Vernon Jones
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Vernon Angus Jones (born October 31, 1960) is an American politician who served in the
Georgia House of Representatives The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly (the state legislature) of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. There are currently 180 elected members. Republican Party (United States), Repu ...
from 1993 to 2001 and from 2017 to 2021. Between his periods in the Georgia House of Representatives, Jones was
chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...
of
DeKalb County DeKalb County may refer to one of several counties in the United States, all of which were named for Baron Johann de Kalb: * DeKalb County, Alabama DeKalb County is a County (United States), county in the Northeast Alabama, northeastern part ...
from 2001 to 2009. He has also run unsuccessfully for the
United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...
,
United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
, and DeKalb County Sheriff. Jones began his political career as a
Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...
, but became a Republican in 2021 after endorsing
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
for re-election and speaking at the
2020 Republican National Convention The 2020 Republican National Convention in which delegates of the United States Republican Party selected the party's nominees for president and vice president in the 2020 United States presidential election, was held from August 24 to 27, 2 ...
. Jones initially ran for
Governor of Georgia The governor of Georgia is the head of government of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the commander-in-chief of the state's Georgia National Guard, National Guard, when not in federal service, and Georgia State Defense Force, State Defense Fo ...
in the Republican primary against incumbent
Brian Kemp Brian Porter Kemp (born November 2, 1963) is an American politician serving as the 83rd governor of Georgia since 2019. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, Kemp served as the state's 27th Georgia Secretary of Sta ...
in the
2022 Georgia gubernatorial election The 2022 Georgia gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 2022, to elect the governor of Georgia. Incumbent Georgia Republican Party, Republican Governor Brian Kemp won re-election to a second term, defeating Democratic Party of Georg ...
before running unsuccessfully for the
U.S. House The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...
.


Early life and business career

Born in Laurel Hill, North Carolina, Jones grew up on a farm in rural
North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
. His father was a veteran of
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
who worked in a mill; his mother and siblings worked on the family farm. Jones was the fifth of six children, with four brothers and a sister. He attended
North Carolina Central University North Carolina Central University (NCCU or NC Central) is a Public university, public Historically black colleges and universities, historically black university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by James E. Shepard in affiliati ...
in
Durham, North Carolina Durham ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Durham County, North Carolina, Durham County. Small portions of the city limits extend into Orange County, North Carolina, Orange County and Wake County, North Carol ...
, and became a member of the
Kappa Alpha Psi Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. () is a List of African-American fraternities, historically African American Fraternities and sororities, fraternity. Since the fraternity's founding on January 5, 1911, at Indiana University Bloomington, it has n ...
fraternity there, before graduating with a
B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...
in business administration in 1983. Jones also completed the
John F. Kennedy School of Government The John F. Kennedy School of Government, commonly referred to as Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), is the school of public policy of Harvard University, a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard Kennedy School offers master's de ...
's Executive Program. Jones began his career in the telecommunications industry, first working with
MCI Communications MCI Communications Corporation (originally Microwave Communications, Inc.) was an American telecommunications company headquartered in Washington, D.C. that was at one point the second-largest long-distance provider in the United States. ...
(which later became
MCI Inc. MCI, Inc. (formerly WorldCom and MCI WorldCom) was a telecommunications company. For a time, it was the second-largest long-distance telephone company in the United States, after AT&T. WorldCom grew largely by acquiring other telecommunicatio ...
) and later
BellSouth Corporation BellSouth, LLC (stylized as ''BELLSOUTH'' and formerly known as BellSouth Corporation) was an American telecommunications holding company based in Atlanta, Georgia. BellSouth was one of the seven original Regional Bell Operating Companies after ...
. At BellSouth, he was part of a team that established wireless communications in
Montevideo Montevideo (, ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2023 census, the city proper has a population of 1,302,954 (about 37.2% of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...
,
Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...
. Jones has served on the DeKalb Board of Health, the Atlanta Regional Commission, the DeKalb Library Board, the DeKalb Pension Board, and the Board of Visitors for Emory University and North Carolina Central University.


