Alleged gang member facing multiple burglary counts in Columbus makes plea deal
An alleged gang member charged with multiple burglaries after Columbus police caught him in a stolen vehicle after a car chase has pleaded guilty for a negotiated sentence.
Kaleel Jones was 17 years old in 2017 when officers saw him driving a stolen 2016 Ford Escape that had been used in several residential burglaries, including one where the burglars allegedly pointed guns at a witness.
Two detectives with the police property crimes unit were looking for the stolen Escape near Floyd Road and Booth Street on Aug. 23, 2017, when they saw the vehicle and tried to stop it.
Jones was at the wheel with a 19-year-old cousin in the passenger’s seat, police said. They fled, initiating a brief chase that ended when the sport-utility vehicle wrecked on Lake Rushin Drive, where the two cousins tried to run away.
Investigators said they found stolen goods in the Ford Escape, including items taken in burglaries in the 2700 block of 47th Street, 4800 block of St. Francis Avenue, 2200 block of 51th Street, 5300 block of Roundabout Drive and the 4400 block of Walking Stick Way.
Jones was among at least nine suspects police said were involved in a burglary ring related to the Zohannon street gang, a subset of the Gangster Disciples. Authorities in 2017 said the Disciples were Columbus’ largest gang organization.
He later was indicted on multiple charges, including 12 counts of first-degree burglary, seven counts of criminal gang activity, theft by receiving stolen property for the Ford Escape, and traffic offenses related to the car chase, including speeding, eluding police, running a stop sign, and improperly changing lanes.
In a plea hearing held via video conference Tuesday, Jones pleaded guilty to six counts of first-degree burglary and one each of fleeing police and theft by receiving stolen property. Judge Arthur Smith III sentenced him to 15 years with 60 months to serve and the rest on probation.
Jones is 20 years old now, and about to become the father of a baby girl due Jan. 30, said his defense attorney, Susan Henderson. She said his sentence includes credit for the 37 months he spent in jail awaiting trial, before he was released on bond.
Henderson said Jones was just one of multiple defendants facing a range of charges related to the alleged burglary ring. Their indictment listed 80 separate counts.
Other cases are yet to be resolved, Henderson said.
“There were tons of them, and that’s why it took so long,” she said of closing Jones’ case.