Detroit police corporal found guilty of assaulting woman at hospital faces sentencing

Dewayne Jones convicted on misdemeanor assault charge

DETROIT – A Detroit police corporal who was convicted of assaulting a woman who was lashing out at officers at a hospital will face sentencing on Wednesday.

Corporal Dewayne Jones, 47, was found guilty of punching a naked woman who was lashing out at security officers at a hospital.

Jones was charged with misconduct in office, along with misdemeanor assault and battery. The misconduct in office charge, which carries a penalty of up to five years in prison, was dismissed. Jones was still facing the assault charge.

On March 19, the jury delivered a guilty verdict. Jones will be sentenced on Wednesday at 9 a.m.

MORE: New hospital security footage shows Detroit police corporal hitting woman at hospital

Jones was in court in March in connection with the Aug. 1, 2018, incident. He is heard on video from the day of the incident saying that he treated the woman with respect before she spit on him.

"I punched her, like, eight or nine times," Jones said.

New body camera footage released in court also shows the interaction between Jones and the woman. Jones, 47, is accused of punching a naked woman who was lashing out at security officers at a hospital.

His attorney said he used the proper level of force.

Video from the hospital on Aug. 1, 2018, shows a naked woman violently lashing out at security officers and a Detroit police officer fighting back.

The woman in the video is naked and appears to be in distress. She bit the police officer on the arm and thigh and spit at him and security officers.

Jones beat the woman with repeated blows to the face and chest. Detroit police Chief James Craig called the video disturbing.

"What's disturbing to me, she had her back turned toward him and he kept striking," Craig said.

READ: DPD corporal charged in assault of Detroit Medical Center patient

Detroit Police Union President Mark Diaz believes the prosecutor has overreached in the case.

"A person can definitely be maimed by someone biting onto them so the officer did what he felt at that time was appropriate," Diaz said.

Jones was arraigned Nov. 27 and was jailed in lieu of $5,000 bond.

Jones reinstated

Detroit police commissioners voted to reinstate Jones in December and send him back to work as a police officer. They made their decision in spite of Craig's recommendation that Jones remain suspended. Craig said he stands by his decision and didn't want to criticize another police organization.

Jones is an 18-year veteran of the force.

Watch the video from the hospital here:


About the Authors

Ken Haddad has proudly been with WDIV/ClickOnDetroit since 2013. He also authors the Morning Report Newsletter and various other newsletters, and helps lead the WDIV Insider team. He's a big sports fan and is constantly sipping Lions Kool-Aid.

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