Chuck E. Cheese performer says he's innocent, case still pending
The Tallahassee man who became internet famous for his viral arrest while portraying Chuck E. Cheese told a court he's innocent – and now waits for his case to be resolved.
Tallahassee police in July arrested Jermell J. Jones, 41, on credit card fraud charges, dragging him out of the Tallahassee location of the family entertainment restaurant chain while he was in costume.
Inside the Sharer Road store, patrons started recording cell phone video, later posted online; in one, a child can be heard yelling, "Oh, Chuck E.!"
Jones was charged with credit card theft, fraudulent use of a credit card, and criminal use of personal identification information, court dockets show. He since has pleaded not guilty and is represented by the local Public Defender's Office.
He's had several case management conferences, periodic check-ins on a case held before a judge with the attorneys present, with the next one scheduled for Jan. 13.
It's marked as "final" in the dockets, which do not show whether a plea deal is in the works.
The arrest, which also was recorded on officers' bodycams, raised a number of questions locally on TPD policy.
In a video released by the Tallahassee Police Department, Jones is approached by two officers, who handcuff him while in costume. They take him out of the restaurant-arcade to a police car, where they begin to question him.
Children in the video can be heard saying, "Oh no!" standing by in confusion.
TPD spokesperson Alicia Hill told the Tallahassee Democrat the department does not have a specific policy on when arrests are appropriate in public. The agency relies on "officer discretion" based on the safety of others while ensuring a suspect can't destroy evidence, for example.
"But when they approached him, he immediately tenses up and resists, and so ... they made the decision to put him in handcuffs, keeping in mind the safety of not only the customers, but the suspect, as well as the officers themselves," Hill said in a previous interview.
"It is unfortunate that the person who is subject of this investigation, and who we had probable cause on, happened to be in costume," she added.
One officer, tongue in cheek, suggested he knew they had caused a bit of a scene: In a bodycam video, he says to a colleague, "The parents are not happy with ... us detaining Chuck E. Cheese."
Later that month, as the incident became fodder for jokes on late night TV, the company's president and CEO flew in to Tallahassee. David McKillips met with local police at the restaurant, including TPD Chief Lawrence Revell. The event was meant as a show of unity and goodwill between local law enforcement and the pizza-related mouse.
Arianna Otero is the trending and breaking news reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact her via email at AOtero@tallahassee.com and follow her on X: @ari_v_otero .
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Court proceedings continue in Chuck E. Cheese arrest case
