Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, July 20, 1995 TAG: 9507200040
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JAN VERTEFEUILLE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Wednesday, Jones pleaded guilty in federal court to drug and gun charges, crimes that require he remain in jail until he's 34.
At 18, Jones already was a major player on the Roanoke drug scene, distributing a kilogram of crack a week, he told police after his arrest. As a juvenile, he made "numerous" trips to New York, where he bought crack from Colombians and others, he said. Later, he arranged to have the crack delivered to him in Roanoke.
He lived at home with his mother, Deborah Jones, on Ferdinand Avenue. She knew he was dealing drugs, he told police, but was unaware of the scope of his trafficking.
"That's a lot of dope," said Al Henley, head of the Drug Enforcement Administration office in Roanoke. "That's a significant amount of dope for any age. I didn't know he was that young."
A 10th-grade dropout, Jones worked part-time for a cleaning service with his mother, making less than $150 every two weeks. Yet he drove a 1987 BMW convertible and had another car titled in his sister's name. A shoebox with $47,000 in cash was found under his bed.
He and his brother, Eric "Nike" Jones, were arrested in January, and police searched their mother's house, where they found 132 grams of crack, or nearly five ounces, in Doobie Jones' bedroom and almost six ounces of marijuana in Nike Jones' room.
They found two guns and charged each brother with possession of one each. Using or even just carrying a gun in connection with a drug trafficking crime requires a minimum sentence of five years in prison.
Doobie Jones' only hope of getting a lesser sentence is to tell authorities what he knows about the drug dealing in which he was involved. Although the 15-year sentence he faces is mandatory under federal guidelines, if he cooperates with the government and the prosecutor files a motion to that effect, the judge can sentence him to less time.
Last week, he began doing that - by testifying against his 21-year-old brother.
Nike Jones was on trial on marijuana distribution and gun charges and his younger brother testified for the prosecution. But Doobie Jones' testimony didn't convince the jury and a mistrial was declared when the jury couldn't reach a verdict.
Nike Jones was released on bond Friday, and he reportedly may agree to a plea bargain with the government instead of going to trial again. Neither he nor any other family member attended Doobie Jones' hearing Wednesday.
U.S. District Judge Samuel Wilson has declined to lower Doobie Jones' $45,000 bond so he could get out of jail before his sentencing to work as an informant. The judge was concerned after hearing testimony that Doobie Jones had owned between 20 and 60 guns, which he said have since been stolen.
Police said he told them he also owned a rocket launcher and an Uzi, although Doobie Jones testified he never owned a rocket launcher. Ammunition and gun paraphernalia were found in his bedroom and car.
Despite the guns and heavy involvement in trafficking, Doobie Jones' attorney said he's not violent and had not been arrested before.
"For all the hype and talk about what he's doing, he's not a violent guy," Jeff Rudd said. "I think he has some business acumen, and if he used it in the right way, it might have turned out to be very profitable for him financially."
Jones will be sentenced Oct. 2, after a pre-sentencing report is done.
by CNB