Christian County Commonwealth’s Attorney Rick Boling sent a letter to former Governor Matt Bevin asking him to consider a pardon for Dayton Jones, who admitted to his role in the 2014 sexual assault of a 15-year-old boy.
The letter, written December 7 on letterhead from the Commonwealth Attorney’s office, was published in the Courier-Journal late Thursday morning. In the letter, Boling claimed Jones was targeted by the Democratic party because of a political vendetta against his grandparents Tony and Jackie Jones. Boling said the Jones family were long-time local Democratic supporters but decided they could no longer condone the conduct of the local party, which upset former Commonwealth Attorney Lynn Pryor and other local elected officials. Boling also said the group of young adults was drinking and doing things they knew better. He adds the group had done various things to people in the past. Boling also alleges that former prosecutor Lynn Pryor’s daughter was among the group of young adults from several very prominent families. Boling says Pryor convinced then-Attorney General Andy Beshear to handle the case, which is not normal protocol.
In the letter, Boling claims the case was never a sexual assault because there was no sexual gratification involved. Boling said this was intoxicated teenagers and people in their early 20’s being stupid and immature. Boling also noted that several of the co-defendants in the case had their charges amended from sexual assault to assault, with the sex offender designation and sex offender registry eliminated. He said Jones should have been offered a guilty plea to assault second degree or wanton endangerment first degree.
Boling told the Courier-Journal in an interview Tuesday that he had not spoken to Governor Bevin or anyone in his office. The letter from Boling was obtained by the Courier-Journal the next day.
The Courier-Journal also obtained emails showing that Boling sent a copy of the proposed letter to Jackie Jones and asked her “Does this look okay”. Jones then reportedly forwarded the letter to Bevin’s Chief of Staff, Blake Brickman.
According to Registry of Election Finance records Tony and Jackie Jones contributed $3,000 to Rick Boling’s campaign for Commonwealth’s Attorney.
Jones had his sentence commuted for time served by Governor Bevin Monday, December 9.
Jones and three other young men entered guilty pleas to using a sex toy to sodomize the victim at a party in 2014 at a residence on Lafayette Road. The victim was taken to Tennova Medical Center in Clarksville to be treated for serious injuries sustained in the assault.
Jones agreed to a 10-year sentence for one count of first-degree sodomy, one year for making a video and putting on social media, and four years for a single count of first-degree wanton endangerment. The sentences were set to run consecutively for a total of 15 years in prison. Jones was released from prison after Governor Bevin issued the commutation.
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