SPRINGVALE — A man who is charged in an accident in Biddeford that allegedly led to his mother’s death made his initial court appearance by video on Monday at Springvale District Court.

Shane Jones, 26, of Biddeford, was arrested Friday in Sanford with assistance from Biddeford police officers working with the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency and a Sanford police detective.

Biddeford Police had been searching for Jones since Nov. 23, when he allegedly struck his mother, Kimberly Jones, 49, of Biddeford, with his pickup truck. She died shortly afterward.

Jones is charged with reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon and leaving the scene of an accident, which are both Class C felonies.

On Monday, Judge Wayne Douglas upheld the $50,000 cash bail against Jones that had been imposed last week by Justice John O’Neil.

During the court proceeding, Jones and his attorney, Scott Houde, were at the York County Jail in Alfred, where Jones is being held.

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Jones, who was dressed in orange prison garb, said nothing during his appearance. He did not enter a plea. Houde said that his client reserves the right to argue for a reduced bail at a later date.

According to witness statements in an affidavit by Biddeford Police Officer Robert LaBrecque, filed in York County Superior Court in Alfred and used to secure an arrest warrant for Jones, the accident occurred during an argument between the mother and son. They lived together at 6 Brackett St. in Biddeford.

Shawna Jones, the daughter of the victim and sister of the defendant, who also lives at the Brackett St. apartment, told a Biddeford police officer that her brother drove the truck that hit their mother.

She said, according to the affidavit, that Kimberly Jones was arguing with Shane Jones and Krista Randall, his girlfriend, over money the two owed her mother.

She said she didn’t know the specifics of the arrangement, according to the court document, but that when Shane Jones and Randall walked out of the residence to Shane Jones’ truck, Kimberly Jones started to follow, while Shawna Jones said she pleaded with her mother to stay inside.

Kimberly Jones followed her son and Randall outside and was speaking to them on the passenger side where Randall was sitting, according to Shawna Jones’ statement to police.

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At first, according to the court documents, Shawna Jones said she didn’t see the accident. She said she heard her brother squeal his tires as he was leaving and then looked out the window and saw her mother lying face down in the driveway.

Later, she told a Biddeford officer that she did witness her brother run over their mother as he was backing out of the driveway, according to the affidavit.

Shawna Jones said the truck was on blocks, and Kimberly Jones was standing by the open passenger side door when the truck began moving backwards and knocked Kimberly Jones to the ground. She said she heard a thud, which she thought was the truck rolling off the blocks, and that Shane Jones ran over his mother as he was backing out.

She said she didn’t believe her brother had been drinking alcohol at the time, but that he was a drug user, according to the affidavit. She also said Shane Jones was feeling stressed because he couldn’t afford to pay rent.

The court document also includes a witness statement from Steven Robbins, who lives at 10 Brackett St., that seems to corroborate Shawna Jones’ version of events.

According to the affidavit, Robbins said he had just arrived home when he heard several people arguing in the driveway of 6 Brackett St. He said he saw Shane Jones get into a truck, and back out at a high rate of speed with tires squealing. Although Robbins said he didn’t see the truck hit the victim, he heard a thud, more tire squealing and saw the truck speed away toward Graham Street.

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Shane Jones has a criminal history.

According to the Associated Press, both mother and son had previously been charged with committing crimes together; they were both arrested in December 2007 following a series of car break-ins and were charged with felony burglary.

In addition, Shane Jones has been convicted of assault in 2006; theft, criminal mischief and escape from prison in 2007; eluding an officer and trafficking tobacco in prison in 2009; aggravated forgery in 2010; and violating conditions of release and domestic violence terrorizing in 2011.

If Jones is released on bail, the judge ordered that he must not use drugs or alcohol, not operate a motor vehicle and have no contact with five people, which include several witnesses of the accident, his girlfriend and her mother.

Jones’ next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 13.

— Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 324 or dmendros@journaltribune.com.



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