Political career


Georgia House of Representatives

Jones was elected to the
Georgia House of Representatives The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly (the state legislature) of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. There are currently 180 elected members. Republican Party (United States), Repu ...
in 1992, representing District SH 071, succeeding Sidney Pope Jones Jr. Jones served from 1993 to 2001, during which time he was a member of the Appropriations Committee, the Insurance Committee, and the Health & Ecology Committee, as well as the Banking Committee, and a special Judiciary Committee. Jones also chaired the Chairman of the Health Professions Subcommittee. Among the proposals Jones sponsored or co-sponsored in the Georgia House was a bill to remove the
Confederate battle flag The flags of the Confederate States of America have a history of three successive designs during the American Civil War. The flags were known as the "Stars and Bars", used from 1861 to 1863; the "Stainless Banner", used from 1863 to 1865; and ...
emblem from Georgia State flag, and a bill that would have banned minors from purchasing music with explicit lyrics. Jones did not stand for reelection in 2000, instead running for DeKalb County CEO, and was succeeded in the Georgia House by Ron Sailor.


DeKalb County CEO

Jones was elected as
chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...
of
DeKalb County, Georgia DeKalb County (, , ) is located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 764,382, making it Georgia's fourth-most populous county. Its ...
, in 2000, winning 64% of the vote, and was re-elected in 2004 with 54% of the vote. Jones is the first
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
to serve as CEO of the county. In April 2001, shortly after Jones became CEO, he voted, along with five other DeKalb
County Commissioners A county commission (or a board of county commissioners) is a group of elected officials (county commissioners) collectively charged with administering the county government in some states of the United States. A county usually has three to five ...
, to offer life and health insurance benefits to the
domestic partners A domestic partnership is an intimate relationship between people, usually couples, who live together and share a common domestic life but who are not married Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often l ...
of gay and unmarried County employees. DeKalb was the first county in Georgia to offer such benefits.Alt URL
/ref> During his administration, DeKalb County established the first local Homeland Security Office in 2001. He requested and received Congressional designation of
Arabia Mountain Arabia Mountain, a part of Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area, is the northern of two peaks in the Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve, in DeKalb County, Georgia. A low saddle separates it from Bradley Mountain, several hundred feet to ...
as a
National Heritage Area In the United States, a National Heritage Area (NHA) is a site designated by Act of Congress, intended to encourage historic preservation of the area and an appreciation of the history and heritage of the site. There are currently 62 NHAs, some o ...
. Jones was also primarily responsible for creation of DeKalb County's first economic development department, which generated $4 billion in new investments. However, Jones's term as DeKalb County CEO was also known for controversies and accusations of improprieties. Shortly after taking office Jones went back on his campaign pledge to keep the homestead exemption sales tax in place. He was criticized for vetoing pay raises for police officers. In January 2005, the Georgia State Ethics Commission sanctioned Jones for campaign contribution limit violations in his 2004 reelection campaign. Under a Consent Order, Jones returned all excess contributions and personally paid a $7,500 civil penalty. Jones apologized and stated that changes in campaign finance laws between the initial election and the run-off election were the reason for his acceptance of nineteen improper campaign contributions. He was initially accused of illegally using campaign funds to promote the 2005 bond referendum, but the State Ethics Commission "found no reasonable grounds" for the complaint.


