By Jon King / jking@whmi.com


A state lawmaker facing charges in Livingston County is drawing scrutiny for recent campaign expenditures.

A campaign finance disclosure released Monday by Democratic State Rep. Jewell Jones of Inkster indicated he spent $221 in campaign money at a Dearborn strip club for what was called a “constituent meeting.”

MLive.com reports that records indicate the 26-year-old Jones held an official campaign meeting March 8th at the Pantheion Club in Dearborn to discuss “potential economic projects” in his hometown. Records also show that Jones also used his campaign account to pay for nearly $900 in bills at three high-end restaurants while in Las Vegas on March 22nd and 23rd. Altogether, Jones has spent more than $6,000 in campaign funds on meals in 2021.

While Jones did not reply to MLive requests for comment, he told The Detroit News he was unsure whether the Pantheion — which is described as an “Adult entertainment club” on Google — was a strip club.

Jones has been in the headlines steadily since his April 6th arrest in Handy Township after he crashed his vehicle and then resisted responding officers. He was subsequently charged with drunken driving, resisting police, possession of a weapon while under the influence of alcohol and reckless driving.

He has twice violated bond on those charges, most recently when he failed to make payments on his alcohol monitoring system. In court last week, Livingston County Circuit Court Judge Michael Hatty fined Jones $1,000 and warned him that if he violates bond again, he’ll be jailed.