It’s good to be a Democrat these days. Well, elected ones anyway, who appear to presuppose they have carte blanche on mandating policy and then immediately ignoring such nonsense as mask-wearing, social distancing, and hitting a closed beauty parlor for a blowout. That is, until you run up against an organization tired of being blamed for all of America’s problems. Then when you get yourself caught in a wringer, the cops have the last laugh.
Police stopped Michigan State Representative Jewell Jones right in the middle of a drunk-driving joy ride. Darn it. Then Jones made sure everyone knew he was connected to the governor of said state who could wreak havoc on the officers who flashed their blue and red bubble lights as they pulled the lawbreaker — er, lawmaker — to the shoulder.
Bodycam footage show officers tackling the belligerent kid – yeah, he’s 26 – after he didn’t co-operate and threatened to tattle to his boss. He now faces charges of driving under the influence, resisting arrest, obstruction, and weapons possession.
The Frequent Flyer Miles Are Racking Up
In 2018, Jones was pulled over for speeding, blackout window tint, and an obstructed license plate. Unfazed and re-elected, well, oops, he did it again. On April 6, Jones was caught driving his Chevy Tahoe erratically, coloring outside the designated traffic lines, and endangering all who were soberly going to their destination. Jones’ vehicle, with the vanity plate “ELECTED,” steered into the skid, riding all the way to the ditch. And that’s not even close to the end of the story.
A recent report from the Michigan Information & Research Service (MIRS), a self-proclaimed source for just the facts, is an eye-opening read and the perfect complement to police video footage. Police found Jones and, as of now, an anonymous female passenger with their pants down. Not unbuttoned after a heavy, starchy meal — but down-there down. Jones allegedly had a loaded semi-automatic .40-caliber Glock in the vehicle’s cupholder.
Yet it proceeded to get a tad worse for the politician. After ignoring several requests for his driver’s license, refusing to take a breathalyzer, and becoming physical with said troopers, Jones was zapped twice with a Taser and, for good measure, administered a dose of pepper spray. Then he was handcuffed. All the while threatening the cops: not with bodily harm but where it hurts the most, the wallet.
“I don’t give a —-, bro, when I call Gretchen [Whitmer] I’ll need y’all ID’s badge numbers everything. It’s not going to be good for you, I’m telling you. I run y’alls budget, bro.” And then he began an argument with the paramedics on the scene as they were loading his nearly unpantsed, intoxicated, and injured companion into an ambulance.
It’s Complicated
Jones’ attorney Ali Hammoud presented a list of reasons why Jewell is a good egg who faithfully serves his constituency and the beloved state of Michigan. He claimed police had no right to ask for identification — and then he went there: “I clearly think it’s an excessive use of force by the police.” Maybe, just maybe, Hammoud hadn’t seen the video. And on top of it all, the lawyer insisted, “There was no indication of alcohol.” Responding officers reported the man reeked of alcohol and, when finally tested, was twice the legal limit.
What else ya got, Hammoud? Anyhow, Jones now faces a host of criminal charges and a minimum two-year prison sentence. But this writer must ask the bigger question: How on God’s green acre can you manage to drive drunk and have high-speed Tahoe coupling — with a loaded semi-automatic where the Big Gulp should be?
~
Read more from Sarah Cowgill.