2008 United States Senate campaign

Jones ran for the U.S. Senate in 2008, but was defeated 60% to 40% in the 2008 run-off for Georgia's Democratic U.S. Senate primary. On March 23, 2007, Jones announced he was running for the
United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...
against incumbent Republican
Saxby Chambliss Clarence Saxby Chambliss (; born November 10, 1943) is an American lawyer and retired politician who was a United States Senate, United States Senator from Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia from 2003 to 2015. A member of the Republican Party (Unite ...
. Jones was criticized by his chief rival Jim Martin over his more conservative politics and past support for
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
. Jones' campaign was also marred by two new controversies. Jones sent out a flier in which he appeared in a digitally altered picture next to Democratic presidential candidate
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
with the words " Yes We Can." However, Obama himself stated he not only never posed with Jones, he did not endorse Jones or any other candidate for the Democratic nomination for Senate. In response, Jones blamed his "liberal opponents backed by the
liberal media Media bias occurs when journalists and news producers show bias in how they report and cover news. The term "media bias" implies a pervasive or widespread bias contravening of the standards of journalism, rather than the perspective of an in ...
" for trying to ruin his campaign. Jones was also criticized for the appearance of the tagline "Vote Vernon Jones for GA Senate" on tickets, produced using county funds, for the Dekalb County Blues and Jazz Festival. The company who printed the tickets, supporters of Jones' campaign, took responsibility for the incident; saying that they were unaware campaign finance laws made such an action illegal. In the July 15, 2008 Democratic primary election, Jones won a plurality of votes in the Democratic primary. However, Georgia law requires a majority; if no majority is reached by a candidate, the two top vote-getters must face one another in a runoff. On August 5, 2008, Jones lost the
run-off election The two-round system (TRS or 2RS), sometimes called ballotage, top-two runoff, or two-round plurality, is a single-winner electoral system which aims to elect a member who has support of the majority of voters. The two-round system involves one ...
to Jim Martin by a margin of 20 points. Jones unexpectedly lost to Martin in his home base of Dekalb County. Jones had lost support within the Black community before the runoff election, and only captured two-thirds of the Black vote in the head-to-head match up against Martin. The Black turnout in the run-off was also substantially lower than the initial primary election, further hurting Jones' chances in the runoff.


Unsuccessful races

In
2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
, Jones launched an unsuccessful campaign for the U.S. Congress in
Georgia's 4th congressional district Georgia's 4th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Georgia. The district is currently represented by Democrat Hank Johnson, though the district's boundaries have been redrawn following the 2010 census, whi ...
. In 2014, Jones ran unsuccessfully for
Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...
of DeKalb County, GA. He lost to incumbent Sheriff Jeff Mann, 76% to 24%.


Return to the Georgia House

In March 2016, Jones filed to run for Georgia House of Representatives, this time in House District 91, an open seat vacated by Dee Dawkins-Haigler. In the May 2016 Democratic primary election, Jones came within sixty votes of an outright victory, but was forced into a runoff election with Rhonda Taylor. Jones won the July runoff election and in November 2016, once again won election to the Georgia House, defeating Republican Carl Anuszczyk.


Endorsement of Donald Trump and change in party affiliation

On April 14, 2020, Jones became the first state elected Democratic official in Georgia to endorse President
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
's re-election bid. Jones said he had no plans to switch political parties and cited Trump's "handling of the economy, his support for
historically black colleges Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of serving African Americans. Most are in the Southern U ...
and his criminal justice initiatives" as reasons for his endorsement. Jones was swiftly disowned by Georgia Democrats, many of whom announced support for Jones' primary challenger, Rhonda Taylor. After initially saying he would resign from the state House, Jones reversed himself and said that he would complete the rest of his term, but would not seek reelection. Jones addressed the Republican National Convention in August 2020 and reiterated his endorsement of Trump. On October 16, 2020, Jones spoke at a Trump rally in
Macon, Georgia Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. Situated near the Atlantic Seaboard fall line, fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is southeast of Atlanta and near the ...
and crowd-surfed afterwards, which drew criticism as it occurred in the middle of a
pandemic A pandemic ( ) is an epidemic of an infectious disease that has a sudden increase in cases and spreads across a large region, for instance multiple continents or worldwide, affecting a substantial number of individuals. Widespread endemic (epi ...
with a mostly maskless crowd. Jones promoted and perpetuated Trump's false claims of election fraud in the 2020 presidential election. Jones withdrew his bid for re-election in 2020 and his term ended on January 11, 2021. On January 6, 2021, he spoke at the rally in Washington D.C. before Trump's own speech, saying that he stands "firm for President Donald J. Trump" and announcing that he was changing his party affiliation from Democrat to Republican amid cheers from the audience; after the rally, the pro-Trump protesters stormed the United States Capitol Building.


