Charleston Mayor’s son facing charges after ‘drug fueled crime spree’

WAYNE COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) – The son of Charleston Mayor Danny Jones is facing charges after what investigators are calling a drug-fueled crime spree.

Zachary Jones, 27, of Charleston is charged with breaking and entering, attempted breaking and entering, two counts of destruction of property and two counts of conspiracy for two separate incidents.

According to the criminal complaint, deputies were dispatched to a pawn shop in the 4500 block of 5th Street Road in the early morning hours of November 20 for a breaking and entering complaint.

Surveillance video showed an unknown suspect pry open the door and walk around looking inside empty display cases, then leave the scene.

The suspect was wearing a hood and had their face and hands covered.

The pawn shop owner says nothing was stolen at the pawn shop, but the break-in left thousands of dollars in damage.

West Virginia State Police were already investigating a break-in at the same pawn shop about two months earlier involving two suspects. No arrests have been made in that break-in, but a $1000 reward is being offered by the pawn shop owner for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever is responsible for the first break-in.

Deputies say the suspect in the November 20 pawn shop break in may also have been involved in an attempted break-in at a bar in the 1500 block of Spring Valley Drive in Huntington on November 18. They say the suspect in the attempted break-in at the bar was seen on surveillance video wearing the same clothing as the suspect in the pawn shop break-in just two days later, on November 20.

Surveillance video showed a man try to break into the bar and another man outside hitting the building with an unknown tool. Both suspects then took off after failing to get into the building.

Investigators recovered a backpack of tools believed to have been used in the attempted break in.

On November 27, deputies were contacted by an officer with the Flatwoods Police Department in Kentucky.

The officer said he got an anonymous tip that Jones, along with another man and woman were involved in the breaking and entering of the pawn shop.

The next day deputies interviewed the woman suspect who was in jail in Lawrence County, Ohio.

She told investigators she assisted in the attempted bar break in by providing information about where the money would be located.

She said Jones and the other man involved didn’t listen to her advice and that’s why they failed to get into the bar.

According to court documents, deputies went to the Greenup County Detention Center on May 4 to interview the woman again.

She then confessed her involvement to the breaking and entering of the pawn shop on November 20.

The woman told deputies she was traveling around Huntington in Jones’ car when the other suspect came up with the idea to break into the pawn shop.

The other man then got out of the vehicle to attempt the crime. She said Jones sat in the back of the vehicle.

After hearing the alarm go off, the woman said she took off in the vehicle and picked up the man suspect as he was running down the road.

According to the criminal complaint, the woman said the crime was committed to support their illegal drug addiction.

Jones has been charged in both incidents.

He was already in South Central Regional Jail for prior offense and has been placed on a $50,000 bond.

Deputies have asked WSAZ to not release the names of the two other suspects believed to be involved because they haven’t been arrested.

More charges could be coming in the future.

The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, West Virginia State Police and U.S Marshals cooperated in the investigation.

WSAZ reached out to Danny Jones for comment, but he declined.