GOP Candidate Denies Allegations of Criminal Convictions 

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A United States Army veteran vying for the South Carolina Senate has denied allegations of misdemeanor and felony convictions promulgated by attack ads launched ahead of the primary runoff set for Tuesday, June 25, 2024.

After falling some 10 ballots short of securing the GOP nomination for S.C. Senate District 35 on June 11, 2024, Kershaw County businessman Mike Jones (49.51 percent) entered a primary runoff against Richland School District Two (R2i2) board member Lindsay Agostini (30.36 percent).

Come Tuesday, June 18, 2024, political text messages accusing Jones of extensive criminality were deployed throughout Richland and Kershaw Counties. The following afternoon, Agostini reiterated the allegations contained in the texts and called for her opponent to suspend his campaign.

“The facts about Mike Jones’ criminal past are disturbing,” wrote Agostini on Wednesday. “It is clear that Mike Jones has no business running for any public office, much less the South Carolina Senate. His violent past is deeply troubling and makes him unelectable in November.”

This news outlet has since been provided with a disposition sheet alleging Jones was arrested for Public Disorderly Conduct and Unlawful Possession of a Pistol in January 1997. The same document indicates Jones was arrested again for Assault and Battery six months later.

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Despite Agostini’s claims that Jones was found guilty of the aforementioned misdemeanor and felonies, the freshman owner of Freedom First Outfitters in Camden, S.C., told the author he had only been convicted of a minor traffic violation in February 1991. 

Jones furthermore punctuated that if Agostini’s claims were true, federal law would have prohibited him from possessing U.S. Army security clearance, serving as a certified law enforcement officer, obtaining a concealed weapons permit or owning a gun store.

“The information that has been spread through dirty campaign tactics involve groundless allegations more than a decade old for which I was fully exonerated and for which records were ordered to be expunged and destroyed,” wrote Mike to the author on Wednesday. 

Along with his disposition sheet, the author was provided with a uniform traffic ticket and written impact statement confirming Jones was arrested by the Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) for Criminal Domestic Violence at about 2:48 a.m. EST on July 4, 2011.

“I was at my son’s girlfriend’s house when my husband called,” wrote Terry Jones in a voluntary statement to KCSO. “[Mike] said that he had already killed two of my dogs and said he was coming over there to beat my ass. I waited and finally came home around 2:00 [a.m.].”

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When Terry entered the couple’s home in Camden, Mike purportedly began to throw items and break glass. The career soldier was thereupon accused of hitting a refrigerator and busting a cantaloupe before grabbing his wife’s arm and scraping it.

“These allegations stem mostly from a period of time where my wife was struggling,” countered Jones on Wednesday. “She has since recovered, and I have been by her side throughout. Our relationship is stronger than ever. That a desperate opponent, or someone working for their benefit, somehow procured pieces of a destroyed case file is despicable if not outright illegal.”

Jones has since provided FITSNews with an S.C. Law Enforcement Division (SLED) CATCH report dated June 19, 2024. According to the report, the central repository for all criminal records in-state has “no arrest data” for the District 35 frontrunner.

“I will not allow these ham-fisted efforts at distraction stop me from running our campaign, winning, and honorably representing the people of Senate District 35,” concluded Jones. 

Early voting for the primary runoff started Wednesday, June 19, and will continue through Friday, June 21. This Tuesday (June 25, 2024), polls will open at 7:00 a.m. EST and close at 7:00 p.m EST. Check your polling locations at SC Votes. 

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MIKE JONES’ CATCH REPORT…

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …

Andrew Fancher is a Lone Star Emmy award-winning journalist from Dallas, Texas. Cut from a bloodline of outlaws and lawmen alike, he was the first of his family to graduate college which was accomplished with honors. Got a story idea or news tip for Andy? Email him directly and connect with him socially across Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

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