An Altoona man will not be allowed to withdraw his guilty pleas to a string of charges that he faces after a high-speed car chase through the city. 38 year old Ricky Lee Jones was arrested back on November 27, 2018, and charged with possession of firearms prohibited, attempting to elude police, recklessly endangering others and accidents that left behind damaged vehicles and property as he sped through 13 stop signs before finally hitting an embankment. He then fled on foot before finally being taken into custody when a police K9 found him hiding in some bushes. In July 2019, Jones pled guilty in Blair County Court, and Judge Timothy M. Sullivan sentenced him to four to 10 years in state prison, followed by five years’ probation. About a year later… last June… Jones filed a post-conviction petition alleging his trial counsel had “unlawfully induced” him to enter his guilty pleas, claiming his legal counsel was “ineffective.” After reviewing the case, Judge Sullivan has now denied Jones’ argument. Had the trial attorney been found ineffective, Jones would have been permitted to withdraw his guilty pleas. That never happened. Jones remains behind bars at the State Correctional Institution at Huntingdon.
