Jones Draws Probation, Fine After Plea of No Contest

Edwin A. Jones, the Ventura County supervisor charged with lewd conduct and indecent exposure, pleaded no contest Wednesday to lesser charges of disturbing the peace and public drunkenness under an agreement between his attorney and a Los Angeles city attorney.

Jones was sentenced in San Fernando Municipal Court by Judge Morton Rochman to two years’ probation and a $1,000 fine. Rochman also ordered the three-term supervisor to continue attending alcohol-abuse and psychological counseling sessions, which Jones began after an incident in which he was charged with making obscene gestures to a woman while he stood naked in the doorway of a Studio City motel room.

Subdued Voice

Appearing nervous but unemotional, Jones, 55, sat with his wife, Patricia, in the courtroom gallery during most of the five-minute proceeding. Jones stepped forward and answered Rochman in a firm but subdued voice when asked if he concurred in the arrangement worked out for his plea. A plea of no contest is the legal equivalent of a guilty plea.

The city attorney’s office sought the lesser charges after its only purported eyewitness, 22-year-old Cozette Smith, declined to testify against Jones, according to Deputy City Atty. George Schell.

The police report alleged that Jones motioned suggestively to Smith, who was a resident of the Charles Motel on Ventura Boulevard. Jones said that he had rented a room at the motel on June 12 with a girlfriend.

Smith hailed a police car driving through the motel’s courtyard on routine patrol. Two officers questioned Jones, who was “extremely intoxicated” and moved in “a threatening nature” toward police, the police report stated. Police responded by spraying tear gas in his face.

But Smith recently told city attorneys that she did not wish to testify because she wanted to avoid public attention, Schell said. “Given her great unwillingness to testify . . . she would have been a very questionable witness,” Schell said.

Still, Schell said he was pleased with the sentence. “This is the most we would have expected from a conviction on the original charges. I don’t believe this is the type of factual situation that would have demanded a jail term,” he said.

Jones Apologizes

In a written statement to the news media, Jones apologized for the disturbance caused by his intoxication.

“I had obviously been drinking far too much, or I would have never been in such a stupid situation,” he said.

Jones explained the altercation with police as stemming from “a combination of my feeling of frustration because I had done nothing outside that room and of pain from a longstanding back injury that caused me to react as I did.”

He said he has sought out programs on alcohol abuse and marital counseling, for a time attending two group meetings and one individual session every week.

Rochman ordered Jones to continue the counseling for at least six months. A report detailing his progress will be filed with the court on April 4, 1986.

Will Reassess Drinking Habits

For his part, Jones said, the incident spurred a reassessment of his drinking habits. “It revealed an alcohol problem I didn’t think I had.”

He also reiterated his innocence of the sex-related charges.

Standing at his side through an impromptu press conference outside the San Fernando courthouse, his wife, Patricia Jones, said she was “elated this has turned out the way it has.”

“I believe in forgiveness,” she said.

The supervisor said his wife and five children have supported him, and he vowed, “I’m certainly not going to let them down.”

Under pressure from fellow supervisors after charges were filed, Jones stepped down as chairman of the Ventura County Board of Supervisors. He said Wednesday he hasn’t decided yet whether to seek reelection. His current term ends in January, 1987, and a primary election is scheduled for June, 1986.

Jones’ critics have predicted that his legal problems will assure a strong challenge if he runs again. Supporters of Thousand Oaks Councilwoman Madge Schaefer launched a committee two weeks ago to explore a possible run against Jones, although Schaefer said the move is unrelated to Jones’ legal case.

“We’ll just have to wait and see what their verdict is,” Jones said of public reaction to the case’s outcome. “I think I’ll pick up very rapidly on what they’re thinking.”

Ventura County political figures Wednesday agreed that the political future of the Thousand Oaks Republican, once viewed as secure, has been harmed by the case. But they differed as to the extent of the damage.

“A political reputation has been seriously questioned here,” said David Irwin, a Thousand Oaks stockbroker and organizer of the Ed Jones Legal Fund, a drive to defray Jones’ legal expenses that has raised more than $6,000.

“Once he’s charged, it’s done the damage,” Irwin said. “The question is, did the LAPD have a case? It sure doesn’t look like it to me.”

“There’s been a loss of credibility, no question about it,” Thousand Oaks Mayor Lawrence E. Horner said.

George Webb, chairman of the Ventura County Democratic Central Committee, said: “I expect to see others running against Jones and one issue is going to be Ed’s character. He did not exonerate himself.”

Yet those interviewed, both Republicans and Democrats, conceded that Jones remains a formidable political presence with a reputation for constituent service in his heavily Republican 2nd District, which includes Thousand Oaks, Newbury Park and southern Camarillo.

“There are very few people here who could have survived as well as he has,” Webb acknowledged.

“Ed’s always been a tough campaigner and the people of his district respond,” said Supervisor James Dougherty, who represents Simi Valley and Moorpark and who took over the board chairmanship from Jones. “He’s been a good supervisor.”

The judgment also may clear the way for Jones to resume his duties as a part-time instructor at Los Angeles Valley College in Van Nuys, although the matter will be subject to administrative review, said Norm Schneider, Los Angeles Community College District spokesman.

If Jones is reinstated, he may be able to resume teaching in the spring semester, which begins in January, Schneider said.

Jones, who taught night classes in political science, was suspended on June 21 under the district’s policy of automatic suspension of instructors charged with sex-related crimes. Jones said he would seek reinstatement to that post this month.