Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1997. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
The Associated Press; Wednesday, December 17, 1997 19:31:00
John Flesher, Associated Press Writer
James Wallace Jones, 33, will be arraigned Thursday, accused of failing to notify four sex partners -- including a 15-year-old girl -- of his HIV status.
Although authorities have found no evidence that Jones infected anyone, a number of women who had sex with him are still being tested, said Grand Traverse County Prosecutor Dennis LaBelle.
"Of course, even if these women had unprotected sex with him they may not have contracted the virus," LaBelle said. "It's almost a game of Russian roulette."
Jones, who was convicted in 1993 of attempted sexual conduct and was released from prison this summer, also faces an additional felony charge of having sex with a minor. He has been in custody on a charge of failing to register with local police, as required of convicted sex offenders.
Earlier this month, state police were informed that Jones might be exposing sex partners to HIV, LaBelle said. Prison records indicated Jones carried a "blood-borne disease" and was taking the anti-AIDS drug AZT.
LaBelle went public, urging anyone who had had sexual contact with Jones to come forward for testing.
As of Wednesday, a dozen women had been identified as Jones' sex partners, LaBelle said. Health officials fear there may be even more, including those who have had sex with his partners.
After his arrest, Jones was tested for HIV. The results came back positive Wednesday, LaBelle said, enabling him to authorize warrants on the additional charges.
Jones faces a maximum sentence of four years for each charge of failing to divulge his health status. The charge of having sex with a minor carries a 15-year maximum.
According to court documents, Jones has criminal records in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., for property crimes or simple assaults, LaBelle said.
This fall, authorities in the upstate New York accused a 21-year-old man with HIV of having unprotected sex with numerous young women. Nushawn Williams is believed to have infected nine of at least 28 sex partners, six of them knowingly.
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