Neighbors say the firefighter had recently gone door to door warning them about a sexual predator on the loose.
Neighbors say the firefighter had recently gone door to door warning them about a sexual predator on the loose.
Neighbors say the firefighter had recently gone door to door warning them about a sexual predator on the loose.
FORT WORTH, Texas — Several people in the neighborhood where Everman Fire Department Lt. Joel Jones lives are just learning about his arrest on felony sex crime charges.
It comes as a shock because, they say, Jones recently went door to door warning about a sexual predator on the loose.
“We were told it was someone else scoping the neighborhood,” said neighbor James Martinez.
Now, Martinez and his wife are upgrading their home security system to feel safe.
On March 25, 2025, a Ring doorbell camera recorded Jones at the Martinez’s front door talking to Martinez’s wife. He was not alone at the time.
“Mr. Jones and some lady came knocking on my door, talked to my wife saying there is a vehicle out, keep your kids inside,” James Martinez said.
At about 10 a.m. on Feb 10, Fort Worth police responded to a home on Quail Hollow Road in South Fort Worth for a sexual assault. Jones lives on the same street. The victim shared a partial license plate of the attacker. Investigators used home security video of the vehicle, leading them to 30-year-old Tobasia Griffiths, who was charged with aggravated sexual assault on March 26.
Shocking Turn in Investigation
Further investigation led to the arrest of a second suspect who police say solicited Griffiths to commit the assault. Police arrested Jones two days after his neighborhood warnings. He is now charged with aggravated sexual assault and two counts of aggravated kidnapping with sexual abuse.
James Martinez was concerned and in disbelief.
“You hear someone is in the fire department, you have a high level of respect,” Martinez said. “Just to see that he is doing these things makes you wonder, if you can’t trust the fire department?”
“This is your home. This is your bubble,” Martinez added. “You want to be comfortable and to have that popped, it’s a rude awakening.”
Although the allegations are not related to his job with the Everman Fire Department, the fire chief placed Jones on administrative leave, saying, “the allegations and the charges are deeply concerning.”