Man Sentenced to 24 Months in Prison for Multiple Sex Offenses Near School and Threatening Neighbors

            WASHINGTON – Derrick Jones, 54, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 24 months imprisonment for his criminal conduct in two separate cases for masturbating in public, near Bancroft Elementary School in Mt. Pleasant, and then threatening neighbors who asked him to stop. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).  

            Jones pleaded guilty on August 7, 2023, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to eight separate counts in two cases: two counts of attempted threats, one count of threats, two counts of misdemeanor sexual abuse of a child with aggravating circumstances, and three counts of lewd, indecent, or obscene acts before U.S. Superior Court Judge Sean Staples.

            According to court documents, in the afternoon of April 3, 2023, Jones was observed by a neighbor masturbating outside of the neighbor’s apartment building, which is located less than a block away from Bancroft Elementary School. The neighbor, who was with her 11-year-old son, was trying to record Jones’s behavior since, according to the neighbor, this was a routine occurrence during the hours when children were walking to and from school. When Jones observed his neighbor trying to record him on that day, Jones crossed the street in an aggressive manner and made threats to kill the neighbor’s family and their dog.

            On April 6, 2023, a woman was returning home after dropping her nephew off at Bancroft Elementary when she observed Jones outside an apartment masturbating.  Jones made eye contact with the woman and continued his behavior. Additional incidents took place on the morning of April 12, 2023, when Jones again masturbated outside of the apartment building as children were being dropped off at the Bancroft Elementary School, and on April 13, 2023, when Jones exposed himself and masturbated outside of his building as children were walking to school. During that incident, a Bancroft Elementary school crossing guard observed Jones’s behavior, and while another colleague ushered kids to the opposite side of the street out of view, the crossing guard approached Jones and asked him to stop. Jones responded by loudly threatening to “blow y’all up” before going inside an apartment building and returning with a black duffel bag. Not knowing what was in the bag, the crossing guard became even more alarmed and flagged down law enforcement.

            In addition to these incidents, after the defendant’s arrest on April 13, 2023, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Metropolitan Police Department further investigated and located additional victims. In pleading guilty, Jones also admitted that between April 1 and April 13, 2023, he exposed himself and masturbated in front of an 11-year-old girl who lived in a neighboring apartment.  He has been detained since his arrest on April 13, 2023. Jones will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department, with valuable assistance from the U.S. Secret Service, who assisted in the defendant’s apprehension. It was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Jae Friedman and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Wash.