NORRISTOWN — A former Abington Township police officer placed his fate in the hands of a judge after he admitted to having inappropriate contact with two teenage girls while he worked as a school resource officer at Abington High School.
Jordan David Leig Jones, 30, of the unit block of Lumber Jack Circle, pleaded guilty in Montgomery County Court on Wednesday to a felony charge of institutional sexual assault in connection with incidents that occurred with a 17-year-old girl between November 2023 and February 2024. Specifically, Jones admitted to having sexual relations with the girl on five or more occasions.
Additionally, Jones pleaded guilty to a charge of attempted institutional sexual assault in connection with his improper contact with a second female student when she was between the ages of 18 and 19 during the 2022-23 school year. Specifically, Jones admitted he created a relationship with the girl with the intent to have indecent contact with her and took substantial steps toward that goal.
Under Pennsylvania law regarding institutional sexual assault, a person who is a volunteer or an employee of a school or a person who has direct contact with a student commits a felony of the third degree when he or she engages in sexual intercourse, deviate sexual intercourse or indecent contact with a student of the school.
The open guilty plea means Jones has no deals with prosecutors regarding his potential sentence.
Jones faces a possible maximum sentence of 11½ to 23 months in the county jail. However, state sentencing guidelines could allow for a lesser sentence.
Judge Thomas P. Rogers, who will have sole discretion in fashioning the punishment, deferred sentencing so that court officials can complete a background investigation report about Jones.
Jones remains free on bail pending his sentencing hearing.
Assistant District Attorney Lauren E. Marvel vowed to seek jail time against Jones.
“This is a case where someone who was charged with caring for the welfare of children took advantage of that trust and used it for his ability to have access to a 17-year-old girl for sexual gratification. It’s important in any case where someone in a position of trust takes advantage of that, it’s especially egregious when a police officer does it and that’s what we had here,” Marvel said after the hearing explaining why a jail term is warranted.
“The message here is that kids should feel safe and kids should feel especially safe when they are at school and they should be safe around the people that they are taught to trust such as police officers or a school resource officer at their school. When you are in such a position of trust you can’t violate that and especially when you know what the law is, you cannot break it,” added co-prosecutor Margot Weitz.
Jones was represented at the hearing by defense lawyers Matthew Scott Brittenburg and Andrew Joseph Levin, who plan to argue for a sentence of non-confinement, probation or house arrest for Jones.
“Mr. Jones felt he should accept responsibility for his actions and not put anybody through the experience of a trial. As a former police officer he is familiar with the consequences for witnesses and victims who are part of a criminal trial and he knows the toll that it can take on people and he was clear with us from the start that if it was possible to avoid that consequence for the victims he wanted to try to avoid it,” Brittenburg said after the hearing.
“He has always made decisions with Mr. Levin and I in a responsible way and always voiced a concern about the effect this could have on people who had to be witnesses in the case. He wanted us to bring a quick and clear conclusion to the matter for the victims,” Brittenburg added.
Brittenburg said Jones has already suffered “enormous consequences” as a result of his arrest.
“He was a decorated police officer who can no longer uphold that mantle and can never serve the community in that meaningful capacity. This is a young man who loved his job and he realizes he crossed a very serious line and deeply regrets it,” Brittenburg said.
Prior to sentencing, Jones will undergo a psychosexual evaluation and he must be evaluated by the Pennsylvania Sexual Offenders Assessment Board, which will determine if he meets criteria to be classified as a sexually violent predator. Those classified as predators face more stringent restrictions while on parole or probation, including mandatory treatment.
Regardless the sentence that Jones receives, he will face a 25-year requirement to report his address to state police in order to comply with Pennsylvania’s Sexual Offender Registration and Notification Act, previously known as Megan’s Law.
Jones originally was arrested Feb. 13, 2024, on charges of institutional sexual assault, endangering the welfare of a child and corruption of a minor in connection with alleged incidents that occurred with a 17-year-old girl between November 2023 and February 2024.
That investigation began Feb. 12 when county and Abington detectives received information from Abington High School officials that a 17-year-old girl disclosed to a counselor that she had a sexual relationship with Jones since November 2023, according to a criminal complaint.
The girl, who was in the 12th grade at the high school, told detectives she first met Jones while attending the high school during the 2022-23 school year. In the fall of 2023, the two began seeing each other outside of the school setting and in November 2023, the girl and Jones “became involved in a sexual relationship” that included engaging in sexual activity an estimated 15 times during the school year, including at Jones’ home, according to court documents.
Jones, who was an active full-time member of the Abington Township Police Department and had been assigned to Abington High School as a school resource officer at the time, was immediately stripped of his badge after his arrest and subsequently resigned from the force.
After Jones’ arrest in February, the investigation continued and included numerous interviews of current and former students at Abington High School as well as teachers and counselors at the school, according to the most recent criminal complaint filed by county Detective Walter Kerr Jr.
A 19-year-old female who graduated from the high school in June 2023 came forward and told detectives she met Jones while a student in 2021 and in the spring of 2023 she began to visit Jones in his office and “hang out” two to three days a week. At this time, the girl was 18 years old but still a student at the high school, detectives said.
The girl told detectives their frequent casual conversations at school “took a drastic turn” after she attended the senior prom on May 25, 2023, when Jones commented about her physical appearance and their conversation became more “flirty,” according to arrest documents.
“When the victim returned to school after the prom, she continued to visit with Jones in his office. The victim said that the conversation topics now revolved around sex,” Kerr alleged. “Jones told the victim that he wanted her to cook for him in his kitchen while she was naked. Jones also shared his sexual preference with the victim and explained what sexual acts he wanted to perform with her.”
Jones allegedly told the victim that he would like to have a relationship with her but they would have to wait until after graduation. Jones also took the girl’s cellphone and entered his name and number into her contacts.
“Jones told the victim he was very tempted but that having a relationship with a student is not appropriate,” Kerr alleged.
After the girl graduated, Jones continued to text her. On Christmas Day 2023, Jones sent the victim a message indicating he was patrolling her neighborhood and told her he was at a nearby park and that she should stop by to see him, according to court documents.
“This interaction made the victim feel uncomfortable as she never told Jones where she lived, nor had the two ever discussed her home address,” alleged Kerr, adding the victim did not meet with Jones. “The victim did not succumb to Jones’ repeated sexual advances and created excuses why she could not see him in person.”