2022 Georgia gubernatorial election

In April 2021, Jones announced his intention to declare a run in the
2022 Georgia gubernatorial election The 2022 Georgia gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 2022, to elect the governor of Georgia. Incumbent Georgia Republican Party, Republican Governor Brian Kemp won re-election to a second term, defeating Democratic Party of Georg ...
against incumbent Republican
Brian Kemp Brian Porter Kemp (born November 2, 1963) is an American politician serving as the 83rd governor of Georgia since 2019. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, Kemp served as the state's 27th Georgia Secretary of Sta ...
. He was joined by 107th
Mayor of New York City The mayor of New York City, officially mayor of the City of New York, is head of the executive branch of the government of New York City and the chief executive of New York City. The Mayoralty in the United States, mayor's office administers all ...
Rudy Giuliani Rudolph William Louis Giuliani ( , ; born May 28, 1944) is an American politician and Disbarment, disbarred lawyer who served as the 107th mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001. He previously served as the United States Associate Attorney ...
and 40th
New York City Police Commissioner The New York City police commissioner is the head of the New York City Police Department and presiding member of the Board of Commissioners. The commissioner is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the mayor. The commissioner is responsibl ...
Bernard Kerik Bernard Bailey Kerik (September 4, 1955 – May 29, 2025) was an American consultant, police officer, and convicted felon who was the 40th Commissioner of the New York Police Department from 2000 to 2001. Kerik joined the New York City Police D ...
in his announcement. His announcement came after movement from Republicans to challenge Kemp in the challenge, after
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
criticized Kemp for refusing to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. Jones trailed Kemp and former Senator
David Perdue David Alfred Perdue Jr. (born December 10, 1949) is an American politician, diplomat, and businessman serving as the List of ambassadors of the United States to China, United States ambassador to China since 2025. A member of the Republican Pa ...
in the Republican primary polls. In February 2022, Jones announced that he was suspending his campaign and endorsed Perdue.


2022 United States House campaign

After withdrawing his candidacy for governor, Jones announced he would run for the
United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
in
Georgia's 10th congressional district Georgia's 10th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Georgia. The district is currently represented by Republican Mike Collins, and includes a large swath of urban and rural territory between Atlanta and A ...
. He entered the crowded Republican primary with the endorsement of former President Donald Trump. Jones pledged if elected, he would introduce articles of impeachment against President
Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
and Vice President
Kamala Harris Kamala Devi Harris ( ; born October 20, 1964) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 49th vice president of the United States from 2021 to 2025 under President Joe Biden. She is the first female, first African American, and ...
. In May 2022, Jones placed second in the primary behind trucking executive Mike Collins. Neither candidate got above 50% of the vote so the two advanced to a runoff in June 2022, which Jones lost.


Political positions

During his 2008 Senate campaign, Jones described himself as a "
conservative Democrat In American politics, a conservative Democrat is a member of the Democratic Party with more conservative views than most Democrats. Traditionally, conservative Democrats have been elected to office from the Southern states, rural areas, and t ...
" who favors "tough immigration laws and fiscal responsibility" as well as "supporter of gun rights and a staunch environmental advocate". During his 2008 campaign, he stated that he opposed
same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...
. OnTheIssues.org rated Jones as a "Moderate Libertarian Conservative". Jones stated that he voted for
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
in 2004, and supported
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
in 2008. Jones donated $2,464 (~$ in ) in two separate donations to the Georgia Republican Party in 2001. In a 2014 press release, Jones characterized himself as an "advocate for limited government, security and protections for all citizens, balanced budgeting, ethical and efficient elections, ndjob creation". Jones was the only Democratic cosponsor of the bill to legalize the
concealed carry Concealed carry, or carrying a concealed weapon (CCW), is the practice of carrying a weapon (usually a sidearm such as a handgun), either in proximity to or on one's person or in public places in a manner that hides or conceals the weapon's pre ...
of firearms on Georgia's college campuses.


