New Miami Beach police chief discusses past arrest over dispute with wife
Incoming Miami Beach Police Chief Wayne Jones spent almost three weeks in jail two decades ago and didn’t return to the department for almost a year, after a domestic incident with his wife in which he was charged with battery and kidnapping.
Though the charges were dropped 10 months later after Jones agreed to a pre-trial diversion program, the man expected to be sworn in as the city’s police chief in two weeks said the incident — which involved Jones allegedly entering his estranged wife’s home without permission and at one point grabbing her wrist during a dispute over a spare key — left him emotionally scarred.
“I have PTSD about it all the time,” Jones told the Miami Herald in an interview. “Up to that point, I had done everything right not to become a statistic. I never imagined myself, quite frankly, being charged with a crime.”
Jones, 54, was a 32-yearold patrol officer at the time.
With Chief Richard Clements retiring, Jones, a 27-year veteran of the department, will become the first Black chief in the 108-year history of Miami Beach on Sept. 1.
He won the unanimous support of the city’s seven elected officials last month after a recommendation from City Manager Alina Hudak, who said she was aware of Jones’ history.
“The decision to promote Deputy Chief Jones to Chief was taken after a thoughtful review of his personnel file in its entirety, extensive interviews with his colleagues and consideration for the overwhelmingly positive contributions he has made to the Miami Beach Police Department and law enforcement during his 27 years in uniform,” Hudak said in a statement.
Mayor Dan Gelber said Hudak had made him aware of the incident, which didn’t affect his support.
“I have full confidence in Chief Jones,” Gelber said. “He has been promoted multiple times and each time proven his readiness to serve our city.”