FORT PIERCE, FL – A violent Orange County man is facing two decades behind bars after a brazen kidnapping and subsequent standoff with law enforcement. Marques Deon Jones, 41, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for kidnapping his girlfriend at gunpoint and two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm. The incident, which unfolded last August, culminated in Jones attempting to provoke a lethal confrontation with officers.
On August 14, 2022, Jones brutally pistol-whipped his girlfriend, an employee at a Port St. Lucie group home on SE Walton Road, before forcing her into her vehicle and fleeing. A supervisor at the group home witnessed the abduction and immediately alerted the Port St. Lucie Police Department, who quickly identified Jones as the perpetrator. The victim’s condition following the assault was not immediately released.
The U.S. Marshals Florida Regional Fugitive Task Force located Jones the following day outside a private residence in Fort Pierce. However, the situation quickly escalated. As task force officers approached to arrest him, Jones retrieved a firearm from a parked car and attempted to escape. Bodycam footage revealed a chilling admission: Jones explicitly stated he armed himself with the intent of forcing officers to shoot and kill him – a clear indication of his dangerous mindset.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, alongside ATF Special Agent in Charge Christopher A. Robinson and U.S. Marshal Gadyaces S. Serralta, announced the sentence handed down by U.S. District Court Senior Judge James I. Cohn. The collaborative investigation involved agents from the ATF Fort Pierce Field Office and the USMS, with crucial assistance from the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office, Port St. Lucie Police Department, and Fort Pierce Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Breezye Telfair and Justin Hoover successfully prosecuted the case, presenting evidence that secured the 20-year sentence for Jones. Court documents related to the case – case number 22-cr-14069 – are publicly available on the District Court for the Southern District of Florida website at www.flsd.uscourts.gov and through PACER at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
This case underscores the ATF’s commitment to dismantling violent crime and holding accountable those who illegally possess and use firearms. The defendant’s actions demonstrate a pattern of violence and a disregard for both the law and human life, warranting the significant sentence imposed by the court. The victim is receiving support services, authorities confirmed.
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- Jamaal Calloway, Firearms Trafficking, Florida 2024 · Ohio
- Arami Rodriguez, Firearms Conspiracy, Florida 2014 · Virginia
- Erhan John Er, Firearms Smuggling, Florida 2022 · Alabama
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