FREDERICKTOWN – The Fredericktown officer involved in Knox County’s first police shooting since 2014 carries a clean professional track record, and was recently commended by Chief Kyle Johnson for his decision-making skills, records show.
Knox Pages obtained and reviewed Patrolman Josh Jones’ 267-page personnel file last week through a public records request filed with the police department. Jones was involved in an incident June 17 where he fired shots at a suspect who appeared to point a gun towards him during a traffic stop.
The suspect, later identified as Darren L. Price, fled and remained at-large for nearly a week. He was apprehended by law enforcement July 24 in North Liberty and is currently being held in the Knox County Jail.
Jones was placed on paid administrative leave following the incident, per department protocol, while the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation completes its investigation.
The Fredericktown Police Department posted Monday on Facebook that it is currently looking for a new full-time officer. Johnson said this search is “not at all tied” to Jones’ absence.
“Prior to the shooting, we were advertising for a school resource officer,” Johnson explained. “And I got applications for it, but I also had an internal applicant interested, and it’s looking like it’s probably gonna be the internal applicant who gets it.
“That opens up a regular patrol position.”
Jones’ personnel file offers an in-depth glimpse into the officer’s professional background.
Jones began working at the age of 16, while attending Mount Vernon High School. He graduated in 2011 with a 3.8 GPA, then enrolled in Central Ohio Technical College’s Law Enforcement Technology program.
Jones held various jobs while enrolled in college, mostly in retail and fast food. He graduated from the OPOTA Basic Police Academy in 2013 with a 3.8 GPA. Jones then earned his associate’s degree from COTC in 2014, finishing college with a 3.5 GPA.
Jones held his first job in law enforcement at the age of 22, working security for AlliedBarton in Upper Arlington. After graduation, he took a position with the Put-In-Bay Police Department, where he worked as a patrolman during the 2014 summer season. He then joined the Utica Police Department as a part-time officer in 2015.
The most notable blemish on Jones’ record to-date came in June 2016, nearly one year into his tenure at Utica. A citizen wrote a letter to Mayor Lester Grennell, saying Jones “cussed out” his 16-year-old son during a traffic stop.
Jones admitted to asking the boy “Why are you driving like an ass—-?” and was punished for his actions.
“In reference to this complaint, it was decided to ‘change status’ of Patrolman Jones from part-time and offer him re-training at an auxiliary status, in lieu of dismissal from the Village of Utica Police Department,” Chief Clifford Bigler wrote in a letter dated June 17, 2016.
Bigler said Jones accepted this demotion, and was “also aware he will receive no monetary compensation from the Village while in this status.” With additional training and approval from department leadership, Jones could potentially return to part-time status one day, Bigler said.
Less than a month later, Jones applied to become a part-time patrolman at the Fredericktown Police Department. He was hired by then-Chief Roger Brown for the position on August 15, 2016.
Since Jones has worked in Fredericktown, he has quickly risen through the ranks. He was hired as a full-time officer in June 2018, less than two years after joining the force.
His annual evaluation forms show consistent progress – after earning mostly 3s and 4s on his first two annual evaluations, Jones now earns 4s and 5s.
He was praised by Johnson in February for his work ethic and professionalism. Jones led the department in traffic citations (and warnings) in 2020, as well as criminal cases.
“Your work ethic and dedication to the department is noticed and is greatly appreciated,” Johnson wrote in his evaluation. “You also continue to be someone that I can trust to make sound decisions in my absence. Your overall performance sets an excellent example for other officers to follow.”
Jones’ biggest area of improvement over the last four years, according to remarks from superiors in evaluation forms, has been his decision-making.
Johnson told Jones in 2019 to “force yourself to slow down and thoroughly assess everything that you are handling.” Similar remarks were made in Jones’ 2018 and 2017 evaluations. Now, however, Jones receives high marks for his poise under pressure.
“I am very pleased with your decision-making,” Johnson wrote in February. “You do a great job of assessing a situation, considering all of the possibilities, and making a sound decision. I know that I can count on you to make a sound decision in my absence.”
Jones has completed several firearm-related training courses over the years, his personnel file indicates, including a Mount Vernon Police Department course on “Patrol Decision-Making, De-Escalation, and Use of Force” in September 2019. He has also received training from state and local agencies on traffic-stop protocols.
Jones’ file contains dozens of certificates signifying successfully completed training courses in other areas of law enforcement over the last decade.
While Jones has received verbal reprimands for tardiness and occasional procedural missteps during his time in Fredericktown, he has not been suspended or demoted.
He received a citizen complaint last September for reckless driving, but he’s also received praise from citizens for helping out around the community.
Jones was named Knox County CIT Officer of the Year in 2020 for his work with local mental health and addiction professionals, and was also commended privately by other area law enforcement agencies for his diligent record-keeping and professionalism.
Jones was praised by Johnson last year for his role in spearheading the FPD’s record-management system transition, which included collaboration with outside agencies over the course of several months.
Jones, 28, now ranks third in the department in terms of seniority, behind Johnson (who began there in 2011) and part-time patrolman Brandon Jacobson (who began there in 2015). The department currently employs five full-time officers and one part-time patrolman.
Back in 2014, when Jones was applying for his first part-time patrolman position at the Put-In-Bay Police Department, he said graduating from COTC and the police academy was his “greatest life experience” to-date because he was “proving people wrong.” He said he wanted to become a police officer because he wanted to “help people out.”
Three years later, when he was hired by Fredericktown, he said he’d reached another personal peak.
“I just want to thank you and Chief for giving me the opportunity to come to Fredericktown,” Jones wrote to Johnson in his 2017 self-evaulation. “Fredericktown PD was in the top 3 places that I had wanted to work when I made the decision to become a police officer and go through the academy. Now that I am here, I have no desire to leave.
“This has been such a great opportunity and I have learned so much. I believe the change has made me a better officer. I also believe I still have so much to offer and look forward to many more years.”
The Knox County Sheriff’s Office, Fredericktown Police Department and BCI continue to investigate the June 17 officer-involved shooting, Knox County Prosecutor Chip McConville said Monday.
Once the investigation is complete, McConville’s office will review all evidence and present it to a grand jury, which will then decide whether or not Jones’ use-of-force was warranted in this case, according to Ohio law.
Steve Irwin, press secretary for the Ohio Attorney General’s Office (which oversees BCI), told Knox Pages recently that investigations of officer-involved shootings typically take 400 hours to complete. He said the timing often depends on the specifics of the case.
“The timeline could be several weeks or a couple months,” Irwin said.
