Travis Everett Jones

La Plata, MD – Travis Everett Jones, 30 of Baltimore, tried his best during his trial back in June to convince Charles County Circuit Court Judge H. James West that because someone had misspelled his middle name, they had the wrong man.

Jones refused to listen to his mother who consistently pled with him to get legal representation. He went to court without a lawyer and was convicted by a circuit court jury June 7 of possession of Oxycodone with intent to distribute, conspiracy to distribute a narcotic and obtaining the drugs with a false prescription.

Jones continued his insistence throughout the sentencing Thursday, July 28, that the defendant needed sentencing, but he, however, is not the man police arrested Sept. 17, 2014 with 150 Oxycodone pills worth $4,500 and a fraudulent prescription slip used to obtain the drugs.

Officers testified at the trial that receipts found with the pills indicated the drugs were paid for in cash and receipts showed cash change was rendered in the transaction. Jones, he said, was the only occupant of the vehicle Sept. 17 with cash in his pockets.

The defendant continued stressing his innocence, even to the point of refusing a letter from the clerk of Charles County Circuit Court while he was incarcerated, claiming he wasn’t that person.

“This is a very serious case with very serious consequences,” West told Jones at his sentencing.

“You’d have to find the real defendant,” Jones said. “I had nothing to do with this trial or this sentencing.”

Court was interrupted when the defendant’s mother, Vicki Jones, of Baltimore, was found to be recording proceedings on her cell phone. A clerk for Judge Amy J. Bragunier, who happened to be in the courtroom, was sitting behind the woman and pointed it out to the court officer, who seized the woman’s phone and took it to the judge.

What had been recorded on the phone was deleted and Vicki Jones eventually had her phone returned.

“I could have charged you with criminal contempt which could include incarceration,” the judge admonished. “Why would you do that? I would hate to see you go to jail for something you can go to the clerk’s office and get. They could give you a copy of the transcript.”

When proceedings resumed, Jones continued to assert his innocence.

“They seized me illegally from the Baltimore Detention Center,” he said. “They got the wrong defendant.”

“Twelve jurors thought otherwise,” West countered, sentencing Jones to a flat sentence of 18 years in the Maryland Department of Corrections with no probation and gave him credit for 172 days for time already served.

Charles County Assistant State’s Attorney Jonathan Beattie had offered Jones a plea bargain before he ever went to trial in June. The deal was if he pleaded guilty he would be released with time served.

Jones rejected that offer, and repeatedly said he would defend himself when offered help from the Office of the Public Defender.

He chose to go forward with no legal representation.

Link to previous story: http://www.thebaynet.com/articles/0616/man-could-have-been-freed-now-faces-40-years.html

Contact Joseph Norris at joe.norris@thebaynet.com.