Constable sticking to his guns after Dallas reporter puts him in his crosshairs

Photo courtesy Mike Jones.

ELLIS COUNTY — A local lawman is sticking to his guns after coming under fire from a Dallas journalist. Support for an Ellis County Constable is increasing after a Dallas Morning News journalist takes issue with the constable using the term "rock monkeys" to describe ISIS terrorists.

Mike Jones, Ellis County Constable of Precinct 4 and Marine veteran, made a Facebook post on Thursday, October 8 describing his opinion of gun free zones and how to respond to terrorists.

"It is time we contact those who represent us as Congressmen and Senators and tell them we are fed up. We want them to level the playing field and do away with these dangerous GUN FREE ZONES... How many more dead are we going to accept before we've had enough," Jones wrote.

"Here is my foreign policy: You kill one of our Americans any where in the world we take out your whole family, your entire blood line will cease to exist. You take one of our Americans as hostage (Iran, Somalia, North Korea) we take your loved ones Hostage and any assets in American control are automatically forfeited. The only way to keep our citizens safe at home or abroad is to meet violence with extreme violence!! We need to be STRONG once again. How dare the President of the United States not insist the release of Americans in Iran, much less not give an absolute deadline before we rain thunder upon them," Jones continued.

"That is the only thing these rock monkeys (ISIS) in the middle east understand. Even more of a reason to be armed!!! You must protect yourself and those Americans around you," Jones wrote.

Click here to read Jones' post on Facebook.

Jones' last statement put him in the crosshairs of Dallas Morning News journalist Avi Selk.

"Apparently, someone took issue with my “Rock Monkey” statement from yesterday and has contacted the Dallas Morning News. They contacted me and advised they are going to print a story about me and how I used this term," Jones said.

His original post omitted the term "ISIS," which he later added for full clarification.

"I edited the rock monkey statement and added (ISIS) to make it more clear for the Dallas Morning News and their reporter Avi Selk. And anyone else who want to make me a racist," Jones wrote.

Jones also reiterated his intended use of "rock monkeys."

"The people I was referring to was the ISIS bunch formally known as ISIL," he said.

He went on to describe videos of horrifying murders committed by ISIS.

"I have seen videos of them burning ALIVE a F-16 pilot from Jordan. He was locked inside a cage of about 6 foot by 6 foot. He was drenched in fuel and made to stand there until they put fire to a trail of fuel leading to his cage. As the fire got ever closer, he was forced to face his death knowing it would be extremely painful and long. I watched him melt before the camera, his skin dripping off his face and hands," Jones described of one video.

Jones is sticking to his guns and takes full ownership of his statement.

"I was referring to these fanatics when I used the term “Rock Monkey” I will take ownership of that, and I am not apologizing. These guys are nothing more than animals. I want to reiterate, I was not using that term to describe ALL Muslims," Jones wrote after describing additional horrifying videos.

Click here to read Jones' full statement.

In an apparent effort to portray Jones as a racist and anti-Muslim, Selk attempted to draw parallels to other elected officials in Texas claiming they were going after Islam.

Click here to read Avi Selk's article in the Dallas Morning News.

Constable Jones, who retired from the Marines in 1999 with the rank of Master Sergeant after serving 20 years, is up for re-election in March 2016 and has received tremendous support following Selk's unflattering article.

"I know the folks in Precinct 4 know who I am, and they will vote for me if they believe me, and won’t vote for me if they think I am wrong or racist," Jones said in response.

The story has since gone viral after Breitbart Texas released a more complete and factual article on October 10. Lana Shadwick's article has been shared over 21,000 times on Facebook and has helped to further direct massive support to Jone's Facebook page.

Click here to read Shadwick's story on Breitbart.

"Thank you to an awesome reporter, who didn't spin this story, she just did what was right. The USA is stronger because of people like her and Breitbart. Thank you from my heart Lana Shadwick," Jones said.