Position on abortion

Jones has been unclear about his position on
abortion Abortion is the early termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. Abortions that occur without intervention are known as miscarriages or "spontaneous abortions", and occur in roughly 30–40% of all pregnan ...
. While he was a Democratic member of the Georgia House of Representatives, he voted against
Georgia House Bill 481 The Georgia House Bill 481, formally named the Living Infants Fairness and Equality (LIFE) Act, is an American anti-abortion law passed in 2019 that sought to prevent physicians in the U.S. state of Georgia from performing abortions beyond six we ...
, an
anti-abortion Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its Abortion by country, legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in r ...
law that sought to prevent Georgia physicians from performing an abortion beyond six weeks. He claimed at the time that he would become Speaker of the Georgia House because of the anti-abortion bill if Democrats took the House. While running for the Republican nomination for the
2022 Georgia gubernatorial election The 2022 Georgia gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 2022, to elect the governor of Georgia. Incumbent Georgia Republican Party, Republican Governor Brian Kemp won re-election to a second term, defeating Democratic Party of Georg ...
, he told the University of Georgia's College Republicans organization that he voted against HB 481 because the bill did not go far enough to protect unborn children.


LGBT civil rights

Jones opposes civil rights for LGBT people, having told
Steve Bannon Stephen Kevin Bannon (born November 27, 1953) is an American media executive, political strategist, and former investment banker. He served as the White House's chief strategist for the first seven months of president Donald Trump's first ...
, "civil rights for Blacks, and gay rights for
gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late ...
s, are two different things."


Controversies


Behavior toward women

According to a 2021 examination of Jones' record by the ''
Atlanta Journal-Constitution ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' (''AJC'') is an American daily newspaper based in metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger ...
'', "Jones has a long history of problematic behavior toward women, repeatedly accused of threatening, intimidating and harassing women in his personal and professional lives" over three decades. The newspaper reviewed several previously reported episodes, as well as new details that had not previously been reported. In June 1989, three years before his election to the state legislature, Jones (who was then 28 years old) was arrested on a charge of pointing a pistol at a woman in her home in Doraville. Criminal charges were dismissed, and Jones was ordered to attend
anger management Anger management is a psycho-therapeutic program for anger prevention and control. It has been described as deploying anger successfully.Schwarts, Gil. July 2006. Anger Management', July 2006 The Office Politic. Men's Health magazine. Emmaus, PA: ...
classes instead. In 2003, a community activist who complained about Jones' handling of flooding issues said that a disheveled Jones, accompanied by a plainclothes county police officer, confronted her in the evening at her home, approaching her with waving arms and clenched fists and mentioning her husband's recent death. The activist said that she felt threatened and intimidated by Jones. A prosecutor declined to charge Jones with
criminal trespass Trespass is an area of tort law broadly divided into three groups: trespass to the person (see below), trespass to chattels, and trespass to land. Trespass to the person historically involved six separate trespasses: threats, assault, battery ...
, but warned Jones to stay away from the activist. The activist sued Jones for trespassing and
assault In the terminology of law, an assault is the act of causing physical harm or consent, unwanted physical contact to another person, or, in some legal definitions, the threat or attempt to do so. It is both a crime and a tort and, therefore, may ...
; the case was settled out of court on confidential terms in 2009. In 2004, DeKalb County Commissioner Elaine Boyer made a complaint to Decatur police that Jones "deliberately walked into her and made hard shoulder-to-shoulder contact" after a heated public meeting; she did not pursue charges against Jones, but accused him of verbally abusing commissioners and staff and making "derogatory and degrading comments." A woman accused Jones of
raping Rape is a type of sexual assault involving sexual intercourse, or other forms of sexual penetration, carried out against a person without consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or against a person wh ...
her in late December 2004 at a party at his home. Before detectives could take the statement of the woman, the police chief of DeKalb telephoned Jones to inform him of the allegation; a
Georgia Attorney General The attorney general of Georgia is a statewide elected attorney and legal advisor for the executive branch of the U.S. state of Georgia. They are a constitutional officer responsible for providing opinions on legal questions concerning the state, ...
's Office investigation concluded that the chief's call was inappropriate. The woman's name was later leaked to the media, and in 2005, the woman declined to press charges, citing the emotional distress that it would entail. Jones was not prosecuted, and the allegation did not cause him significant political damage.


Security detail expenses

In 2003, Jones was investigated by a
grand jury A grand jury is a jury empowered by law to conduct legal proceedings, investigate potential criminal conduct, and determine whether criminal charges should be brought. A grand jury may subpoena physical evidence or a person to testify. A grand ju ...
for his security detail, which cost $800,000 a year. The cost of the detail far surpassed other county officials. The grand jury investigation found that Jones' five-officer protective detail was "a very expensive decoration" but not unlawful.


