On Tuesday, a Clarksburg man was found guilty of third-degree sex offense by a Montgomery County jury for groping a woman at a 2021 graduation party. He he faces up to 10 years in prison, must register as a sex offender for life, and will be sentenced on December 20, 2024.
According to the Montgomery, “In the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, MD, before the Honorable Jeannie Cho, a jury found defendant, Nelson Jones, 27, of Clarksburg, guilty of third-degree sex offense. The jury returned its verdict late in the evening on November 12, 2024.
Jones will be required to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life. He faces a maximum of ten years in prison. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for December 20, 2024.
The charge stems from an incident on May 15, 2021. The defendant attended a college graduation celebration at the home of a family friend. The celebration continued into early morning hours, and a woman attending the gathering went into a bedroom alone to sleep. Jones entered the bedroom and sexually assaulted the woman. She awoke to him touching her. The jury found Jones guilty of groping the victim’s breasts underneath her shirt. This was a re-trial. The case was originally tried in February 2023 but resulted with a hung jury.
Assistant State’s Attorneys Mary Herdman and Carlotta Woodward are prosecuting this matter.
“The victim showed bravery in not only the first trial but again this week, testifying against the man who assaulted her. Our prosecutors remained dedicated to seeing justice served and ensuring that the defendant will be held accountable for his actions. We are relieved that he will be required to register as a sex offender for life,” said Lauren DeMarco, spokesperson for the State’s Attorney’s Office.”
