Sex Assault Charges Filed Against Abington School Resource Officer

ABINGTON TOWNSHIP, PA — An Abington Township Police officer who was a school resource officer in the Abington School District has been accused of sexually assaulting a student, Montgomery County authorities said.

Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele announces said Jordan Jones, 29, of Horsham, has been charged with five felony counts of institutional sexual assault, felony endangering the welfare of children, and felony corruption of minors.

Jones was a school resource officer at Abington High School since February 2021, the district confirmed to Patch. He joined the Abington Police Department in 2017 after earning a degree in criminal justice from Temple University, where he played football, according to the department's annual report in 2017. He is a graduate of Northeast High School and also attended East Stroudsburg University, according to the 2017 report.

The charges came after a 17-year-old senior told a counselor she was involved in a "sexual relationship" with Jones since November 2023 and the counselor reported the information to Montgomery County authorities.

Authorities said the girl told the counselor she and Jones met numerous times and engaged in sexual activity at his home in Horsham. According to a criminal affidavit filed for Jones, the two had sex about 15 times.

Jones is a full-time officer with Abington Township Police Department and has been placed on administrative leave with intent to dismiss per protocol, the DA's office said. Abington Police said he has been stripped of his badge and gun.

The two met during the 2022-23 school year and in fall 2023, Jones asked the girl if she wanted to walk his dog, which she agreed to, leading them to begin seeing one another outside school.

Authorities monitored a phone call between Jones and the girl on Monday, during which Jones acknowledged having a sexual relationship with her and that it was illegal, according to the criminal affidavit.

Authorities allege Jones during the call stated "I trust you, I know you wouldn't try to get me arrested or anything," "I took this risk because I care about you," and "if we were to date, my life would be over."

Jones was arrested Tuesday morning by Montgomery County Detectives and was released on $50,000 unsecured bail, but under the condition of he must not contact the girl or her family, cannot have unsupervised contact with minors, and he cannot return to the school.

His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Feb. 21, the DA's office said.

The National Association of School Resource Officers in November 2023 published a piece highlighting Jones for his response to a large fight at the school in September last year.

"When an SRO develops relationships with students, they tend to respect you more," Jones was quoted as saying in the piece. "Having an SRO in the school prevents a lot of potentially catastrophic events."

The Abington School District in a statement said it is taking the matter very seriously and is cooperating with the investigation.

"Any students or staff with information that might be relevant to their investigation are encouraged to contact Montgomery County Detective Walt Kerr at 610-278-3036, or Abington Detective Sergeant Troy Hummel at 267-536-1111," the district said in a statement.

According to the district, the administration will provide additional coverage and resources for Abington Senior High School, including having counselors on hand to support any students or staff members during this time.

"As your Chief, I cannot find the words to accurately convey the pain that this betrayal of trust has caused so many, not the least of which is our victim in this case," Abington Police Chief Patrick Molloy said in a statement. "These allegations and the subsequent arrest of Jordan Jones are profoundly disturbing. Jones’s behavior has brought immeasurable discredit to our organization and our profession, especially since he was in a position of authority and was entrusted to protect our students. Jones’s actions do not reflect the great work that the men and women in the Abington Township Police Department do every day. Each Abington officer understands how this incident impacts our profession. The Department remains committed to the strong partnership that we have enjoyed for decades with the Abington School District, and we will do everything in our power to regain the trust of the school community."