JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Brittney Jones, the woman accused of performing a sex act inside the Duval County courthouse and then posting a video of the act online, made her first appearance in court Thursday after being arrested late Wednesday night.
Her attorney called the unnatural and lascivious act charge she is facing archaic.
"I think it's a very, very big stretch. I have serious questions about the applicability of the statute to the facts of the case as I know them,” attorney Jerry Sessions said.
After she was booked into the Duval County jail at 11:35 p.m. Wednesday, a new charge was entered for Jones, 26, Thursday morning for bringing contraband into a detention facility.
A judge did not allow her to enter a plea on the sex charge, but she pleaded not guilty to the contraband charge, which was downgraded from a felony to a misdemeanor.
Jones' father told News4Jax that her family is heartbroken that she is accused of behaving that way.
"I'm making arrangements to speak with her,” he said. “The family and I are keeping her in our prayers, and I love my daughter. God has the wheel."
Jeremiah Robinson, 35, is the man police said is seen in the video with Jones. He turned himself in at the jail last week on a warrant on the same sex charge. He appeared in court on Feb. 7 and entered a not guilty plea. He has since bonded out of jail.
News4Jax is not showing the graphic video, which was recorded Jan. 31 on the fourth floor of the courthouse. The video showed the sex act on a bench in the hallway outside Courtroom 401.
The case brought attention to security at the courthouse, and Chief Bailiff Steve Wintrobe confirmed Thursday that changes have been made.
When first contacted, the court administrator wasn't aware of the incident but launched an investigation after seeing the video of what happened.
The police report said the suspicious activity was observed by video surveillance.
According to the report, the activity consisted of a man and woman engaging in what appeared to be inappropriate behavior, while the woman was at the courthouse for a 9 a.m. arraignment on charges of possession of drug paraphernalia, smuggling contraband into jail and violation of probation.
Court records show she pleaded no contest.
"I'd like to point out that every one of us that lives in this country enjoys certain rights, and they belong to all of us, and the right that everybody in this community has to be presumed innocent if they are accused of a crime unless the state can prove them guilty also applies to Brittney Jones," Sessions said. "And I would ask anyone who is following this case to please afford her that right, respect that right that she has got in her own mind before they can make a decision."
Jones was given a $10,000 bond on the unnatural and lascivious charge. Her bond for possession of marijuana was $2,500. Jones' attorney said she will probably make bond Thursday.
She is expected back in court at the end of February.