Jury finding of hostile work environment

In 2004, two current (Michael Bryant, John Drake) and two former (Becky Kelley, Herbert Lowe) senior employees of the Parks Department at the time filed suit against Jones (as CEO of the county), as well as three of Jones' subordinates (former parks director Marilyn Boyd Drew, his former executive assistant Richard Stogner, and Morris Williams), and DeKalb County. The plaintiffs alleged racial discrimination, or in the case of Lowe, "retaliation for refusing to assist in racial discrimination". Kelly, Bryant, and Drake were white, while Lowe was black. The defendants moved for
summary judgment In law, a summary judgment, also referred to as judgment as a matter of law or summary disposition, is a Judgment (law), judgment entered by a court for one party and against another party summarily, i.e., without a full Trial (law), trial. Summa ...
on the grounds of
qualified immunity In the United States, qualified immunity is a legal principle of federal law that grants government officials performing discretionary (optional) functions immunity from lawsuits for damages unless the plaintiff shows that the official violated "c ...
. In 2006, U.S. District Judge William S. Duffey Jr. denied their motion, holding that the law does not allow "a public official defendant to engage in calculated racial discrimination costumed in a racially neutral garb of administrative actions so it can masquerade as a qualified immunity defense". On November 21, 2006, Duffey ruled that the case could go forward to a jury trial. In 2009, the
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit (in case citations, 11th Cir.) is a federal appellate court over the following U.S. district courts: * Middle District of Alabama * Northern District of Alabama * Southern District o ...
rejected an appeal by Jones and other defendants, upholding the denial of summary judgment. Judge
Gerald Bard Tjoflat Gerald Bard Tjoflat (born December 6, 1929) is an American lawyer and jurist serving as a Senior United States circuit judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. He was appointed in 1975 by President Gerald Ford. He previously ...
, writing for the court, wrote in the ruling that DeKalb County had "embarked on a wholesale plan to replace its white county managers with African Americans" and that Jones had "devised the plan and monitored its execution". At a
jury trial A jury trial, or trial by jury, is a legal proceeding in which a jury makes a decision or findings of fact. It is distinguished from a bench trial, in which a judge or panel of judges makes all decisions. Jury trials are increasingly used ...
in 2010, the plaintiffs' attorneys called witnesses from across county government in an attempt to demonstrate a countywide policy of discrimination. Jones denied any discrimination. Testimony revealed that during the first five years of Jones' term in office, the number of white senior county managers had dropped from 61 to 57, and the number of African-American senior county managers had risen from 33 to 61. On April 2, 2010, the jury awarded damages to two of the four plaintiffs (to Bryant, who died before the trial, and to John Drake). The jury found DeKalb County liable for intentional discrimination. The jury found that Jones, Stogner, and Drew "created and maintained a
hostile work environment In United States labor law, a hostile work environment exists when one's behavior within a workplace creates an environment that is difficult or uncomfortable for another person to work in, due to illegal discrimination. However, a working environm ...
"; they were ordered to pay $185,000 in damages, which was lower than the $2 million requested by plaintiffs. Jones was ordered to personally pay $27,750 in damages, which was covered by DeKalb County's liability insurance policy. While the verdict was initially hailed as a victory for Jones, the judge later awarded the plaintiffs an additional $1.9 million in legal fees. In a post-trial settlement, DeKalb County ultimately agreed to pay the plaintiffs a total of $1.3 million for legal fees and damages.


References


External links

* , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Vernon 1960 births Protesters in or near the January 6 United States Capitol attack Candidates in the 2022 United States House of Representatives elections County executives in Georgia (U.S. state) Georgia (U.S. state) Democrats Georgia (U.S. state) Republicans Living people Democratic Party members of the Georgia House of Representatives North Carolina Central University alumni People from Lincoln County, North Carolina African-American state legislators in Georgia (U.S. state) Black conservatism in the United States 21st-century African-American politicians 20th-century African-American politicians Candidates in the 2008 United States elections Candidates in the 2010 United States elections African-American candidates for the United States Senate 21st-century members of the Georgia General Assembly