‘Pretty Little Liars’ actor gets jail time for pointing gun at neighbor during dispute
An actor who appeared on the television show “Pretty Little Liars” was sentenced Monday to 180 days in jail for pointing a gun at a neighbor during a dispute last year, officials said.
Brandon William Jones, 29, pleaded no contest to one misdemeanor count of assault with a firearm, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.
The North Hills resident was also sentenced to three years of probation, ordered to perform 30 days of community labor and take 26 anger management classes, officials said.
The incident occurred in March 2016.
Pamela Tedeschi, an attorney representing Jones, told The Times late Tuesday that her client never pointed a gun at his neighbor.
The confrontation began, she said, when Jones and his girlfriend found a trash bag with marijuana dispensary wrappings in their trash bin. When the couple returned the trash, she said, they were threatened.
Jones retreated to his home while a neighbor chased after him. At that point, Tedeschi said, Jones retrieved his legally owned firearm and held it at his side, pointed at the ground, while remaining on his property.
The district attorney’s office said that several months before the March incident, Jones had flashed a gun in his waistband during an argument with another neighbor. Tedeschi said that incident was fabricated.
Jones was initially charged with one felony county of assault with a firearm and one misdemeanor count each of exhibiting a deadly weapon and exhibiting a concealable firearm in public.
As part of his plea agreement, those charges were dropped.
Tedeschi said Jones was facing a felony charge and took a plea deal to avoid a possible prison sentence. She said he plans to work to eventually get the misdemeanor charge expunged from his record.
“It was a hard decision,” Tedeschi said. He felt it was “better to take a misdemeanor and earn a dismissal than risk going to prison.… He wants to get his career back on track.”
Jones had a recurring role in the ABC Family teen drama, appearing in a dozen episodes from 2013 to 2015.
Twitter: @AleneTchek
ALSO
‘Antifa’ violence in Berkeley becomes problem for left-wing activist community
Confrontation between downtown Los Angeles bar owner and homeless man prompts debate
Want to fight L.A. City Hall? It could get a lot more expensive
UPDATES:
Aug. 29, 11:05 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from the actor’s attorney.
This article was originally published on Aug. 28 at 9:40 p.m.
More to Read
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.