Questions still remain after Monroe County Sheriff Jeff Jones’ arrest

UNION, W.Va. (WVVA) - Questions remain after the arrest of Monroe County Sheriff Jeff Jones. Jones was arrested last Friday by West Virginia State Police after they say he interfered with an investigation by deceiving the Monroe County Civil Service Commission during the hiring of a deputy under investigation by WVSP.

The deputy was under investigation for allegedly soliciting nude photos from a minor at James Monroe High School.

The Monroe County Commission drafted a resolution to remove Jones in June. It was was set aside pending the investigation into the alleged solicitation done by the deputy. Jones was also accused by the commission of not maintaining his office’s evidence room and using improper techniques on a crime scene.

It’s unclear right now if the commission plans to move forward with removing Jones as sheriff. Commission members have declined to comment on the situation.

It’s also uncertain whether the former deputy who did the alleged solicitation will face any charges. We do know that he resigned voluntarily.

Mercer County Prosecuting Attorney Brian Cochran has been named as special prosecutor for Jones’ case. We reached out to Cochran to see what’s next in the case. Cochran said the investigation into the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department is still ongoing.

We also reached out to Jones by phone to see if he would be willing to comment on the situation but have not heard back.

We will continue to follow developments involving the arrest of Monroe County Sheriff Jeff Jones. We also did reach out to the Monroe County Magistrate Court about Jones’ next court date.

We were told no hearing date has been at this time. Sheriff Jones faces a trio of charges. They are: failure to report as a mandated reporter, obstruction, and deceiving proper standing to county civil service commission.

Jones was arraigned on Friday and was released on a $1,000 personal recognizance bond.

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