PPD UPDATE: Pensacola Police Department
Date: January, 22nd, 2026
The Pensacola Police Department has confirmed the arrest of Rodney Terrell Jones of Pensacola on an outstanding warrant for sexual battery, Florida Statute 794.05(1).
Jones was taken into custody today as a result of an ongoing investigation being conducted by the Pensacola Police Department.
On January 18th, 2026 Rodrico Lavell Jones of Pensacola was arrested on separate change of tampering with a witness Florida Statute 914.22.1e. regarding this investigation.
At this time, no additional information regarding the investigation is being released. Further details will be provided as they become available and appropriate.
The Pensacola Police arrested embattled New World Believers’ founder Rodney Jones for sexual assault this morning. Inweekly has requested the arrest report and will publish it as soon as it is received.
- Suspension: Earlier this month, Jones’ wife, Latasha Jones, notified the Escambia Children’s Trust that NWB had suspended him from its operations because of a pending Department of Juvenile Justice investigation. Trust executive director Lindsey Cannon suspended NWB’s $585K grant. See letter.
We don’t know if Jones’ arrest is connected to the DJJ investigation.
On Jan. 18, his son, Rodrico Jones, a NWB mental health counselor, was arrested and charged with obstruction of justice. We have requested his arrest report, too.
Both father and son are held without bonds.
In 2019 both the Escambia County Supervisor of Elections and the Pensacola City Clerk (the chief elections officer of the city) allowed Rodney Jones to be a candidate for the Pensacola City Council District 5 seat. He openly listed his non-city address on his candidate paperwork and the supervisor’s website. I believe that he did register to vote using a business address in District 5. In addition to that likely being unlawful – because Jones did not live in the city – he also didn’t register more than one year before the qualifying date as required by the city’s charter. Luckily for Jones, no one involved in the elections process ever checks such basic details. I wonder if he voted in the 2020 city election while living outside of the city limit? (In 2022, three of the mayoral candidates were non-city residents to include one who openly said he would move from Cantonment to Pensacola if elected and another who lived in East Milton but registered to vote using someone else’s address in the city. Voter fraud is rampant in the city. No one cares. In 2009, the Escambia County Consolidation Study Commission raised the voter fraud issue with Supervisor David Stafford who dismissed the concern saying he trusted people.)