Jermaine Jones reportedly has even more outstanding warrants for his arrest than previously reported.
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Jones, a 25-year-old vocal instructor from Pine Hill, NJ, revealed he would be leaving American Idol shortly after a Tuesday evening report in which TMZ reported Idol producers would be disqualifying an unidentified eleventh-season finalist after learning they had concealed a criminal record.
"Awww I will no longer b on the show," Jones tweeted from his official American Idol Twitter account.
While he deleted the tweet later, Jones continued to re-tweet supportive messages from other Twitter users upset about his American Idol departure throughout Tuesday night. In addition, TMZ and The Hollywood Reporter both subsequently reported Jones has been disqualified, citing undisclosed sources.
Fox has declined to comment, however Jones' Twitter account was completely deleted by late Wednesday morning.
According to TMZ's intial reports, American Idol producers learned of Jones' criminal record on Tuesday and it includes charges from two separate 2011 crimes -- one of which involved violence and both of which he gave a false name to police when arrested for -- and at least two outstanding arrest warrants.
American Idol then reportedly confronted Jones about his criminal record on-camera on Tuesday afternoon and the confrontation will be broadcast during Wednesday's live perform show.
"How can I be lieing nd I never said anything," Jones wrote cryptically in another tweet he had posted earlier on Tuesday.
However, according to The Smoking Gun, Jones' criminal record is even more extensive than TMZ reported previously. In addition to being wanted on five outstanding arrest warrants in three separate New Jersey counties, Jones' record also includes additional charges that date back to 2006, when he was arrested as part of narcotics bust in Salem County.
Jones' next arrest then reportedly occurred in 2008 when he was cited on an open container charge in Woodbury, and he was later arrested in Winslow Township in 2009 after he gave police a false name.
Jones' first 2011 arrest occurred in March, according to The Smoking Gun, when he told police he was "Joel Jones" to avoid being apprehended on one of his prior outstanding warrants. He was then reportedly arrested again in late November -- several months after his initial American Idol audition -- when he told officers he was "Kareem D. Watkins" in another attempt to avoid his outstanding warrants.
It remains unclear whether Jones' disqualification may result in American Idol not eliminating one of the eleventh season's other eleven remaining finalists during Thursday night's live results show.
While rare, American Idol has disqualified semifinalists and finalists several times in its eleven-year history.
In 2010, Chris Golightly was disqualified from American Idol's ninth-season semifinals before they began after the show's producers determined he was ineligible due to unspecified reasons he later attributed to an alleged mix-up over an expired recording contract (the recording company disagreed).
A year earlier, eighth-season Idol semifinalist Joanna Pacitti was disqualified due to "a perceptional problem" resulting from her previous relationships with two executives of the show's 19 Entertainment production company.
During Idol's second season, semifinalist Jaered Andrews was disqualified over (later acquitted) charges of committing an assault that led to a man's death and then 23-year-old semifinalist Frenchie Davis was disqualified for having previously posed for faux "kiddie porn" photos.
Later that same season, Corey Clark, one of the season's nine remaining finalists, was dismissed for failing to disclose pending battery charges.
About The Author: Steven Rogers
