Published: October 20, 2009 11:43 pm      

Man pleads guilty to threatening code enforcement officer

A local man has pleaded guilty to making threats against a code enforcement officer who was working for the City of Greenville.

Jerrell Dwayne Jones entered the plea during a hearing Tuesday morning in the 196th District Court. Under a plea bargain arrangement, Jones was placed on five years of deferred adjudication probation with a $300 fine and was ordered to complete 100 hours of community service. Jones was also ordered to write a letter of apology to the officer.

Jones was not indicted, but took responsibility for, a separate allegation of evading arrest in October 2008. The sentence Jones would have received if convicted of the charge was considered as part of his punishment for the retaliation charge.

Jones, 25, of Greenville, was indicted by the Hunt County grand jury in June on one count of retaliation against a public servant. Jones was alleged to have threatened to assault a City of Greenville Code Enforcement Officer, while the officer was on duty, on April 21.

Deferred adjudication carries no finding of guilt, although those defendants who are found to have violated a deferred probation are subject to being sentenced to the maximum punishment. Jones was facing a maximum sentence upon conviction of from two to 10 years in prison and an optional fine of up to $10,000.