Muscogee DA candidate’s campaign video leads to arrests for destroying government property
Update 5/26: Columbus police issued arrest warrants Tuesday for Mark Jones related to his involvement in the case.
Columbus police have arrested two men allegedly recorded spinning their car wheels while cutting doughnuts in the Civic Center parking lot for an online campaign ad for district attorney candidate Mark Jones.
Jones is challenging incumbent Julia Slater in the June 9 Democratic Primary. No Republican is seeking the post.
Police confirmed Saturday that Christopher Mandel Black and Erik Deangelo Whittington are the two suspects. Each is charged with felony interference with government property and first-degree criminal damage to property, plus the misdemeanors of reckless conduct, reckless driving and laying drag, according to records at the Muscogee County Jail, where they were booked Friday night.
Black, 23, and Whittington, 24, had a bond hearing Saturday morning in Columbus Recorder’s Court, where they were ordered held without bond for interfering with government property, $200,000 bond for criminal damage, $500 each for reckless driving and reckless conduct, and $100 for laying drag, records show.
The judge was Jennifer Cooley, formerly an assistant district attorney.
Throughout the day defense attorneys negotiated to get their clients out of jail. Black was represented at the hearing by Stacey Jackson, and Whittington was represented by Ralston Jarrett, of the law firm partnered by Mark Shelnutt and William Kendrick.
The defense attorneys said they acted solely on behalf of their clients, and took no side in the district attorney’s race.
Shelnutt said Whittington’s girlfriend used to work for his law firm. “He’s a good kid,” Shelnutt said. “He’s never been in trouble before.”
The chief Recorder’s Court judge, Julius Hunter, reviewed the bonds later Saturday and reduced them so both suspects could be released. Otherwise they could have remained jailed over Memorial Day weekend, until Hunter returned to work Tuesday.
Each suspect’s felony bonds were cut to $20,000 for criminal damage and $10,000 for interference with government property. Black’s misdemeanor bonds remained the same, bringing the total to $31,100, according to the jail.
Whittington’s bond for reckless conduct was set at the maximum $1,000, for a misdemeanor, bringing his total to $31,600. Both were expected to be freed late Saturday.
The “Get Out And Vote” hip hop video ad published on Monday to the “Mark Jones for District Attorney” Facebook page features Jones with a rapper identified as JawGaBoi. It’s about a minute long and ends with an overhead drone shot of a car burning rubber in circles around Jones in the Civic Center parking lot off Veterans Parkway.
Police confirmed the video is what led to the arrests, and said more are anticipated. Slater was not informed of the investigation, they said. The department, which issues permits for public events such as parades and protests, said no permit exists for what’s depicted in the ad.
The video shoot
Black’s girlfriend Ana Cecilia Grimmett said she was with him when the video was shot May 17. She said Jones had asked for car enthusiasts with custom vehicles to meet at the Civic Center, and four to six cars came, along with 30-40 people.
She said Jones had seen Black’s 2004 Nissan 350Z, silver with black and red accents, and paid Black $100 to be photographed with the car as Black held a campaign sign.
She said that when they got to the Civic Center that Sunday, Jones walked over to Black and said, “Are you going to burn some rubber today?”
“Isn’t that illegal?” she said Black asked, to which Jones replied, “Nah, man, you’re going to be OK,” and laughed.
Others also inquired about the gathering’s legality, she said, and one of Jones’ associates told them, “Mark’s got everything covered. Nothing’s going to happen to you guys.”
After shooting the initial footage, one of Jones’ producers said, “Let’s get some action shots,” and asked drivers to burn rubber. Black cut doughnuts in his Nissan, but was not the driver featured in the campaign ad, Grimmett said.
She believes the evidence against Black came from Civic Center surveillance video that recorded his tag. Black has an Instagram account featuring photos of the car, to which police could have compared the security video, she said.
She was with her boyfriend Friday night at his Midland home in Harris County when Harris County deputies arrested him, drove him to the county line, and turned him over to Columbus police. After questioning, he was booked into jail after midnight.
Whittington was the first to be arrested, and mutual friends had told Black about that, she said.
Black is to have a full preliminary hearing in Recorder’s Court at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Jackson said, adding his client has no criminal history.
Said Grimmett: “He’s not even had a speeding ticket.”
Once a talented Hardaway High School baseball player, he began customizing cars after an injury forced him out of the game, she said. “That’s the only reason he got into this car stuff: He can’t play baseball.”
Grimmett, 21, said Jones is the one who should be facing charges.
“They should not be held accountable for this,” she said of Black and Whittington. “This is all Mark Jones’ fault. … We trusted Mark because he’s running for DA.”
No permission
Mayor Skip Henderson said Jones never sought permission.
“Nobody had been notified with the city,” Henderson said Saturday. “What they did was destroy government property.”
The video alone would not be sufficient evidence for a criminal case. A witness would have to authenticate it in court, meaning someone who was present when the recording was shot or otherwise had personal knowledge of its production.
Jones issued a statement Saturday afternoon claiming law enforcement made the arrests as a way to interfere with his campaign.
“The police and DA are coming after me because this campaign is shining a light on things they want hidden from the public. I will defend in court or pay the legal fees for anyone being maliciously prosecuted by the Government. ... It’s a shame that DA Julia Slater doesn’t believe she can win this election fair and square,” the statement read in part.
Slater issued a statement in response affirming that she had not been consulted about the incident, possible charges or the bond hearing. She said her office will have no involvement in the case since it would be an ethical violation.
“The only decision I have made on this case is that my office has a conflict and will not be prosecuting the case. I was not consulted about the arrests or the bonds in this matter,” Slater said in the statement.
She later added: “I am surprised a candidate for district attorney would ask his supporters to engage in conduct that has now led to their arrests.”
This story was originally published May 23, 2020 at 5:07 PM.