Court records reveal that the ex-chief of the Brookside police department has recently admitted to using his previous badge to evade a traffic stop in south Alabama a couple of years ago.
According to court records, Mike Jones has admitted to impersonating a public servant, after his charge was reduced from impersonating a peace officer, which was initially a felony.
Judge Julie Moody of Covington County has issued a ruling against Jones, requiring him to pay a $25 fine, along with a $350 bail bond fee and attorney’s fees and costs. Additionally, Jones has been ordered to forfeit his police certification.
Judge Moody issued an order on April 24, stating that the Defendant is prohibited from being employed as a peace officer in the state of Alabama.
According to court records, Jones will not be required to serve any jail time as long as he remains law-abiding for the next two years. The Covington County District Attorney’s Office agreed to a plea deal that included a suspension of his three-month sentence.
Jones made a full payment of $621 on May 14, according to court records.
William White, the attorney from Boles Holmes White LLC in Birmingham, did not respond to requests for comment on Wednesday afternoon, according to his client.
In April 2022, Jones was pulled over by a Covington County deputy for driving 78 mph in a 55 zone. According to court records, the deputy stated that Jones had raised a Brookside police badge out of the window. However, it should be noted that Jones had either resigned or been dismissed from the police department of the small town three months prior.
From January 2018 to January 2022, Jones was responsible for the development of the police department in Brookside, a small town located just north of Birmingham, with a population of approximately 1,250 people. An investigation by AL.com revealed that during this period, the department expanded from a single officer to a team of 14, engaging in questionable practices such as targeting drivers and relying on fines and forfeitures to generate nearly half of the town’s income by 2020.
Afterwards, both a state court judge and the Jefferson County District Attorney took action by dismissing numerous cases from Brookside. Additionally, the state conducted an audit of the police department, while the town enlisted the services of an external investigator to examine the police department. State legislators also enacted new laws, one of which limits towns from utilizing fines and forfeitures to exceed 10% of their budgets.
