A Derry Borough man who has been in jail for over a year was found not guilty of resisting arrest last summer.
The Trib reports that 38-year-old Justin Jones was acquitted by Westmoreland County Judge Christopher Feliciani on misdemeanor and summary counts following a nonjury trial. Jones was charged after police said he became violent and pushed one officer to the ground as state police troopers attempted to serve a mental health warrant on July 18, 2022. Jones denied the allegations and before the trial rejected a deal with prosecutors to plead no contest to the resisting arrest charge and be sentenced to the time he has already spent in jail.
Despite the acquittal, Jones will remain in custody as he awaits a ruling from the state parole board, which issued the detainer that has kept him in jail. Jones, according to court records, was convicted of multiple offenses dating back to 2003, including a drunk driving case from Blair County in 2018 and fleeing from police in Westmoreland County in 2020.
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