KEY FINDINGS:
- Accused cop shooter Tremaine Jones was given a deferred prosecution agreement for a 2021 Milwaukee case involving a stolen Kia and police chase. He was supposed to stay out of trouble, and if he did, the charges would be dismissed.
- Instead, he was accused of domestic violence in 4 separate incidents from January 2024-February 2025 while the DPA was active, but it wasn’t revoked.
- The Milwaukee County District Attorney’s office declined to prosecute all of those DV cases. Note that we have previously written extensively about that office’s sky-high non prosecution rate.
- Jones was only arrested in one of those DV cases; he was no longer at the scene for others. Warrants were issued in some instances, but he wasn’t taken into custody, even though he was in court for DPA hearings. The one DV arrest could have resulted in revocation of the DPA, but the DA’s office didn’t seek it.
- Jones is accused of shooting two Milwaukee police officers less than three months after a public defender turned court commissioner finally threw out the Kia-related charges, finding that Jones complied with the DPA, despite all of the DV incidents.
- Police Officer Kendall Corder is fighting for his life after being shot while responding to a gun call involving Jones, and his partner, Christopher McCray, was wounded.
STORY:
The Milwaukee County District Attorney’s office declined to prosecute Tremaine D. Jones in FOUR domestic violence cases since January 2024, the office confirmed to Wisconsin Right Now.
Jones kept racking up domestic violence accusations through February 2025, four in all. However, public defender-turned court commissioner JC Moore threw out the only criminal charges ever filed against Jones in April 2025, ruling that he complied with the provisions of a deferred prosecution agreement stemming from a stolen Kia case dating back to 2021. When a defendant gets a DPA, they are supposed to behave and not commit new crimes.
Four times in a relatively short time frame leading up to the officers’ shooting, Jones was accused of serious domestic violence offenses, including one allegedly involving a firearm. None resulted in charges. None resulted in the revocation of his deferred prosecution agreement for the earlier Kia offense. Officers were responding to a man with a gun call when they were shot; WTMJ-TV has reported it was another domestic violence situation.
Jones, 22, of Milwaukee, is the suspect in custody in the June 26 “ambush” shooting of two Milwaukee police officers, according to multiple law enforcement sources. One is expected to survive, but the other officer, Kendall Corder – whose dad pinned his badge on him at his recruit graduation approximately six years ago – is fighting for his life. Corder proposed to his fiancee from the stage during the graduation. Family members have posted moving statements about him, including videos and photos. “Kendall is one of the best uncles,” wrote a family member, sharing this video:
How is it that Jones was able to escape conviction – and incarceration – despite all of his brushes with the law?
The provisions of the deferred prosecution agreement against Jones “did specify that a probable cause finding that led to an arrest would constitute grounds for revoking the agreement,” Deputy DA Matthew Torbenson told WRN.
Torbenson said that only one of the four domestic violence incidents resulted in Jones’ arrest. That’s because he was not located at the scene when police arrived. In at least two cases, warrants were issued.
“Tremaine Jones was not located on scene or arrested for any of the intimate partner domestic violence referrals,” Torbenson said of three of the four cases; the fourth was handled by a different unit and did result in an arrest.
We asked MPD for comment, and they deferred to the DA and told us to file an open records request.
We asked Torbenson why, in three of the DV cases, Jones was never arrested, and he said, “While we (DA’s Office) may not issue charges at a given time, that is a decision we are more than willing to revisit if there is additional evidence or a change in circumstances. One of the biggest changes in circumstances is getting a suspect into custody and having that suspect questioned. We have coordinated with the Milwaukee Police Department’s Sensitive Crimes Unit and each team understands that additional evidence may lead to charges. As a result, MPD will leave its temporary felony want active in the hopes of making an arrest or garnering additional evidence.”
It almost becomes a circular argument in a way; the DA didn’t seek to revoke him because the DA didn’t charge him in the four cases, although the reasons for the non-prosecution decisions are complex, per Torbenson.
However, Jones shouldn’t have been hard to find. He had multiple court dates, some appearing in person. He appeared by video on April 8 before Commissioner JC Moore, a former public defender, who found that Jones “complied with the Deferred Prosecution Agreement. For reasons stated on the record, Court ordered previous plea entered VACATED. On motion of the State, Court ordered case dismissed with prejudice. Bail to be returned if applicable,” court records say.
The one arrest could have resulted in the deferred prosecution agreement being revoked, Torbenson acknowledged.
“In full transparency, Tremaine Jones was arrested for a domestic violence matter on January 21, 2024, involving a member of his immediate family. No charges were issued as a result of that arrest,” he said.
“While that arrest could have provided grounds to revoke the agreement, the agreement called for the District Attorney’s Office to recommend a sentence of 30 days in jail, a recommendation the court may not have followed,” he added. “An important condition of the agreement was restitution to the victim for the damage to the stolen vehicle. Under the conditions of the agreement, Tremaine Jones obtained employment and did ultimately pay restitution to the victim.”
Although he never saw jail time or even was convicted, as part of the agreement, Jones was told to “write down three goals and a two page essay about the impact that a criminal conviction would have on his life and three goals that he has for himself and if the goals would be easier or harder to achieve if he had a criminal conviction,” court records say.
Court records contain a letter that Jones wrote Judge Carolina Stark. “Three goals that I have for myself one would be to become someone that my nephew can idolize without shame,” he wrote. “Losing my brother made me realize that I have to be there for his son. A criminal conviction would make it hard for me to do that it can also destroy my character or make hard for me to do that.”
