Former LSUPD Lt. Robert J. Jones, Jr. pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to charges of receiving child pornography.
Police arrested Jones in August after an investigation by the FBI and LSUPD. The investigation found explicit pornographic videos containing minors on Jones’ home and office computers.
Judge Frank Polozola accepted Jones’ plea on the basis of an affidavit filed at the time of his arrest in August detailing the criminal investigation into Jones and its findings. It also was accepted because Jones admitted to downloading child pornography on his office computer in an interview Aug. 28 with federal authorities.
According to Jones’ plea agreement, he gave up his right to a trial and the right to appeal. Jones only can appeal any punishment in excess of the maximum 15 years for a first offense or any punishment that is increased.
Jones will undergo a sentence hearing later this year after the judge receives the pre-sentence report. For a first offense, Jones can receive a maximum of 15 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
If Jones is sent to prison for more than a year, he only can be released upon supervised release, which is equivalent to state parole. He will stay on supervised release for two to three years.
Jones is being held in West Baton Rouge Parish Prison until his sentence hearing.