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Chris Jones pleads not guilty
ESPN.com news services | February 26, 2015
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Former Louisville guard Chris Jones has pleaded not guilty to charges of rape and sodomy, days after being dismissed from the team.
The 23-year-old Jones appeared Thursday in Jefferson District Court before Judge Sheila Collins. He was released on home incarceration in lieu of a $25,000 bond.
The Louisville Courier-Journal reported Thursday morning that Jones had been charged with raping one woman and sodomizing another. The alleged sexual assaults took place Saturday night, according to the report, and one of Jones' alleged victims, who was hospitalized on Sunday, identified him as the suspect.
Chris Jones, who was dismissed from the Louisville basketball team on Sunday, has been charged with rape and sodomy.
According to the Courier-Journal, one of Jones' alleged victims was a 19-year-old woman and the other was 20.
One of Jones' attorneys, Scott Cox, said in court that Jones had withdrawn from classes at Louisville to focus on the case and is currently living in a hotel. In pleading that he was not a flight risk, his attorneys noted that Jones has cooperated with police since Sunday and that he voluntarily agreed to make a statement at their request.
Jones had been suspended by Louisville coach Rick Pitino on Feb. 17 before the team's game at Syracuse. At that time, Jones was cited in a report by university police for sending a threatening text to a former girlfriend.
That woman, who decided against prosecuting Jones, is not one of Jones' alleged rape victims.
Jones was reinstated after he and the former girlfriend both met with the university's dean of discipline, sources told ESPN.com on Thursday, and each were told to stay away from one another.
Jones then played in the Cardinals' win over Miami on Saturday afternoon, before the alleged sexual assaults.
On Sunday, the university announced without further explanation that Jones had been dismissed from the team.
The university said in a statement that Pitino agreed to reinstate Jones with conditions, including a curfew, after the text message incident.
Pitino dismissed Jones after finding out Sunday that Jones had broken curfew and was involved in an incident, of which the coach did not know the details until later Sunday.
Louisville released a statement Thursday that said, in part, "While Chris is no longer a member of our team, we understand that the allegations are very serious. While we cannot comment on this ongoing investigation, we certainly expect our student-athletes to uphold certain standards, including their treatment of others. We have great respect for the legal process and our university procedures and we will cooperate as requested with this matter."
Jones, a senior from Memphis, started in 24 of the 26 games he appeared in this season. He averaged 13.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.6 assists.
Information from ESPN.com's C.L. Brown, Dana O'Neil and Andy Katz and The Associated Press was used in this report.
ESPN.com news services | February 26, 2015
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Former Louisville guard Chris Jones has pleaded not guilty to charges of rape and sodomy, days after being dismissed from the team.
The 23-year-old Jones appeared Thursday in Jefferson District Court before Judge Sheila Collins. He was released on home incarceration in lieu of a $25,000 bond.
The Louisville Courier-Journal reported Thursday morning that Jones had been charged with raping one woman and sodomizing another. The alleged sexual assaults took place Saturday night, according to the report, and one of Jones' alleged victims, who was hospitalized on Sunday, identified him as the suspect.
Chris Jones, who was dismissed from the Louisville basketball team on Sunday, has been charged with rape and sodomy.
According to the Courier-Journal, one of Jones' alleged victims was a 19-year-old woman and the other was 20.
One of Jones' attorneys, Scott Cox, said in court that Jones had withdrawn from classes at Louisville to focus on the case and is currently living in a hotel. In pleading that he was not a flight risk, his attorneys noted that Jones has cooperated with police since Sunday and that he voluntarily agreed to make a statement at their request.
Jones had been suspended by Louisville coach Rick Pitino on Feb. 17 before the team's game at Syracuse. At that time, Jones was cited in a report by university police for sending a threatening text to a former girlfriend.
That woman, who decided against prosecuting Jones, is not one of Jones' alleged rape victims.
Jones was reinstated after he and the former girlfriend both met with the university's dean of discipline, sources told ESPN.com on Thursday, and each were told to stay away from one another.
Jones then played in the Cardinals' win over Miami on Saturday afternoon, before the alleged sexual assaults.
On Sunday, the university announced without further explanation that Jones had been dismissed from the team.
The university said in a statement that Pitino agreed to reinstate Jones with conditions, including a curfew, after the text message incident.
Pitino dismissed Jones after finding out Sunday that Jones had broken curfew and was involved in an incident, of which the coach did not know the details until later Sunday.
Louisville released a statement Thursday that said, in part, "While Chris is no longer a member of our team, we understand that the allegations are very serious. While we cannot comment on this ongoing investigation, we certainly expect our student-athletes to uphold certain standards, including their treatment of others. We have great respect for the legal process and our university procedures and we will cooperate as requested with this matter."
Jones, a senior from Memphis, started in 24 of the 26 games he appeared in this season. He averaged 13.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.6 assists.
Information from ESPN.com's C.L. Brown, Dana O'Neil and Andy Katz and The Associated Press was used in this report.
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