Jewell Jones (born April 11, 1995) is an American politician from the

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

. He served on the

city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

Inkster, Michigan Inkster is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2010 census, the city population was 25,369. History The area was originally inhabited by Native Americans. It was settled by non-indigenous people in 1825. A post offi ...

, and was elected to represent the

11th district 11 (eleven) is the natural number following 10 and preceding 12. It is the first repdigit. In English, it is the smallest positive integer whose name has three syllables. Name "Eleven" derives from the Old English ', which is first attested i ...

of the

Michigan House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2010 ...

as the youngest representative in state history. He is a member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

Early life and education

Jones's parents involved him in his church and in volunteering from a young age. He became a

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...

in his family church. Jones graduated from John Glenn High School in

Westland, Michigan Westland is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located about west of downtown Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 84,094. It is the 10th largest city and 12th largest municipality in Mich ...

, in 2013. He is a student at the

University of Michigan–Dearborn The University of Michigan–Dearborn (U of M Dearborn, UM–Dearborn, or UMD) is a public university in Dearborn, Michigan. It is one of the two regional universities operating under the policies of the University of Michigan Board of Regents, ...

, where he is pursuing a Dual-Degree in Business and Political Science. He participated in the

Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps The Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps (AROTC) is the United States Army component of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps. It is the largest Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) program which is a group of college and university-based offic ...

. During his years in school, he became involved in politics, working on the political campaigns of

David Knezek David M. Knezek Jr. (born August 13, 1986) is an American politician who represents the 8th district on the Wayne County Commission. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Prior to his appointment to the Wayne County Commission in 2020, he serv ...

for

Michigan State Senate The Michigan Senate is the upper house of the Michigan Legislature. Along with the Michigan House of Representatives, it composes the state legislature, which has powers, roles and duties defined by Article IV of the Michigan Constitution, ado ...

and Hilliard Hampton for mayor of

, in 2014. In 2015, at the age of 20, he was elected and sworn into the Inkster City Council, becoming the youngest councilperson in the city's history.

Career

Inkster City Council

Jones was elected to the Inkster City Council at the age of 20, becoming the youngest person to ever sit on the city council. As an Inkster City Councilman, Jones focused on the city's education system.

Michigan House of Representatives

Following the death of Julie Plawecki, the

incumbent The incumbent is the current holder of an official, office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seek ...

member of the

for the 11th district, in 2016, Lauren Plawecki, her daughter, was the only candidate to file for the

nomination in the

special election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-larges ...

to finish her term, which she won. However, precinct delegates selected Jones to be the Democratic Party's nominee for the 11th district in the 2016 general election. He won, receiving 66% of the vote against Republican Party nominee Robert Pope, and became the youngest State Representative in Michigan's history.

Personal life

Jones campaigned for

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

in the 2016 election. On May 26, 2018, Jones was pulled over for speeding, window tint, and having an obstructed license plate. He was cited for driving with open intoxicants, although officers stated that Jones and all of the passengers were sober. His

arraignment Arraignment is a formal reading of a criminal charging document in the presence of the defendant, to inform them of the charges against them. In response to arraignment, the accused is expected to enter a plea. Acceptable pleas vary among jurisd ...

for the

misdemeanor A misdemeanor (American English, spelled misdemeanour elsewhere) is any "lesser" criminal act in some common law legal systems. Misdemeanors are generally punished less severely than more serious felonies, but theoretically more so than adm ...

charges was set for August 24, 2018. On April 6, 2021, Jones was arrested on charges stemming from a motor vehicle accident. Paramedics arrived first and observed a woman with her pants down, and Jones with his pants partially down. When police arrived, Jones was charged with resisting and obstructing a police officer, operating a motor vehicle with high blood alcohol content, operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, possession of a weapon under the influence of alcohol and reckless driving. During the arrest, Jones told officers that he would call governor

Gretchen Whitmer Gretchen Esther Whitmer (born August 23, 1971) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the 49th governor of Michigan since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, she served in the Michigan House of Representatives from 2001 to 2006 a ...

, and warned the officers that he runs the state budget. Jones's attorney denied that he resisted the arrest, and said that his statements regarding the governor and the budget were made in an attempt to stop the officers from using excessive force. On September 15, after being arraigned, Jones was found to have attempted to smuggle a handcuff key into the jail. The key was attached to the bottom of his foot, with clear tape. Following his arrest, Jones was stripped of his committee assignments in September 2021.

References

External links

*
Jewell Jones
at Michigan House Democrats {{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Jewell 1995 births Living people Michigan city council members African-American state legislators in Michigan Democratic Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives People from Inkster, Michigan University of Michigan–Dearborn alumni Military personnel from Michigan 21st-century American politicians African-American city council members in Michigan 21st-century African-American politicians Michigan politicians convicted of crimes