Wilson Man Indicted on Ammunition Charge

RALEIGH – Robert J. Higdon, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, announces that a federal grand jury in Raleigh has returned an indictment charging JOHN DAVID JONES, age 37, of Wilson, with possession of ammunition as a convicted felon.

As alleged in open court during JONES’ detention hearing on October 9, 2019, on January 14, 2019 North Carolina State Highway Patrol Trooper Daniel Harrell conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle JONES was driving.  The defendant fled during the initial stop, firing several rounds into the windshield of Trooper Harrell’s vehicle, striking Trooper Harrell in the face.  JONES then fled the scene. Investigators recovered shell casings from the scene of the shooting, and the defendant’s DNA was found on a recovered shell casing.

At the detention hearing it was determined that JONES would remain in custody until the disposition of the charges against him.  If convicted, JONES would face a maximum of 10 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and a term of up to three years supervised release following any term of imprisonment.

The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

This case is part of the Take Back North Carolina Initiative of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina.  This initiative emphasizes the regional assignment of federal prosecutors to work with law enforcement and District Attorney’s Offices on a sustained basis in those communities to reduce the violent crime rate, drug trafficking, and crimes against law enforcement.  For more information about this initiative, CLICK HERE .

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), United States Marshals Service, North Carolina State Highway Patrol, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, Wilson County Sheriff’s Office, Nash County Sheriff’s Office, and Greenville Police Department investigated this matter.  Assistant United States Attorney Chad E. Rhoades is prosecuting the case for the government.