Andrea Rosebrock 
In the brutal dog killing in 2006, Jeffrey Paul Jones, 44, of 3557 Napier Ave., faced five felony and misdemeanor charges: aggravated animal cruelty, giving a false statement, unlawful trapping, abandonment of a dead dog on the private property of another and giving a false name.
He nearly decapitated and brutally killed a 9 yr old mix breed dog, Emax, belonging to Otis Redding III when it wandered onto his property. Jones’ claim was that he was protecting his property and chickens, which he was keeping illegally inside the Macon town limits.
After only about an hours deliberation the juror returned a guilty verdict on the five counts, ending the five-day trial.
Jones has admitted to trapping and killing Emax, a 9-year-old mixed-breed pitbull, between May 19 and May 20 at his former Hill Street residence.
George McCommon, Macon’s city veterinarian, testified Thursday that Emax had suffered three neck lacerations, which damaged the dog’s spine and were caused by a machete.
Jones disposed of the dog’s body behind a nearby vacant home and later discarded the weapon in a Dumpster.
In her closing argument, Bibb County assistant district attorney Kim Schwartz described Jones as a fixated criminal who stopped at nothing to protect the chickens and rental property he called “sovereign ground.”
“Having those chickens (inside the city limits) was against the law and the defendant knew it. But Jeffery Jones was going to do it anyway. He was going to set up a chicken farm right in the middle of downtown Macon,” Schwartz said.
“He was obsessed … and that obsession eventually led to the death of Max.”
Schwartz cited various pieces of evidence to depict Jones’ state of mind approaching the time of Emax’s killing.
Included was a drawing by Jones of cats and dogs in crosshairs that read “Rifle Range Advisory.”
” ‘Range’ is going on the offensive. He was making a plan to hunt down and kill the dogs in the neighborhood,” she said. “Did he kill Max because he reasonably believed Max was a threat or did he kill Max because he was angry and out for revenge?”
Jones had kept chickens in a pen outside at his rental home. Before Emax’s death, some dogs had entered the coop and killed the birds. Jones purchased replacement chickens and attached leghold traps to a tree near his backyard to catch other predators.
The night Emax was trapped, Jones’ chickens were in a brooding box inside the home.
Jeffery Powers, one of Jones’ lawyers, argued Friday that his client long had been the victim of “unleashed, unrestrained animals that continued to wreak havoc on Riverside Drive Lane and Hill Street.”
“Animal Control just wasn’t going to do anything,” Powers said.
Jones’ defense team alleged that Emax’s owner, Otis Redding III, had been the recipient of favors from law enforcement who investigated the case, citing a “velvet rope” to the top of the rank and file.
“This was a sensational case that received royal treatment,” Powers said, because Redding is the son of the late soul singer Otis Redding.
Jones addressed the court before he was sentenced.
“I felt like my back was against the wall. If my animals were to be safe, this had to be done,” he said. “If I could go back and undo it all, I would.”
Schwartz said the verdict was multi-fold.
“We were particularly concerned about the defendant, not only because of the horrendous nature of this crime,” she said, “but also because of the statistical scientific connection between (people who commit) violence against animals and (people who commit) violence against humans … and that the potential for future violent crimes would be the case.” (Macon.com)
This case should be a complete mistrial. Below is one of many statements from people who have known Jeffery Jones for the majority is life explaining why.
Jeffery Paul Jones was an Animal Lover and a Responsible Pet Owner
One week ago, Jeffery Jones was sentenced to 6 years in prison for
defending his property and the lives of his PETS from an animal with a
known history of violence against both humans and other animals. I have
known Mr. Jones for over 40 years. He has always been an animal lover
and has owned MANY dogs over the years. His dogs, as with all of his
pets, have always been exceptionally well-cared for and properly
restrained to prevent them from causing harm or damage to people, property or
other animals. The dog that Mr. Jones killed was a Pit Bull – in 2002,
this very same Pit Bull charged a Macon postal carrier from behind and
bit him. According to Georgia’s laws regarding dangerous dogs, this
dog should have been “put to sleep” back in 2002 – had it been my
dog, or yours, it would have been. Not this dog – it was quarantined for
7 days, and then it was immediately back on the street chasing
pedestrians and this same postal carrier. Why was this dog spared? Being the
son of the famous Otis Redding apparently has its benefits. Macon
does have leash laws, yet this dog and the other two that Mr. Jones
caught in his yard chewing on the dead bodies of 36 of his PETS were
allowed to run free despite numerous contacts with Animal Control. Otis III
and the other dog owners should have been ticketed and made to pay
restitution – yet no citations were ever issued. The fact that the dog
was even in Mr. Jones’s yard was a violation of the law – so why was Mr.
Redding not punished? He should have an equal share in the sentence
of Mr. Jones. His irresponsibility and neglect are equally to blame,
yet nothing was done to him. Celebrity favoritism prevailed. The
coroner estimated the dog lived no more than 30 second – a quick and decisive
blow. Some people may think this too extreme, but it is MUCH quicker
and more humane than the gas chamber methods used by the animal shelter
and PETA.
Don’t forget that Mr. Jones lost 36 of his PETS to this vicious dog
– 36 PETS killed vs. 1 PET killed. Mr. Jones loved his birds – I have
heard him call them all by different names and discuss, in detail, the
distinct personality traits of each individual bird. He loved his
birds – at the very least as much as Mr. Redding loved his dog. Why
should one person’s pet preference be deemed more worthy or valuable than
another’s? What if this Pit Bull had killed 36 other dogs? Or 36
cats? Or 36 horses? Mr. Jones took the only course of action he felt that
he had left to defend his PETS after talking to the neighbors and
calling Animal Control failed. How many PETS should a person allow to be
killed before they do something to stop the slaughter? What has to
happen before the favoritism shown the Redding family stops? Everybody
needs to ask themselves – next time it might be you. Jeffery Paul Jones
is NOT a horrible person – he is a hard-working intelligent honest human
being who acted to protect his property and the lives of his animals
from a vicious beast that had attacked and killed before. 6 years is
too much for the life of a dog, especially one proven to be violent and
dangerous. Whatever the sentence, Otis Redding III and the City of
Macon Animal Control office should be sentenced equally for their neglect -
they are equally to blame and should be held equally accountable.