Texan Legal news release
The Travis County District Attorney’s Office filed a dismissal of charges against former DPS Counter Terrorism Chief and highly decorated retired Navy SEAL commander John Jones. The dismissal, it is hoped, brings to an end the nightmare that has ruined Jones’ life, and that of his family, for the past 40 months.
John Jones and his attorney, Adam Muery, believe the dismissed charges and actions of the Travis County District Attorney and other law
enforcement officials were a flagrant abuse of power.
“This was a politically motivated hit job involving accusations of heinous crimes, trying the case in the press, and abuse of process dragging the case out for more than three years,” said Muery. “A dismissal is not a sufficient remedy for torment he and his family have suffered because of the persecution by the State. He lost his career, his home, and his reputation. There needs to be justice for this wanton abuse of power.”
Falsely accused of sexual assault, tried in the press before a witness was even interviewed
The original charges were brought by the Travis County DA’s Office in the midst of a primary battle where the primary issue was an attack on District Attorney Margaret Moore’s purportedly soft stance on sexual assault crimes. They jumped on this case because of Jones’ ties to President Trump and had Jones arrested, his career ended, and the press release styled probable cause affidavit published before they talked to a single witness, gathered a single piece of evidence, or conducted the search warrant. It worked and the story received widespread publication globally, Muery said.
Jones was arrested July of 2019 following an allegation of sexual assault by a female party goer at Jones’ residence for his wife’s co-workers. There was a three-day hearing involving eight witnesses and dozens of evidence exhibits in November of 2020 on an application for protective order brought by the State. A Senior District Judge ruled that there was “no reasonable grounds to believe” that a sexual assault had occurred, Muery said.
Fearing a malicious prosecution lawsuit, DA alleges possession of child pornography
After the sexual assault charges were dismissed, the Travis County Sheriff’s office and District Attorney re-opened a long closed child pornography investigation that prosecutors had previously stated could not be prosecuted within the guidelines of professional ethics. Within 20 hours of the District Attorney’s office being asked by the media to comment on Jones’ prospective lawsuit against them for malicious prosecution, they had a new warrant for his arrest and a SWAT team at his house, Muery said.
A life of service shattered by allegations of heinous crimes
“John Jones dedicated more than 20 years of his life to protecting our country and the people of the Great State of Texas. He was the highest ranking African American at the Texas Department of Public Safety at the time of this allegation,” said Muery. “Yet, the moment a white female made an allegation against him he was terminated from his job and was arrested before the investigators even talked to a single witness,” Muery said.
“They ignored the physical evidence which clearly contradicted the allegations and they failed to exercise due diligence in checking the credibility of the complainant, who had a lengthy track record of similar false allegations. Further, even though the lead investigators reported to the District Attorney’s office within a month after the arrest that they believed the complainant was being deceptive and that she possibly suffered from mental illness, the District Attorney’s office continued fighting to keep Jones on restrictive bond conditions including house arrest and GPS monitor, Muery added.
“Despite the lack of evidence, prosecutors did not drop the case but instead, let it drag on for 16 months through the election, leaving it for newly elected District Attorney Jose Garza to handle. After I filed a motion to dismiss, they rejected the case, but then resurrected a bogus child pornography charge when it was learned he planned to sue for malicious prosecution,” Muery said.
Falsely and publicly accused of an even worse crime
“The DA’s office implicitly threatened Jones with further prosecution if he didn’t go away quietly and when he talked to the press about potentially suing for malicious prosecution, they followed through on that threat immediately so that the headline would read DPS Chief arrested for child pornography instead of District Attorney being sued for malicious prosecution,” Muery said.
“Here are the facts: There never was any child pornography. Period. It was a single image of an adult female from a mainstream adult site. There was no evidence that John even looked at that image, which was one of hundreds that automatically loaded to the phone as soon as a web page is loaded. The case law on these types of cases is clear. If Jones were guilty, then so would 100 million other Americans who have visited a web page containing adult content – intentionally or inadvertently,” Muery said.
“They knew from day one they wouldn’t proceed with this case, but they also knew they could let the charges and public accusation destroy his life without even going to trial. Only the Defense Counsel was able to see the evidence and know the charges were bogus, Muery said. “The DA’s office successfully used these tactics to shift the narrative and avoid dealing with this issue for another 19 months, allowing the false accusations time to ruin John Jones’ life.”
A public servant with an impeccable record targeted for unacceptable political affiliation
Jones had served as Director of Counter-Terrorism and Intelligence for the Texas Department of Public Safety starting in 2009 after having served as a Navy SEAL with numerous combat deployments and having been awarded the Bronze Star with Valor. He retired from the Navy in 2018 at the rank of Commander.
Jones became a public figure after multiple press conferences and meetings regarding border security issues, including with President Trump at the White House. It was rumored he was at one time being considered for a Deputy U.S. Homeland Security Director post, Muery said.
