Report: 'American Idol' Contestant Jermaine Jones To Get Boot From Show Over Arrest Warrants
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) - A contestant from New Jersey has apparently sung his swan song on "American Idol.''
Jermaine Jones, a 25-year-old vocal instructor from Pine Hill, N.J., tweeted Tuesday night that he no longer would be on the Fox singing contest.
Web Extra: Criminal Complaint Against Jones
He wrote on his official "Idol'' Twitter account: "Awww I will no longer b on the show.'' The post and Jones' official "Idol'' Twitter account were later deleted.
The "Idol" contestant is expected to be booted from the show tonight because he is the subject of five outstanding arrest warrants in New Jersey, The Smoking Gun reported.
The Smokinggun.com reports that Jones is wanted in three separate counties for failing to appear in court on a variety of criminal charges dating back to 2006, according to court records. His two most recent arrests came last year in Camden County, where he works as a vocal instructor.
The oldest warrant stems from a 2006 narcotics bust in Salem County. Jones's next arrest was in 2008 in Woodbury, where he was cited on an open container charge, according to the Smoking Gun report. In 2009 he was nabbed for providing cops with a false name in Winslow Township, according to the Smokinggun.com.
His first arrest was in March 2011, when he provided a cop with the false name "Joel Jones" to "avoid being apprehended on outstanding warrants for his arrest," according to a criminal complaint.
The Smoking Gun also reports that he was arrested in late-November for again giving false information to a police officer. This time, according to the report, he claimed to be "Kareem D. Watkins" in "an attempt to avoid arrest for numerous outstanding warrants for his arrest.
A Fox spokeswoman declined to comment on the matter or confirm his tweet.
The so-called "gentle giant,'' as he was dubbed by "Idol'' host Ryan Seacrest, was among the show's viewer-selected top 13 finalists after the judges gave him a last-minute spot among the 11th season's top 13 male semifinalists.
He was among the bottom three vote-getters last week after performing Stevie Wonder's "Knocks Me Off My Feet'' but advanced to the group of top 12 singers.
"Idol'' contestants in the past have been disqualified when the show deems that their work or personal history is an issue.
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