Parole board lists "no history of violence" for Newport News man convicted of rape and sodomy

Gov. Abigail Spanberger's parole board has voted to release Rodney Jerome Jones, convicted of rape and forcible sodomy in Newport News, according to the board's own August 2026 decisions report.

The board's August decisions report lists Jones, 61, as granted geriatric parole, which Virginia law makes available to certain older prisoners. The decision was recorded Aug. 28 and certified Aug. 31. His record shows a single Newport News Circuit Court judgment dated Oct. 10, 2003, covering three counts of forcible sodomy, two counts of rape and one count of aggravated sexual battery. Each of the five rape and sodomy counts carried 40 years with 14 suspended, and the sexual battery count carried 10 years with five suspended. The report estimates he has served 23 years, 8 months and 25 days.

This newsroom did not find contemporaneous news coverage or a published court opinion describing the facts of the 2003 case that could be confidently matched to Jones, so this account is limited to the offenses, court, sentences and time served shown in the board's record. The victim is not identified in the record, and this publication does not name victims of sexual offenses.

The rest of the record: The board's record also lists a separate Isle of Wight County Circuit Court conviction for selling cocaine, with a judgment date of Dec. 29, 2004, and a six-year sentence. No other prior convictions or supervision failures appear in the August report. Among the reasons the board listed for granting release is "No history of violence," a description that sits alongside rape and forcible sodomy convictions in the same record.

Why the board says he should go free: The board's listed reasons for the grant were stable family relationships supporting reintegration, sustained emotional and behavioral stability, participation in faith or community programs, the board's conclusion that he has served enough time, no history of violence, release being compatible with public safety, participation in correctional and vocational programs, a stable release plan, a low risk-assessment score, vocational achievements and being infraction-free for at least the last 24 months.

Minutes of the board's Aug. 27 meeting show the vote was 5-0. Victim Services staff told the board the victim "was too overwhelmed to provide a statement or position on parole." Jones addressed the board. Chair Shannon Dion cited no history of violence, a low risk score, a stable release plan and a structured reentry plan, among other reasons, and Board Member Tyrone Nelson cited his infraction-free record and program participation.

To be fair to the board, every reason quoted above comes from its own record, and members explained their votes on the record at the Aug. 27 meeting. The question for voters is whether those reasons outweigh what the court ordered and what victims told the board.

What the numbers say about Newport News: Violent crime in Newport News has gotten worse over the past decade, according to the state's own figures. The Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services, using Virginia State Police data, reported 801.8 violent index crimes per 100,000 residents in Newport News in 2025, against 472.7 in 2016, up 70%. Property crime stood at 2,331.6 per 100,000 in 2025, down 24% from 3,065.1 in 2016. For comparison, the statewide violent crime rate was 210.5 per 100,000 in 2025, and the median Virginia locality came in at 172.9, according to the August 2026 DCJS report. DCJS cautions that the figures are subject to revision.

This is what Democratic control of the parole board looks like. Gov. Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat, appointed every one of the five members who voted in August, replacing the board she inherited, and the Democratic-led General Assembly confirmed them in Senate Joint Resolution 209 in March. Her chair, Shannon Dion, was previously named director of the Department of Criminal Justice Services by Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam. Board member Tyrone Nelson has run for the Henrico Board of Supervisors as a Democrat. Under Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, the board granted parole at a rate of about 1.6% in 2023, according to Bolts magazine. In August alone, Spanberger's board granted 14 of the 44 parole cases it decided, about 32%, according to its own monthly report. Statewide, a Washington Examiner analysis found Spanberger's board had a 13.89% release rate in 2026, more than 10 times the 1.23% rate under Youngkin's board in 2025, and WJLA 7News counted 48 grants in 205 discretionary and geriatric cases since May, about 23%. None of that means the governor personally ordered any individual release; the board votes, and the record shows how each member voted. But the governor picks the board, and the board answers to her: by law its members serve at the governor's pleasure.

Parole is not the end of a sentence. The board can revoke it, and in August it did revoke parole in three cases, while letting six other violators stay on the street. The board's report does not say when Jones will walk out or where he will live, questions Newport News residents are entitled to ask.

Email the Newport News Board/Council:
Phillip Jones, mayorsoffice@nnva.gov,
Curtis Bethany III, council@nnva.gov,
Robert Coleman, council@nnva.gov,
John Eley III, council@nnva.gov,
Marcellus Harris III, council@nnva.gov,
Cleon Long, council@nnva.gov,
Tina Vick, council@nnva.gov,

Newport News is an independent city in Hampton Roads.

Email the Newport News Board/Council:
Phillip Jones, mayorsoffice@nnva.gov,
Curtis Bethany III, council@nnva.gov,
Robert Coleman, council@nnva.gov,
John Eley III, council@nnva.gov,
Marcellus Harris III, council@nnva.gov,
Cleon Long, council@nnva.gov,
Tina Vick, council@nnva.gov,