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Update | Monday, January 5 at 8:55 a.m. | Kiarra Jones pleaded guilty to 12 of the 13 charges she initially faced. As part of a plea agreement the judge accepted, the 13th charge was dropped. Her sentencing is set for March 18 at 2 p.m.
Jury selection is set to start Monday in the trial of Kiarra Jones, a former school bus aide who’s accused of physically abusing three nonverbal, children with severe autism.
The attorney for these three children’s families told Denver7 that Jones could accept a plea deal Monday morning in the 13 charges she faces.
If that’s the case, Jones would plead guilty to 10 felonies and two misdemeanors in exchange for a more serious felony charge being dropped. It is still possible, though, that Jones moves forward with the trial as scheduled.
This case came to light after school bus footage from March of 2024 was released, appearing to show Jones repeatedly hitting 10-year-old Dax, a nonverbal boy with autism. At times, he appears to try to protect himself with his hands.
Shortly after, Dax’s parents both spoke at a press conference along with the other affected families about watching that video.
“The most sacred thing I can do is trust someone with is my children especially when my son isn’t capable of telling me he’s being abused,” Dax’s dad said.
“How could someone that I trusted, someone that I was so friendly with do this to my little boy,” Jess Vestal, Dax’s mom, said.
The legal team for the three families told Denver7 in-part:
“For the past two years, Jones has walked freely despite video evidence of her inflicting unconscionable abuse on the most vulnerable members of our community. The families look forward to taking a step toward closure.”
Kiarra Jones is represented by the Office of the Colorado State Public Defender, which does not comment on active cases.
The hearing is set to begin at 8:30 a.m. Monday. Denver7 will be in the Arapahoe County courtroom and bring you the latest updates.
Prior coverage:
Denver7
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