AUGUSTA — An Augusta man facing nearly two dozen charges — with at least one tied to breaking into a church in the city — will have most of those charges dismissed if he stays out of trouble and pays his victims restitution over the next three years, according to officials.
Jarod Jones, 19, was initially charged with more than 20 counts by Augusta police and the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office for crimes that took place in four different incidents in May and April of 2022. Most of the charges were related to thefts or burglaries in Augusta.
Jones pleaded guilty and was sentenced Thursday to 45 days in jail on three of the charges, which were misdemeanor-level counts of theft by unauthorized taking, criminal mischief and violating conditions of release.
He also pleaded guilty to 17 other charges, the most serious being a felony-level charge of burglary. Jones has yet to be sentenced on those charges.
If Jones complies with the terms of a deferred disposition agreement struck with state prosecutors, all but four of those charges would be dismissed, including the felony-level charge, leaving him with four misdemeanor charges on his criminal record.
Terms of that agreement, according to Michael Madigan, an assistant district attorney for Kennebec County, include that Jones pay restitution to his victims. He must also not commit more crimes during the three-year term of the agreement.
If Jones commits crimes or fails to meet other terms of the agreement, he could face the full slate of 17 charges against him, including the lone felony-level burglary count.
The felony-level charge to which Jones pleaded guilty, which will be dismissed if he complies with the agreement, is from a May 2, 2022, break-in at Penney Memorial United Baptist Church at 393 Water St. in Augusta, where police responding to a report of a burglary occurring found a broken window, blood inside the building, indications that food had been consumed or taken from the kitchen and blood on a package of bandages, all inside the church.
Madigan said Augusta police later located Jones, who was walking with a backpack around the church building. Officers asked to speak with him, and noticed he had a splint on his finger that matched the bandage packaging they had found, bloodied, inside the church.
Augusta police also said Jones’ shoes matched prints at the crime scene. He later admitted to police he had entered the church and eaten food.
During that investigation, Madigan said, police located items in Jones’ backpack that lead to them to charge him with 16 misdemeanor-level charges, including theft by unauthorized use, burglary of a motor vehicle and criminal mischief.
Several of the charges against Jones involved his taking vehicles, in some cases vehicles he had damaged or from which he had taken items, resulting in unauthorized use of property, burglary of a motor vehicle and criminal mischief charges.
Jones was also charged with multiple counts of receiving stolen property. The stolen items included a firearm taken from a man in Augusta, a debit or credit card and tools from a man in Augusta, a debit card and steering wheel cover from a man in Augusta, an electric bicycle from a man in Augusta and a vape pen and an iPad from a woman in Augusta, according to court documents.
Jones is due back in court in June 2026, at the end of the agreement’s term.
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