On June 22, 2017, the Oneida County 911 Center issued a BOLO (Be On the Lookout) for a check the welfare of a subject who is driving and possibly under the influence of drugs. At approximately 2:14 a.m., a trooper observed the vehicle at the FasTrac located on Erie Blvd in the City of Rome. Upon interviewing the operator, she suddenly drove away with an infant child observed in the back seat. The vehicle then traveled eastbound towards State Route 49 where the vehicle continued into the City of Utica.
The vehicle finally stopped on an unpaved portion of the roadway near the Oneida–Madison–Herkimer Waste Management Center. The operator, identified as Jillian A. Jones, 20, of Newport, then refused numerous commands to unlock or exit the vehicle. Troopers were forced to use a Res-Q-Me tool to gain entry into the vehicle. Jones was taken into custody without incident.
The investigation revealed that Jones was impaired by drugs and was driving with her 6-month-old child unsecured in the back seat. Jones was transported to SP Marcy where she was charged with aggravated DWAI-drugs (Leandra’s Law), a class E felony; endangering the welfare of a child, a class A misdemeanor; failure to comply with a lawful order by police and operating a motor vehicle without a proper child restraint seat.
Jones was arraigned at Utica City Court and remanded to the Oneida County Jail in lieu of $20,000 cash bail/bond.