Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1997. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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United Press International; Tuesday December 30, 1997 - 2:47 AM EST
James Wallace Jones faces up to life in prison for "sexual deliquency" and failing to inform women and girls in the Traverse City, Mich., area _ the youngest aged 15 _ that he's HIV-positive.
State police say Jones slept with alleged victims in the months since his release from prison last June. He served four years for criminal sexual conduct.
Jones also served time for robbery and other crimes in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C.
State police describe Jones as a smooth-talking drifter who preyed on women in this northern Michigan community of 20,000.
Grand Traverse County Prosecutor Dennis LaBelle says law enforcement officials "may never know" whether any of Jones partners contracted the AIDS virus. He says the suspected partners have been tested by local health officials, but test results by law are kept confidential.
Today in Grand Traverse County Circuit Court, two preliminary hearings are scheduled to determine whether Jones stands trial.
In the first case, he's charged with one count of failing to inform a partner about his HIV status, and one count of third-degree criminal sexual conduct involving the 15-year-old. He could get 15 years in jail.
In the second, Jones is charged with three counts of failing to inform other sex partners. Each count is a four-year felony.
He's also charged under a unique Michigan law against "sexual deliquency," which can include spreading the AIDS virus. A conviction can mean life in prison.
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