A Baltimore Police Department crime scene technician was arrested for allegedly possessing drugs and large amounts of cash. Crime scene technicians respond to crime scenes and their job includes dusting for fingerprints and taking photos of victims.
Timika Jones, 37, of the 1600 block of Ashburton Street, and her boyfriend, Clarence Jones Jr, 39, were arrested Nov. 17 and are facing felony drug charges after a major drug bust at their home involving guns, drugs, and more than $100,000 dollars in cash.
Timika Jones, a Baltimore Police Department crime scene technician, and her boyfriend Clarence Jones Jr. were both arrested and charged with multiple drug offenses. (Baltimore Police Department)
According to Maryland’s Case Search, both Jones and her boyfriend are charged with felony charges ranging from Possession of a Narcotic, Possession of Paraphernalia, and Intent to Distribute and Illegal Possession of a Firearm.
“We can’t underscore how disappointed we are to see a member of our agency involved in something like this,” said Baltimore City Police Spokesman T.J Smith in a statement. Smith also said the BPD is looking to “separate employment as soon as possible”.
Police officials said the arrest of one of their own is always disappointing. Jones was hired in the summer of 2015, and while Jones’ role gave her limited access to police resources, the department will still investigate every case she previously worked on.
The investigation began when police received a tip, which lead to a search warrant and subsequent raid in the 1600 block of Ashburton Street in West Baltimore. During their raid, police found two handguns; a .40 caliber Springfield Smith and Western, a .44 Mag Tracker Revolver, and a capsule machine. Investigators also recovered 25 gel capsules containing what is believed to be heroin and $5,000 in cash.
According to the BPD, Jones did not have access to the department’s drug lab or storage facility. A conviction for Jones would compromise every case she had a hand in processing while a crime tech said BPD, especially in cases where she was the only crime tech called to the scene. Not being able to call her to the stand as a witness could jeopardize a number of prosecutions if she’s the only person who can testify.
Jones has been suspended without pay per department policy. Both she and her boyfriend are expected in court on Dec. 14 for a preliminary hearing.
Jones is being held on $250,000 bail and her boyfriend is being held on $300,000 bail at Central Booking. Neither had an attorney listed in court records.