedlam

I grew up with Pride Jones. We were in school together from the first grade on. He had a learning disability, no parental attention, no clean clothes, and not enough to eat, but he was a warm, open-hearted child and eager to make friends. We weren't close until our late teens, after we'd both dropped out of high school--me because of physical disability and chronic illness, and Pride because of everything above. He got cleaner as we grew, but he was always hungry, lonely, intellectually and emotionally a step behind. But we were friends for a while, when I was dating a mutual friend. It was Pride who stopped him from hitting me on more than one occasion. He was the only one who ever stood up for me, based on loyalty conceived from my never having been cruel to him when we were little and everyone was cruel to us both.

I'm not saying he wasn't a criminal, or that his crimes are in any way justified. But it matters that he wasn't born mean. I don't think he ever was mean. Poor, ignorant, and little slow, but not mean. There was a lot of meanness in his family but I never saw it in Pride. He was always the kind one, trying to get everyone else to get along. Somehow I never quite gave up hope that he might find his way back to being that kid. Somehow I thought he might still get some of those chances he never had before.

It breaks my heart to see him end this way. Every part of this article and its comments are the saddest summation of any life that I've ever seen. Just so it's on the public record, Pride Jones was a person. He had a heart once, and he had a friend.
Bonnie Morse

Cassie Sollars

Thank you for sharing, Bonnie.

Bigfootlives

This is a sad end for this man. As a person who watched siblings battle drug and alcohol abuse most of their lives and a brother who lost that battle to suicide, I know that there are no easy answers. I do know that enabling people to live like this is not the answer. There has to be tough love in these situations. Letting people live on the streets lost in drug abuse and mental illness is not compassionate. Maybe the county could shelve its plan for the trail up 47 and set better priorities to address issues in the county.

Mike

Bonnie I hope NR would run your comment as Pride Jones' obituary. Thank you for giving him human dignity.

Sponge

Bonnie, your words are moving and poetic. Thank you for humanizing a man I knew only through the press. You were a good friend.

rtistic1

I'm sorry I have to be the negative commentator here. He wreaked havoc on my street..said he owned my street. I saw him beat his beautiful dog multiple times, and still that dog was loyal. He abused women..drugged them. He was a sex offender. He robbed people. I'm sorry he had a bad life but it's no excuse for the way he treated others.

rtistic1

Am I surprised by this? No. Pride had alot of enemies. Was it really suicide? I guess we'll never know. My guess is somebody does.

Lulu

I would be interested to know what you might say, Bonnie, if you were addressing a giant room filled with all the people whose lives he ruined.

Tuvey

So where is the dog?

myopinion

Don't attack Bonnie for speaking her heart. He may not have been the most upstanding citizen, but she is right, he was a person. She may not be aware of all of his transgressions.

Lulu

No one is attacking Bonnie for speaking from her heart. I simply want to know what she would say to the people whom this guy destroyed. And the dog.

rtistic1

My understanding is the dog was taken in by somebody. I always wondered where the dog went all the times he was in jail. Then he'd be out and the dog was always right back with him. White pit bull...sweet. Never on a leash tho.

bonnybedlam

These comments have been interesting. I was very careful when I chose my original words, but it seems they were still slightly misunderstood. Let me be clear.

Lulu, I would not have anything to say to Pride's victims. I know what he was and there's no defense for it. But there is a reason. I think the reasons behind things matter. And if any of those victims have anything they'd like to say to me personally, they're welcome to look me up online and PM, DM, or IM until they feel sufficiently heard. (Again, online. Don't come to my house.)

All I wanted to do was say a kind word about someone who apparently isn't going to have a funeral or memorial service, or even a grave to have a kind word spoken over. It makes me no less sympathetic to those he hurt. I only feel that they've been heard in court and have the rest of their lives to speak. Whereas this article is probably it for Pride. He filled a lot of column inches in 44 years, but unless there's something really unexpected in the incomplete police report, I don't see him getting any more.

FYI: I contacted Dr Koenig's office on Monday and was told they had no information, it would have been handled by the state ME and I needed to call them. So I called the state medical examiner's office and was told that he wasn't in their system. The person I spoke to seemed surprised that their office wasn't handling an unattended homeless suicide. So I called the Mac PD to find out who authorized sending him where, but since I'm not family they told me to butt out. I don't think it's a cover-up, though. I think no one wanted to spend the money.

Java

Bonnie Morse, thank you for humanizing this man. Heartfelt well wishes to you!

Lulu

Sure, I guess it's sad he can no longer take up more column inches. He did give it the old college try.

bonnybedlam

Lulu, what are you trying to accomplish right now? Is it worth piling on a dead man whom you don't even know and hurting his few friends just to get the last word?

Lulu

Ask his many victims.

tagup

Lulu-

Bonnie owes no explanation to the victims of Pride Jones or to you...She is entitled to her opinion and I appreciate her attempt to show a different side of a guy that clearly had trouble living his life....Let it go...



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