Three co-defendants in DA Mark Jones’ Civic Center doughnut case plead guilty
Three co-defendants accused alongside District Attorney Mark Jones of damaging the Columbus Civic Center parking lot while filming a rap campaign ad in May 2020 pleaded guilty in court Friday morning.
Christopher Black, Chris Garner and Jonathan Justo-Botello were charged with criminal trespass and laying drag for cutting doughnuts in the Civic Center parking lot, both misdemeanors.
The men were sentenced to 12 months probation, ordered to pay $504.20 in restitution and a $500 fine, and serve 20 hours of community service. The trio also was banned from the Columbus Civic Center and could be required to testify in any trial that follows.
Justo, a 23-year-old Florida resident, will be allowed to complete his probation check-ins via phone. However, Bibb County Superior Court Judge Jeffery Monroe, specially-appointed for this case, rejected other requests from the defendants, including Garner’s wish to continue participating in a recreational softball league at South Commons.
A fourth co-defendant, Erik Whittington, did not appear in court.
The video was filmed as Jones campaigned against then-incumbent District Attorney Julia Slater for the June 9, 2020, Democratic Primary, which Jones won with 52% of the vote. Facing no Republican opposition, Jones became the chief prosecutor for the six-county Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit that includes Chattahoochee, Harris, Marion, Muscogee, Talbot and Taylor counties.
City officials called to court
Jones, 40, faces felony charges in the case and has his own hearing Friday. He is represented by attorney Christopher Breault.
Among the subpoenas served on Wednesday, Breault requested Columbus Mayor Henderson, Columbus police chief Freddie Blackmon, City Manager Isaiah Hugley, Director of Engineering Donna Newman, Deputy City Manager Pam Hodge, and former Columbus police chief Ricky Boren to appear in court and produce records.
Breault requested the city officials provide emails, text messages and other documents related to the Civic Center incident, the Democratic primary between Jones and Slater and anything regarding “Mark Jones in general.” Monroe ruled the document requests regarding the primary and Jones in general were too broad.
Breault has previously argued that Jones was prosecuted “because the ‘Good-ole boy network’ in Columbus, GA could not stomach the fact that Mark Jones — of all people — would become the district attorney of the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit — an ‘unthinkable’ and ‘unacceptable’ outcome.”
Jones was arrested on May 27, 2020, five days after Columbus police, acting on complaints from the mayor and others, charged two drivers allegedly involved in filming the campaign ad. Investigators later charged two more suspects. The men caused an estimated $300,000 damage to the Civic Center parking lot
This story was originally published September 3, 2021 at 11:53 AM.