The family of a veteran Boston police officer who allegedly used his department-issued handgun to rob a gas station said they were surprised and saddened by the accusations against their relative.
"He's just a good person," said Doris Jones, mother of officer Michael T. Jones, 44, of Dorchester. "He did well for those 20 years [on the force], I just hate to see it."
Jones was charged with armed robbery and assault after he allegedly used his service weapon to rob a Roslindale gas station about 4 p.m. Friday. He took less than $200 from the station before he fled in a car, an officer with knowledge of the investigation said.
He was arrested about an hour later on Gleason Street in Dorchester while sitting in the driver's seat of his car. Officers found his firearm in the car and clothing in the back seat that matched witnesses' description of the armed robber.
Since November, Jones had been on light desk duty, doing administrative tasks such as filing paperwork, said Elaine Driscoll, spokeswoman for the Boston Police Department. His latest assignment was in District E-18 in Hyde Park. She could not say why he was doing clerical work.
Doris Jones said her son recently had a medical issue and was involved in a crash in which he totaled his car. She said he had been on leave from the department from 2004 to 2006 because of an injury that left him with a pinched nerve.
Driscoll said an internal affairs complaint was filed against Jones in the 1990s, but she could not elaborate.
Jones's family said they had no idea why he would rob the station.
"I have to just hope for the best and keep praying," said his mother, standing outside her Dorchester home yesterday.
Family members said Michael Jones has two children, a daughter in college in North Carolina, and a son who lives with Jones's former wife. They said he worked hard to provide for his family.
"It's not his character," said Richie Dinkins, Michael Jones's cousin, interviewed outside the family's home yesterday. "He would always ask how we were doing because he was concerned about the younger people in the family."
One officer who knows Jones said the patrolman planned to return to regular duty in a few weeks, as soon as a physician cleared him.
"I'm thinking everything is fine," said the officer, who asked to remain anonymous because the department does not allow police to speak to the media without approval.
Jones was being held without bail until his arraignment tomorrow in West Roxbury District Court.
