Amarillo man represents himself, gets maximum prison sentence
AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) - An Amarillo man elected to represent himself in court for a probation violation and was sentenced to the maximum amount of time in prison allowed by law.
The Randall County District Attorney’s Office charged Dustin Lee Jones, 44, with continuous violence against the family in October 2023.
The charge is a third-degree felony, which is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. It applies when a person commits two or more acts of family violence within a 12-month period.
Even if the individual incidents were dismissed or did not lead to an arrest or conviction, they can be used in deciding whether or not to charge someone with continuous family violence.
A judge placed Jones on probation for three years in December 2023.
Within one year, Jones violated his probation, and a judge extended his probation by one year and ordered him to a drug treatment program.
In June, a second motion to revoke was filed against Jones.
In a hearing earlier this month, Jones informed the court of his decision to represent himself.
Court documents show that a judge explained that Jones would be held to the same standards that are expected of practicing licensed attorneys.
Close to 20 people were subpoenaed to appear at the hearing for Jones’ probation revocation.
Jone pleaded not guilty to the allegations in the motion to proceed. After hearing testimony and evidence, Judge Tatiana Frausto found Jones guilty of the violations and sentenced him to spend 10 years in prison.
His sentence is the maximum amount of time that can be given for his charge.
Jones was previously convicted of:
- 2009 - resisting arrest
- 2013 - injury to elderly person
- 2014 - credit card abuse
- 2014 - arson
- 2020 - credit card abuse (4 counts)
- 2021 - deadly conduct and assault causes bodily injury
- 2023 - theft of service
- 2024 - driving while intoxicated BAC over .15
- 2024 - evading arrest or detention
- 2024 - violation of a protective bond
He also has an open case for burglary of a habitation in Hutchinson County.
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