Stepfather Arrested - Nitf - Greeneville Sun
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Stepfather Arrested
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O.J. Early
Erick Eugene Jones Jr. stands for his first appearance in Greene County General Sessions Court this morning on charges of aggravated child abuse and neglect.
Ken Little | Updated 7 hours ago
Erick Eugene Jones Jr. made his first appearance this morning in Greene County General Sessions Court.
Jones, 21, is charged with two counts of aggravated child abuse and neglect in connection with the Dec. 17 deaths of two small children in a house at 304 N. Hardin St.
The alleged victims are Kynsleigh Easterly, who would have been 15 months old on Christmas Day, and Trinity Jones, 2, months old.
Security was heavy as Jones was escorted down from the Greene County Detention Center to appear before Judge Kenneth Bailey Jr.
Jones told Bailey that he will hire his own lawyer. A return court date of March 2 was set. At that time, a preliminary hearing may be held.
Jones, who had been living in the same North Hardin Street house where the infant and toddler died Wednesday, was charged early Saturday with the two felony counts and held on no bond until this morning.
Bailey set bond at $350,000 for each charge, a total of $700,000. Jones, standing next to other inmates waiting to have their cases heard, slowly shook his head before being taken back to the jail.
WARRANTS SERVED
Jones' arrest warrants state that he "did commit a crime in violation (of the law) by the act of abuse and/or neglect" against Kynsleigh Easterly and Trinity Jones.
A family source and a funeral announcement have identified Trinity Jones as Trinity Tweed, but police records refer to the infant as Trinity Jones.
Aggravated child abuse and neglect is a Class A felony.
Circumstances surrounding the deaths of the infant and toddler were not detailed in the arrest warrants or a news conference held Saturday afternoon at the Greeneville Police Department.
Jones is not the father of either girl, police Detective Capt. Timothy Davis said. But he is listed in two funeral announcements published Saturday in The Greeneville Sun as the children's stepfather.
Jones, mother Kendra Tweed and the two girls all lived at the North Hardin Street address. Neighbors said they recently moved to North Hardin Street.
911 CALL MADE
All were in the North Hardin Street house when Easterly was discovered "in distress" and a call was made at 7:48 a.m. Wednesday to county 911 Dispatch.
Trinity Jones was located in the house after first responders arrived. Both girls were rushed to Takoma Regional Hospital's emergency room, where they were pronounced dead.
Autopsies were conducted at the William Jenkins Forensic Center of the James H. Quillen College of Medicine in Johnson City.
Davis said at the news conference that investigators wouldn't speculate on possible causes of death.
"It's an ongoing investigation. It may be several months before we get the autopsy reports," he said.
Preliminary autopsy findings released to investigators "are strictly for investigative purposes," Davis said.
Further details "will become available as the district attorney sees fit," he added.
'FINDING JUSTICE'
The first interview by investigators of adults in the house was on Wednesday. Erick Jones was not initially detained.
"We believe we are in the process of finding justice for those two children," Davis said.
Davis would not comment about the status of the mother in the investigation.
Obituary notices identified Kynsleigh Easterly as the daughter of Kendra Tweed and Kurtis Lewis, both of Greeneville.
Trinity Jones (listed as Trinity Tweed in the obituary) is identified as the daughter of Kendra Tweed and Michael Story, of Greeneville.
The family was to receive friends from 10 a.m. to noon today in Kiser-Rose Hill Funeral Home, with a funeral service following at noon in the funeral home chapel.
OFFICERS AFFECTED
Many of the police officers, first responders and hospital employees who had contact with the girls are also parents, Davis said.
"Any time children or the very elderly are involved in a criminal activity and are victims, it affects us more than any other time," he said. "Most of us have children and we can't help that to affect us more and more."
Assisting Greeneville police with the ongoing investigation are the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the 3rd Judicial District Attorney General's Office and the Child Protective Services Division of the state Department of Children's Services.
"It's been a team effort and it's been a trying time, as this has touched all of our lives as well as the community," Davis said.
ENCOUNTERS WITH POLICE
Erick E. Jones Jr. has been arrested at least twice since July and charged with incidents involving alleged violence to women, according to police reports in Sun archives.
Jones was charged Oct. 9 with aggravated domestic assault in connection with an Oct. 8 incident, Greeneville police said in a report.
Jones allegedly assaulted a woman at a Forest Hills Drive house. A witness told police officers that Jones "became enraged" and punched the victim in the face with his fist, knocking her out, according to the report.
A doctor at Laughlin Memorial Hospital told the alleged victim she likely had a broken jaw, the report said.
Jones was charged July 3 with two counts of aggravated domestic assault in connection with an incident on May 20, authorities said in a report.
Jones allegedly entered an apartment in the Greeneville Terrace Apartments, causing the occupant to fear for her safety and the safety of her children, a report said.
The alleged victim fled to a neighbor's apartment and Jones allegedly kicked in the front door, the report said.
The woman told Greeneville police that Jones grabbed her by her hair and choked her, the report said.
Both cases against Jones are pending.
PLACED ON PROBATION
Another case from earlier this year resulted in Jones being placed on probation. In July, he entered a guilty plea to vandalism under $500. Jones had been charged with aggravated burglary, burglary and vandalism.
At a General Session Court appearance in July, Jones was sentenced to 11 months 29 days suspended to 10 days in jail, with the balance on probation, ordered to pay restitution of $300, be restrained from the victim, and fined $50 and court costs.
Jones was charged Saturday with aggravated child abuse and neglect under a Tennessee statute sometimes referred to as "Haley's Law." The law makes it a Class A felony to abuse a child who is under the age of 9 in a way that leads to bodily injury.
Haley's Law was created in remembrance of a 2004 case in Campbell County involving a girl known as "Baby Haley."