Tim Leeds Havre Daily News tleeds@havredailynews.com
Eric J. Jones of Havre, 24, pleaded not guilty in state District Court in Havre this morning to a charge of deliberate homicide in the March 15 death of Kimberly Calf Boss Ribs, Jones’ former girlfriend. Judge David Rice set an omnibus hearing, in which trial dates and hearings are generally scheduled, for July 18. If convicted, Jones faces a sentence of life in prison or 10 to 100 years in prison. Jones is being held on $500,000 bond on the homicide charge, and on misdemeanor charges unrelated to the homicide charge of violating a restraining order, resisting arrest and on a revoked bond for partner or family member assault, second offense. Jones’ attorney, Randy Randolph, said he did not wish to request a bond reduction at this time, but requested that Jones’ father and grandmother, Kim Jones and Helen Bell, be allowed to contact him in the jail although they are witnesses in the case. Randolph asked that the contact be allowed if they do not discuss the case. Hill County Attorney Cyndee Peterson objected, saying her office is investigating whether the witnesses may already have discussed the case when they have previously contacted Jones and whether they may have tried to cover up for him. Rice denied the contact request, saying it could be further discussed in a bond reduction hearing if one is scheduled. According to a court document, Kim Jones, called 911 at about 11 p.m. on March 15 to report a woman had been beaten and was lying on the floor of the shop he rents on River Road north of Havre. When Hill County sheriff’s deputies arrived on the scene, they were told by Havre Fire Department emergency medical technicians that the woman was dead, the document said. A deputy observed that the woman appeared to have been beaten on the head, and a metal object which appeared to have blood on it and was lying in a pool of what appeared to be blood, the document said. At about 11:15 p.m., a Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway employee called the Havre Police Department to report a man had left a white van on BNSF property and “was running around acting crazy,” the document said. BNSF employees were unable to detain the man, the document said. A registration check on the 1990 Dodge van showed it was registered to Eric Jones with a Harlem address. Because the BNSF property where the van was left was close to the shop where the woman was found and because Eric is Kim Jones’ son, the van was towed to the Hill County Sheriff’s Office pending a search warrant, the document said. At about 12:45 a.m. March 15, Havre police received a call from Bell reporting that Eric Jones was in northeast Havre, “drunk and on the fight,’” the document said. At about 3 p.m., officers located Eric Jones in the residence of Kristen Champine, also Eric Jones’ ex-girlfriend, in northeast Havre and arrested him on charges of violating a temporary restraining order and resisting arrest. The officers found clothes next to the bed where Eric Jones was found which appeared to have blood on them and the bed also appeared to have blood on it, the document said. Champine told the officers that Eric Jones had arrived intoxicated, upset and crying, with a torn shirt and blood on his right arm, pants and hands. She said Jones told her that he had hurt Calf Boss Ribs, whom he used to date, the document said.
