2008 Woodie Awards
April Trial Scheduled for Former Student
Dominic Godfrey/Muleskinner
Issue date: 3/15/07 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
A former Central student charged with two accounts of deviate sexual assault will have his fate decided by a jury in April.
The trial for Willis L. Jones Jr., has moved from March 6 to April 18. at the Johnson County Courthouse.
"We don't have many trials that go on down there," said Detective Sgt. Matt Vessar, of UCM Public Safety. "When you arrest someone like this, it takes a couple years to go to trial."
Jones lived in South Yeater at the time. Vessar said Jones was previously acquainted with the victim, who lived in Fitzgerald. The victim still attends Central and will be testifying at the trial.
The incident occurred Oct. 20, 2005. Officer Charles Tomlin responded to South Yeater, Room 113, after Susan Berry, a residence hall director, phoned for help.
In Tomlin's report, he included the following, "Upon arrival, I observed the victim, who was unconscious in the room. An ambulance was calle,d and the victim was transported to Western Missouri Medical Center. It was later determined that the victim had been sexually assaulted.
"After the investigation, Jones was arrested for sexual assault and deviate sexual assault. Jones was later transported to the Johnson County Jail…"
Vessar said Central has a low number of sex-related crimes, such as sexual assault, forcible rape, forcible sodomy or forcible fondling, among others.
"In the grand scheme of things, there are not a lot of these," he said. "We don't have a lot of sexual assaults that go to trial."
Vessar described a similar incident in 2002 at Central, where Daniel Jemmott was charged with rape. Vessar said Jemmott was able to gain access to a room in Ellis after he acquired a key from the victim's roommate. Jemmott's case also went to trial.
"The day of the trial, he plead guilty," Vessar said.
Jemmott plea-bargained and was sentenced to five years in prison for sexual assault.
The sentence was suspended, and Jemmott served 120 days in a sex offender unit.
Vessar said he will be testifying at the Jones trial in April. He said it must be difficult for the victim to testify and it cannot be easy for her to recall the damaging events that took place almost a year and a half ago.
Vessar said the two accounts of deviate sexual assault are class C felonies and can carry a sentence up to seven years per charge. If convicted, Jones could face a maximum of 14 years if his terms are served consecutively.
The trial for Willis L. Jones Jr., has moved from March 6 to April 18. at the Johnson County Courthouse.
"We don't have many trials that go on down there," said Detective Sgt. Matt Vessar, of UCM Public Safety. "When you arrest someone like this, it takes a couple years to go to trial."
Jones lived in South Yeater at the time. Vessar said Jones was previously acquainted with the victim, who lived in Fitzgerald. The victim still attends Central and will be testifying at the trial.
The incident occurred Oct. 20, 2005. Officer Charles Tomlin responded to South Yeater, Room 113, after Susan Berry, a residence hall director, phoned for help.
In Tomlin's report, he included the following, "Upon arrival, I observed the victim, who was unconscious in the room. An ambulance was calle,d and the victim was transported to Western Missouri Medical Center. It was later determined that the victim had been sexually assaulted.
"After the investigation, Jones was arrested for sexual assault and deviate sexual assault. Jones was later transported to the Johnson County Jail…"
Vessar said Central has a low number of sex-related crimes, such as sexual assault, forcible rape, forcible sodomy or forcible fondling, among others.
"In the grand scheme of things, there are not a lot of these," he said. "We don't have a lot of sexual assaults that go to trial."
Vessar described a similar incident in 2002 at Central, where Daniel Jemmott was charged with rape. Vessar said Jemmott was able to gain access to a room in Ellis after he acquired a key from the victim's roommate. Jemmott's case also went to trial.
"The day of the trial, he plead guilty," Vessar said.
Jemmott plea-bargained and was sentenced to five years in prison for sexual assault.
The sentence was suspended, and Jemmott served 120 days in a sex offender unit.
Vessar said he will be testifying at the Jones trial in April. He said it must be difficult for the victim to testify and it cannot be easy for her to recall the damaging events that took place almost a year and a half ago.
Vessar said the two accounts of deviate sexual assault are class C felonies and can carry a sentence up to seven years per charge. If convicted, Jones could face a maximum of 14 years if his terms are served consecutively.
Be the first to comment on this story