Many of the decisions came under the leadership of former DA John Chisholm. New DA Kent Lovern took office in mid-January.
We reached out to DA Lovern, and within a few hours, Deputy DA Torbenson provided WRN with a detailed summary of what happened. He supervises the Domestic Violence Unit.
Here is the timeline that we learned from other courthouse sources, Torbenson and per court records:
Sept. 26, 2021. The criminal charges were filed against Jones. They represent his only criminal charges in Wisconsin before the shootings. The criminal complaint shows he was charged with two misdemeanors for operating a vehicle without owner’s consent (passenger) and obstructing an officer.
According to the complaint, at 1:30 p.m. police observed several young-looking males in a Kia Soul car with plastic wrap and the lights off. The car took off at a high rate of speed and then slid into a snow bank.
Thefts of Kias have been a major problem in Milwaukee, as has reckless driving – both of which officials have vowed to get tough on.
Jones and another person then took off, leading officers on a foot chase, the complaint says. The abandoned Kia Soul was confirmed to be a stolen vehicle. He told police he was walking home when his friends pulled up in the car and offered to give him a ride home, which he accepted, getting into the backseat. He was 18 then.
A victim restitution form in the court file gives the victim’s perspective. It says the car was stolen 10 steps from the woman’s door, leaving her afraid for her safety. She was seven months away from paying it off when it was stolen.
Read the criminal complaint here.
Criminal Complaint – Amended_1 – Jones, Tremaine D; 2021CM003242; Jones, Tremaine D_22154764_21
Dec. 6, 2023. Judge Hannah Dugan approved a deferred prosecution agreement for Jones in the criminal case relating to that Kia incident. He was supposed to maintain employment and complete school and community service, among other provisions. He had a job at Crossmark, it says. But by December of 2024, he was described in court records as unemployed.
Jan. 21, 2024. Jones begins getting in trouble with the law again. Jones was arrested in a new domestic violence case, but it was not prosecuted, Torbenson confirmed. The DPA was not revoked.
June 10, 2024. A new judge, Carolina Stark, added 10 more days of community service to the DPA agreement.
Aug. 26, 2024. Jones was accused of domestic violence relating to the mother of his child. An alleged strangulation case. An arrest warrant was issued. Torbenson confirms this case was not prosecuted, either. The DPA was not revoked.
Sept. 17, 2024. Judge Carolina Stark found Jones was “in compliance with the terms of the (DPA) agreement.”
Nov. 16, 2024. He was accused of domestic violence yet again. This case relates to the mother of his child. The Milwaukee County District Attorney’s office “no processed” (did not prosecute) this case, as well, Torbenson confirmed.
Nov. 22, 2024. Jones was listed as being in warrant status in a DPA letter, court records say.
Dec. 12, 2024. Jones was in court on a return of a bench warrant in the DPA. It was issued Nov. 18 when he didn’t show up for a review hearing, the records say.
Torbenson told WRN: “I knew there was concern about why the deferred prosecution agreement was not revoked when Tremaine Jones failed to appear for court twice. I examined our file and notes, which indicate that on each failed appearance Tremaine Jones communicated with his attorney about his inability to appear in person, and the information was then shared with the court. Based on that information, a short court date was scheduled to ensure Tremaine Jones’s future appearance in person.”
Feb. 4, 2025. Jones appears in person in court for a review hearing in the DPA before Judge Carolina Stark. “Defendant has completed all of the terms of the agreement except for restitution payment,” the court records say.
Feb. 14, 2025. Yet another domestic violence accusation. Strangulation case with pointing a firearm allegation. Again, sources say an arrest warrant was issued, but Torbenson confirmed that the case was not prosecuted.
March 18, 2025. Jones appeared by video at a review hearing for the DPA before Judge Carolina Stark. “Based upon the defendant’s compliance with the Deferred Prosecution Agreement, matter is adjourned for Final Review Hearing in Branch 17,” the court records say.
April 8, 2024. Commissioner JC Moore dismisses the charges against Jones as a result of him having supposedly complied with the terms of the deferred prosecution agreement. Jones appeared by video. On a motion of the state, the court dismissed the Kia case.
To be sure, domestic violence cases of this nature can be very difficult to prove and sometimes involve non-cooperative witnesses.
“We have reviewed three separate intimate partner domestic violence referrals involving Tremaine Jones as the suspect,” he told WRN in a statement, before adding that there was a fourth handled by the general crimes unit. “In each incident, Tremaine Jones was not located on scene by the time police arrived, there were no visible physical injuries, and there were no independent corroborating witnesses that were responsive to our office or willing to cooperate at the time of our review.”
Additionally, the deputy DA added, “In all three cases, there was no physical evidence, such as medical records, photographs, or a firearm recovered on scene, that would further confirm what transpired.”
“Out of respect for the victim’s constitutional rights, including the right to privacy, I cannot comment directly on any communication we may have had with the victim on each matter,” he noted. “What I can say is that our office often experiences varying levels of victim contact, communication, and cooperation on domestic violence matters for a myriad of reasons. When we do not issue charges, we make every effort to connect the victim with supportive community services.”
We asked Torbenson whether he believed anything should have been done differently and whether changes are needed so things don’t happen the same way again. He responded, “I cannot directly answer your question without divulging information that would violate the victim’s rights. What I can say is that we as an office are always looking for ways in which we can improve for the safety of the community we serve, which includes examining every intervention point in each of these matters.”
