Ex-teacher who slit throat in court after being convicted of sexually assaulting teen girl sentenced to prison
03/17/2017 2:37 pm PDT
via KTLA
ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. -- (KTLA) -- A former teacher who slit his own throat in a Santa Ana courtroom last year immediately after he was convicted of sexually assaulting a teenage girl was sentenced Friday to 46 years to life in state prison, the Orange County District Attorney's Office said.
In addition to prison, 57-year-old Jeffrey Jones, of Huntington Beach, will have to register as a sex offender, a DA's news release stated.
Jones was found guilty of two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child and a single count of continuous sexual abuse, according to the release.
After his conviction on Oct. 19, 2016, Jones produced a razor blade in court and cut his own throat. He was rushed to a local hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, the DA's office said.
Jones had been accused of “frequently and continuously” sexually assaulted the then-13-year-old girl between Sept. 1, 2012, and April 30, 2013, while he taught advanced placement English at Libra Academy in Huntington Park, according to the release.
He raped the victim on May 4, 2013, and again on May 9, 2013, telling the girl he would ruin her life if she told anyone what happened, prosecutors said.
The crime was reported to the Huntington Beach Police Department that same month, and Jones was arrested on June 27, 2013.