Detroit, MI – Sargent Dewayne B. Jones is scheduled to have a third trial. The first pretrial hearing, for this third trial, was on November 1st but prosecuting attorney Joshua Holman asked for an extension. He said he wanted more time to discuss the potential of a third trial with the defense. Previously, a hung jury caused a mistrial on October 14th. The first jury trial ended in a verdict of "Guilty" in the August 1st 2018 assault of emergency room patient and mother Sheldy Smith. Jones was a corporal at the time of the conviction. The second trial was granted in response to an appeal.
Members of Detroit Residents Advancing Civilian Oversight (DRACO), National Action Network, and others, Will hold a News conference outside the 36th District Court, at 1:00 PM this Tuesday to give their reaction to the outcome of the hearing. They will also express their outrage with the injustice surrounding the August 2018 beating of hospital patient Sheldy Smith by then-Corporal Dewayne B. Jones. They called for reforms and a more effective Board of Police Commissioners.
Jones was convicted of assault and battery in connection with the beating, but received a promotion to the rank of Sergeant by the Detroit Police Department. His penalty for the assault was probation, but he could still be tried for a felony misconduct charge because it was dismissed without prejudice on January 15th 2019. Activists are calling on Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy to reintroduce those charges, given the large amount of video evidence that surfaced, and the fact that Jones still had a badge and a gun while on probation.
On April 21st 2021 Jones was granted a new trial. On Wednesday January 12th Dewayne Jones had the initial pre-trial hearing in the courtroom of Judge E. Lynise Bryant at 11:00 AM. On August 1st the Final Pretrial was rescheduled to August 10th.
The founder of DRACO Scotty Boman said, “Dewayne Jones was able to get a promotion in spite of being a convicted violent criminal. In spite of the conviction he wasn’t held accountable. Now he is trying to be exonerated while his victim (Sheldy Smith) remains captive and isolated from her family. This isn’t justice.”