Muscogee DA Mark Jones indicted by grand jury on 9 charges of misconduct while in office
Mark Jones, the district attorney for Muscogee County and five others in the Columbus area, was indicted by a grand jury on nine counts of misconduct while in office.
The indictment accuses Jones, who took office in January 2021, of the following criminal acts in his first nine months in office:
- Two counts of influencing a witness, a felony that carries 1-5 years
- Two counts of bribery, a felony that carries 1-20 years
- Two counts of violation of oath by public officer, a felony that carries 1-5 years.
- Two counts of attempted violation of oath by public officer, a felony that carries 1-2.5 years
- One count attempted subornation of perjury, a felony that carries 1-5 years
Attempts to contact Jones Tuesday afternoon were unsuccessful. A representative for the District Attorney’s office told the Ledger-Enquirer that Jones was “unavailable” and that the office had no comment regarding Jones’ indictment.
The indictment alleges that Jones attempted to persuade Corporal Sherman Hayes’ testimony in State of Georgia v. Elijah Farral, a case stemming from a February 2021 shooting where police said 20-year-old Farral and two friends were dancing around with a handgun before Farral decided he would use it to “scare” Sara Holtrop, who had fallen asleep face-down on a couch.
Jones allegedly told Hayes that he should testify that Farral thought Holtrop was cheating in their relationship, providing motive evidence that could lead to Farral being charged with murder. Hayes told the court that police believed Farral accidentally pulled the trigger as he approached Holtrop, sending a bullet into her back.
The indictment also alleges that Jones offered to give Chief Assistant District Attorney Sheneka Jones and Assistant District Attorney Kimberly Schwartz $1,000 each to obtain murder convictions in cases. Those cases are not specified in the court document.
Jones’ second influencing witness charge stems from allegedly using a “threat and (engaging) in misleading conduct” to “influence and prevent the testimony” of Chris Bailey.
Bailey is the nephew of Danny Jones, a 62-year-old Columbus resident who died paralyzed in intensive care following a fatal confrontation with two brothers over kids playing street basketball in a north Columbus neighborhood last February.
Bailey filed a victim’s rights motion, alleging the family wasn’t notified when one of the suspects was released on bond earlier this year. Bailey withdrew the motion after speaking to Jones. The indictment alleges Jones violated his oath of office by not assisting Bailey.
“It is important for the citizens of Georgia to know that our office will not hesitate to enforce the rule of law, including when it involves the actions of a public official,” Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr said in a statement. “We appreciate the critical role and service of the Muscogee County grand jury, and we thank the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for their hard work in this investigation. We look forward to presenting our case in Court.”
Jones bonded out of Muscogee County jail just before 7 p.m. Tuesday night, and he denied the allegations laid out in the indictment.
“I’ve been on the job nine months righting really hard for the people, trying cases and then this happens,” he said. “I feel like I fought so hard for the city. I feel like we’ve gotten convictions on cases that matter.”
The indictment comes days after Jones appeared in court for felony charges associated with a May 2020 campaign ad that allegedly resulted in an estimated $300,000 in damage to the Civic Center parking lot. Jones was then a candidate for district attorney, running against incumbent Julia Slater in the Democratic Primary.
Three of Jones’ co-defendants in the Civic Center case pleaded to misdemeanor charges. Jones declined a similar plea deal from prosecutors, and a specially appointed judge refused to throw out the case against him.
Jones also faces a felony charge stemming from a November 2019 DUI.
Under state law, Gov. Brian Kemp must appoint a review commission which must provide a written report within 14 days with its recommendations. If the commission recommends that Jones be suspended, Kemp may take action.
No commission shall be appointed for a period of 14 days from the day the governor receives the indictment.
If Jones is convicted of a felony and his appeals are unsuccessful, he will no longer serve as the chief prosecutor for the six-county Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit.
This story was originally published September 7, 2021 at 2:32 PM.