Hunter
07/24/20
Officials are limiting the in-person attendance at the firing appeal of Cedar Rapids officer Lucas Jones, but say that it will be available to the public through Facebook Live.
The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports that the hearing is scheduled for two days, August 18th and 19th. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, only attorneys, witnesses and commissioners are allowed in person.
Jones is the officer who shot and paralyzed Jerime Mitchell in November of 2016. Jones, who is white, stopped Mitchell, who is black, during a traffic stop for burnt-out license plate lights. An altercation ensued with Mitchell driving off with Jones hanging off the driver’s side door of Mitchell’s pickup. Jones shot Mitchell 3 times, and he crashed.
A grand jury cleared Jones in the shooting; Mitchell and his wife are suing the city. Jones’ microphone wasn’t working during the stop.
Jones was fired in June for what the city said was “violation of rules and policies,” and that the investigation that led to his termination began in January.
Jones says he was retaliated against for writing a January memo to the commander of the police’s Professional Standards Division that detailed claims from two female officers about inappropriate conduct of a male patrol officer. He claims that his firing violates his rights under the US and Iowa constitutions. He has also accused police chief Wayne Jerman of caving to political pressure from the Black Lives Matter movement and “to please the people above him.”
A public notice of the hearing location will be provided beforehand, when logistics are finalized.
