FORT WORTH, TX — A former deputy fire chief has been sentenced to life in prison by a Tarrant County jury after pleading guilty to orchestrating a home-invasion sexual assault against a woman he knew.
Joel Jones, 54, a former deputy chief with the Everman Fire Department, pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual assault. Following a punishment phase that detailed his orchestration of the crime, the jury deliberated for 20 minutes before returning the maximum sentence.
Attack Staged as False Consent Fantasy
The investigation revealed that Jones used a dating website to recruit 31-year-old Tobasia Griffiths to carry out the assault. Jones provided Griffiths with the victim's address and access details, falsely claiming the violent encounter was part of a consensual sexual fantasy.
On February 21, 2025, Griffiths entered the victim's home and bedroom, where he violently assaulted her. Jones had instructed Griffiths to record the assault, and Griffiths subsequently transmitted the audio file to Jones.
The victim resisted the intruder by hitting and kicking him, and striking him with a lamp. She managed to escape the bedroom by convincing Griffiths she needed to use the restroom, then fled the house to seek help. Griffiths fled the scene shortly after.
Cover-Up and Further Plans Exposed
Unaware of his involvement, the victim returned to her home, locked the doors, and called Jones for assistance. Jones then dialed 911 and feigned support for the victim while emergency units responded.
Evidence presented during the sentencing phase showed that within days of the initial assault, Jones attempted to coordinate a second attack on the same woman and discussed plans to have her kidnapped. Prosecutors noted that Jones explicitly stated desires to break the victim and target her religious faith.
Joint Prosecution and Community Support
Tarrant County Assistant District Attorneys Kim D'Avignon and Melinda Hogan prosecuted the case. Griffiths also pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual assault and cooperated with the state's prosecution of Jones.
"One man's depravity was on full display this week in the Tarrant County Courthouse," Tarrant County District Attorney Phil Sorrells said following the verdict.
The investigation was led by the Fort Worth Police Department, with assistance from DA Investigator Timothy Pinckney and Victim Coordinator Cece Jones. Following the assault, 30 off-duty Fort Worth police officers and department personnel volunteered to pack and move the victim to a secure new residential location.
Jones has been remanded into custody to serve his life sentence in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
