FLINT, MI – A former Mt. Morris Township firefighter charged with four counts of criminal sexual conduct after authorities said he sexually assaulted an underage girl will likely face a jury trial later this year after attorneys in his case said neither side could come to an agreement.
Justin Matthew Jones was a firefighter with the Mt. Morris Township Fire Department in December 2018, when he was charged with two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct.
He is on leave from the department, Chief Rick Johnson confirmed Thursday, May 19.
Jones appeared in Genesee County Circuit Court Judge Elizabeth A. Kelly’s courtroom Thursday via Zoom for a final pre-trial hearing during which Jonathan Poulos, an assistant prosecuting attorney with the Genesee County Prosecutor’s office, said the case remained unresolved and should be scheduled for a trial.
“Your honor, I thought at one time we might have been able to forego that,” Poulos told Kelly. “I did have a chance to speak with the victim and her mother on Monday this week, and their position is such that I doubt highly that we’ll be able to find common ground, and I think we just need to have a trial.”
Kelly scheduled a pre-trial hearing for 9:15 a.m. on June 28 to revisit when to schedule the trial. She has previously noted that she has been giving higher priority to trials involving defendants who are lodged in the Genesee County Jail. Jones is free on bond.
Michael Ewing, Jones’ attorney, declined to comment when asked about the case.
Related: Mt. Morris firefighter accused of sexual assault involving 12-year-old girl
Jones was arrested Dec. 13, 2018, and originally arraigned on one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and one count of second-degree criminal sexual conduct. One additional count was added on each charge later in District Court.
First-degree criminal sexual conduct, the most serious of sexual offenses, involves penetration and carries a maximum penalty of life in prison with the possibility of parole. When the victim is under the age of 13, the charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years in prison.
Second-degree criminal sexual conduct, meanwhile, involves serious variations of touching and carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.
The victim in the case was 12 years old at the time of the assaults, police previously told MLive-The Flint Journal.
Read more at The Flint Journal:
Fiancée of Temujin Kensu upset after Michigan AG opts not to challenge 1986 murder conviction
Woman accused of taking money from Mt. Morris youth sports club bound over for trial
Florida man charged in Genesee County sexual assault to have competency evaluation
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