Well, that didn’t last long.
A Columbus man whose parole date was listed as October 14 is back the Scioto County Jail exactly one week later, this time accused of hauling around about 72 grams of cocaine.
And this isn’t his first cocaine case in Scioto County.
Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers stopped a vehicle near mile marker 24 on State Route 73 in West Portsmouth around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday as part of an investigation involving the Southern Ohio Drug Task Force.
During the stop, troopers seized approximately 72 grams of suspected cocaine, valued by investigators at about $7,200.
Police arrested Jimmy Lee Jones, 38, of Columbus, on charges of:
- Trafficking in Drugs, a first-degree felony
- Possession of Drugs, a first-degree felony
Jones was booked into the Scioto County Jail.
We’ve Seen Him Here Before
Jones has already been through a cocaine case in Scioto County once.
Back in 2015, he was indicted on cocaine-trafficking charges.
Court records from that case show he was already on parole at the time and had to be transported from the Noble Correctional Institution back to Scioto County for court appearances.
Jones ultimately pleaded to two counts of possession of cocaine after the trafficking charges were reduced as part of the case.
In October 2015, he was sentenced to 11 years in prison.
The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction later reduced that sentence.
Fast-forward to this month.
Jones was released on parole October 14.
Seven days later, investigators say he was caught with another substantial quantity of suspected cocaine.
Back Before a Judge
Jones appeared Thursday morning in Portsmouth Municipal Court on the new charges.
Once again, the court appointed him a public defender.
He will remain held under bond pending a preliminary hearing.
The new case will also be forwarded to the Scioto County Prosecutor’s Office for possible presentation to a grand jury, where additional charges could be considered.
So after serving years on an earlier Scioto County cocaine case, Jones made it exactly one week on parole before finding himself right back in the same county jail and facing another pair of serious cocaine felonies.
The new charges are allegations, and Jones is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.