New details on why Wilkes County sheriff candidate was indicted
WASHINGTON, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - A report from authorities gives new details on what happened to prompt the indictment of a candidate running for Wilkes County sheriff.
District Attorney Bill Doupe said a grand jury returned an attached indictment of Detric Jones for sexual battery, a misdemeanor.
At the time of the incident, Jones was employed by the McDuffie County Board of Education Police Department as a captain.
The incident occurred June 12 within the juvenile justice office in Thomson, according to authorities.
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The victim let Jones in the door through the buzzer system, according to an incident report.
Once Jones was in the office, he started to ask the victims inappropriate questions, according to the incident report.
Soon after the inappropriate remarks, he groped her buttocks several times, placed his hands inside her pants and shirt and tried to kiss her, but she turned her head away so he was only able to kiss the side of her mouth, according to the incident report.
The victim told him that she didn’t want a kiss and told him to stop, but Jones continued with the inappropriate behavior, according to the incident report.
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Authorities observed recordings of Jones making phone calls and text messages to the victim, who was described in the incident report as pale, nervous and scared as she related what had happened.
The victim also showed recordings of Jones in uniform coming toward her and making inappropriate statements, according to the incident report.
Authorities said they saw a hickey on the victim’s neck from the inappropriate interaction.
The victim said she was very uncomfortable and disgusted and did not understand why this happened and that she had seen Jones as a father figure.
Doupe said his office reviewed the file, met with the victim and decided to take the case to the grand jury with an indictment.
Back in 2015, Jones was suspended and assigned to a different school for making inappropriate comments to students after upset parents ed the school board.
Jones just defeated incumbent Mark Moore in the primaries a few months ago.
Jones is not currently a school resource officer at the McDuffie Achievement Center.
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