Rep. Jewell Jones removed from House committee assignments

LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - After sneaking a handcuff key into the jail where he was being held, Michigan Rep. Jewell Jones (D-Inkster) has been removed from his House committee assignments.

Thursday Speaker of the House Jason Wentworth released his decision to remove Rep. Jones from his assignments, saying the 26-year-old’s behavior has been disturbing.

“Rep. Jewell Jones’s increasingly disruptive and distracting behavior in the months following his April arrest has eroded my confidence in his ability to conduct the people’s work,” Wentworth said in a statement. “That behavior hit a new low yesterday when he appears to have made a bizarre attempt to escape from jail, potentially resulting in two new charges. Action must be taken to protect the public’s interest. I am now removing Rep. Jones from all House committees and encouraging him to use that time to make changes and take control of his actions.”

The decision comes just after the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office says Jones brought the key into jail after he was arrested on Tuesday for violating his bond a fourth time.

Since then, two charges, both felonies, have been authorized.

“The Michigan House of Representatives will continue to make sure he has access to every service and every bit of support we have to help him on his journey,” Wentworth stated. “I sincerely hope he finally takes advantage of those opportunities and gets the help he needs. The people he serves are counting on him to do so.”

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