Cole County builder faces new felony charge

The Cole County Prosecuting Attorney’s office filed a new felony charge against a builder suspected of scamming several.

Ken Jinson was charged by the state’s Attorney General in February with eight counts of stealing and deceptive business practices. He now faces a felony charge of resisting arrest for allegedly running from deputies that tried to serve the arrest warrant that month.

ABC 17 News spoke with two people in 2015 who say Jinson failed to provide complete work after taking money from them, at least one of whom is mentioned in the state’s indictment. Jinson denied any wrongdoing, both in court and to ABC 17 News when asked nine months before charges were filed.

Cole County deputies went to arrest Jinson at his home northwest of Jefferson City on the afternoon of February 19. A probable cause statement filed Wednesday said the deputy came to the back of the house to serve the arrest warrant.

“Jinson acknowledged me and turned towards me,” the statement reads. “As soon as Jinson saw I was a law enforcement officer, in full uniform he turned and ran away from me.”

The statement said Jinson went into his home, and did not come out despite knocks on the door, calls to his cellphone and requests from a loud speaker outside. Jinson eventually left the house, the sheriff’s office said, after 40 minutes.

John Roodhouse, Jinson’s attorney in the stealing case, said he just received the new resisting arrest case, and would not give further comment.

ABC 17 News spoke to a woman at Jinson’s home who identified herself as his wife. She said she was unsure if a deputy approached Jinson outside the house, but knew deputies where there when one began speaking from a loud speaker. She said it was only a few minutes later that Jinson left the house, where deputies arrested him near the front porch.

“How can a man be charged for resisting arrest when he comes out of his front door with his hands up and a coffee cup in one of his hands,” she asked. “How is that resisting arrest?”

The Cole County prosecutor’s office did not return a call seeking comment on why they charged Jinson more than two months after the arrest.

The woman also added that deputies came into their home with their guns drawn to search the place after the arrest. She said she was confused as to the nature of the search, and said the situation traumatized her and her two children.

“We had [police dogs] and cars everywhere,” she said. “You would’ve thought he was a murderer. I don’t even think they go after murderers like that, honestly.”

The woman also denied any claim that her husband deceived or denied work to a paying customer, saying that they would have their day in court eventually.

Roodhouse entered a plea of not guilty for the stealing and deceptive business practices case on April 19. Jinson was issued a criminal summons on the new resisting arrest charge, meaning deputies will not have to take him to jail.