Photo courtesy of the OC Register.
Summary: A former teacher slit his own throat in court after he was found guilty of sexually assaulting a child.
A former teacher convicted of raping a 13-year-old relative got even more disgusting when he cut his own throat inside the Southern California courthouse.
According to Buzzfeed, Jeffrey Scott Jones, 56, was found guilty of two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child and one count of continuous sexual abuse of a child. When he heard the jury’s decision, he took what authorities assume was a razor blade, and he slit his own throat. Orange County sheriff deputies immediately restrained the pedophile and got him treatment. He is expected to survive the injury.
Jones’ attorney, Ed Wellbourn, said he was shocked. He added that Jones had never displayed an indication of mental illness.
“It was totally unexpected and very unfortunate,” Wellbourne said to the OC Register.
A spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department stated that everyone who enters the courthouse goes through a security check, which includes a metal detector. It is unclear how Jones obtained the razor or how he snuck it in.
Jones had been a high school English teacher in Orange County for 27 years. In 2012-2013, he allegedly began to molest his underage relative, and in May of 2013, he escalated his abuse and raped her on multiple occasions.
Jones was arrested in 2013, and he had been out on bail ever since. He is expected to return to court on November 4 for sentencing. He faces life in prison.
The county is offering counseling services to any staff or jury member who witnessed the horrific ordeal.
Source: Buzzfeed, OC Register