Last week, an inmate at Mojave County Jail filed a motion on his own behalf seeking the dismissal of various drug charges and charges related to the manufacture and detonation of improvised explosive devices in the desert north of Lake Havasu City. submitted.
The motion was quickly dismissed on Monday afternoon.
According to inmate and Desert Hills resident Ralph Jones, the state does not have enough evidence to prosecute his case. In his Feb. 8 motion, Mr. Jones said that the physical evidence investigators had obtained in the case was potentially tainted, and that investigators should maintain a line of control over the handling of that evidence. He said he may not have followed protocol.
Jones also requested an independent examination of drugs allegedly found in his home after his arrest and requested new legal representation in his case.
That request, as well as Jones’ motion to dismiss the case, was denied by Mojave Senior Judge Rick Lambert. According to Lambert’s ruling, Jones has no right to file motions or demands on his own behalf. Such documents must be filed in the Superior Court of Mojave by Jones’ attorneys.
Through multiple correspondences with the court last week, Jones requested that a new attorney be assigned to his case. Among these requests, Jones specifically asked for Mojave County public defender Paul Ammann to be assigned to his case.
In a statement to the Today News Herald on Monday, Ammann commented on Jones’ apparent preference.
“He said, ‘I heard Paul Ammann is a good lawyer,'” Ammann said. “But Jones already has a good lawyer. Her name is Allison Shookus.”
Last year, Mojave County public defender Allison Shaokes became Jones’ legal representative, replacing fellow public defender Anita Dale. At the request of Jones’ new attorney, he said last week that he had not spoken to an attorney about his case in about seven months.
Jones withdrew his request for new legal representation at a hearing on Monday.
The case began last June when the Lake Havasu City Police Department launched an investigation into multiple improvised explosive device detonations near 5600 on State Route 95. Possession of items related to the incident.
Police issued a search warrant at Jones’ home and reportedly found items related to the manufacture of explosives. Several of his completed IEDs and a container containing explosives were also found at the scene, according to police. As well as drug pills and drug paraphernalia.
As of Tuesday, Jones remained in custody at the Mojave County Jail on $35,000 bail. He is scheduled to go on trial on February 28th.
