Three years prison for sexual crime convictions

Though Jones eventually pinned her to a mattress, the victim, who had told him “no” several times, resisted him and he let her go. She allegedly give him a ride after the incident but, a day later, told a family member about it. She was allegedly accompanied by family members when she reported the crime to police, according to prosecutors. 

Jones’ defense attorney Randall Knox said Jones and the victim had known each other and had consensual sex on at least two occasions before the 2015 incident, one of which was some two to three weeks prior and initiated by the victim. Knox said the victim called Ross the night of the incident to see if he could hang out and, according to his client, had had consensual oral sex before they traveled to San Francisco together. Knox said the victim became upset by a comment Jones made later in the night and said she wouldn’t give him rides anymore. He said a statement made by his client in a pretext phone call the victim made to Jones after she reported the incident to police misconstrued his intentions, and said he felt for both the troubled victim and Jones, a man with no prior record who now has to spend the next three years in prison. 

“I think the jury made a grave mistake I think it has compounded the suffering of all of the people involved,” he said.

Though Judge Mark Forcum allegedly said he wished he had the discretion to assign Jones probation, he acknowledged probation was not permitted by law for Jones’ convictions, according to prosecutors. 

District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said Jones must register as a sex offender for life and said he felt the law appropriately mandated prison for Jones’ case.

Ross will receive 25 days credit for time served and was remanded into custody Wednesday, according to prosecutors.