LANSING, Mich. – A Michigan lawmaker who was arrested for drunken driving and resisting police threatened to call Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and told state troopers it would not be good for them because he oversees their budget, according to an incident report.
Rep. Jewell Jones, an Inkster Democrat, was charged in Livingston County last week after driving his Chevy Tahoe into a ditch along Interstate 96 near Fowlerville around 6 p.m. on April 6, following reports of erratic driving. Police said he became so combative that they had to use a Taser and pepper spray.
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During a struggle to handcuff Jones — who allegedly ignored verbal commands — he warned officers not to hit him while he was pinned on the ground, saying something like it would be “very bad for you. I'll call Gov. Whitmer right now," trooper Kenneth Harden wrote in the report. Jones said he would need their badge numbers when calling the governor, according to the report released late Wednesday through a public records request.
Dashboard videos and body camera footage have not been released, pending public records requests.
Jones, who refused a blood test, had a blood-alcohol content of 0.19% after a warrant was obtained — more than twice the legal limit — police said.
Jones, 26, faces charges including resisting and obstructing officers — a felony — driving with a high blood-alcohol content, reckless driving and possessing a weapon while under the influence. Police said they found a loaded handgun in the cup holder of his vehicle, which had a personalized “ELECTED” license plate.
Jones' attorney, Ali Hammoud, has said he is presumed innocent.
“We are still reviewing evidence in the case" he said Thursday, declining to comment further until the preliminary examination.
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